–JI chief says party will bear education expenses of Qadri’s son
— Siraj says electoral reforms essential before general elections
PESHAWAR/ LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Sirajul Haq said that Mumtaz Qadri was executed by the government under pressure from the Western powers despite the fact “he gave his life for the love of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)”.
Speaking at a Khatm-e-Nabuwwat conference, Siraj claimed that the government executed Qadri to appease its American allies, adding that “thousands of people attended his [Qadri] funeral, which showed that Qadri gave his life for a good cause”. Siraj further said that he was the only ‘brave politician’ who went to attend the funeral of Mumtaz Qadri, as other politicians avoided out of fear of the West.
Stressing JI’s commitment to Qadri—who was awarded a death sentence by the court in the murder of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer—Siraj said, “I announced that the JI will bear the entire educational expense of Qadri’s son,” and further said that the belief on the finality of the prophethood was the basic belief of all Muslims, without which no one could enter the paradise.
Talking about recent controversial amendments that created uproar in and outside the parliament, Siraj said that all those who had supported these ‘shameful’ amendments had hurt the sentiments of 200 million Pakistanis.
The JI chief suggested the imposition of Islamic system in Pakistan as a solution to all the problems faced by the country. “We will (wage a) fight against corruption, land mafia, international establishment, American agents (in an effort) to make Pakistan a welfare state,” he said, adding, the JI would never step down from its demand for expelling all cabinet members who supported the controversial constitutional amendments.
Qadri was hanged in Adiala jail in February 2016. Qadri, a former police bodyguard, shot liberal Punjab governor Salman Taseer 28 times in an upscale market in Islamabad in 2011. He later admitted the killing, saying he objected to the politician’s calls to reform controversial blasphemy laws — a hugely sensitive issue in Pakistan.
ECP NEEDS COMPLETE OVERHAUL FOR FAIR POLLS: Separately, Sirajul Haq, while talking to civil society delegation at Mansoora, said electoral reforms were essential before the 2018 general elections, urging the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for an overhaul of the entire system in order to hold transparent elections.
The ECP has not ensured the compliance of its limit for election expenditure due to which the wealthy candidates return to the assemblies by cashing in this advantage, while poor candidates stand spectators, he said.
Siraj further said that following the indictment of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif it was obligatory for the government not to side with the accused, adding that the federal ministers accompanying the accused to the court were insult to the judiciary. The threat of the ruling junta to the prosecutors was a clear attempt to pressurise the institutions, he added.