Politicking: Military should be included in peace talks says JI

Deputy chief Sirajul Haq says his party will fight for timely elections.


Our Correspondent March 07, 2013
“The country is not in a position to afford more instability. Only an impartial and competent caretaker setup will be acceptable to conduct free elections,” says Haq. PHOTO: ONLINE/FILE

PESHAWAR:


Jamaat-e-Islami’s (JI) Deputy Head Sirajul Haq has said the army should be taken into confidence in furthering the peace talks with the Taliban.


He maintained that timely elections can steer the country out of the existing crisis created over the past five years and the JI will resist any attempt to postpone the general elections.

“The country is not in a position to afford more instability. Only an impartial and competent caretaker setup will be acceptable to conduct free elections,” he said, while speaking at the ‘Guest Hour’ programme  at the Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday.



Responding to a question, he said that JI was in contact with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) along with other parties. The final decision has not been taken on election cooperation as yet. “No electoral alliance will be made with ruling parties,” he clarified.

Haq lashed out at the Awami National Party’s (ANP) government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa for failing to address the security situation across the province during its tenure.

“The city of flowers (Peshawar) has been turned into a war zone,” he said, claiming that around 46,000 people have been killed and at least 100,000 had become physically and mentally impaired because of the insurgency.

ANP and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have failed to fulfil their promise of providing relief to the masses against militancy, price hikes and unemployment, he added.

“A culture of easyload has been introduced for doling out jobs to those who offer large sums of money for it.” Deserving graduates are leaving the country because of non-merit practices, he added.

The JI will reinstate the local government system, provide free medical treatment in public hospitals and unemployment benefits to graduates if voted into power.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 7th, 2013.

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