PM must start accountability from kins: Sirajul Haq

JI chief says govt failed to fulfil its promises despite a passage of five months

LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Sirajul Haq has demanded that Prime Minister Imran Khan fulfil his promise of starting accountability from his own house so that people can witness real change and no one can blame that only the opposition parties are being held accountable

“The landlords and the capitalists who supported Gen Musharraf have now joined the government. Those who looted billions and trillions of rupees have hijacked the politics of the country,” Haq said while addressing the participants of a training programme and media representatives at Mansura.

“Elections are held after every five years but you see the same faces with new parties,” said the JI chief. “The country cannot progress without a leadership with some ideological position.”

Haq said the JI wanted across the board accountability of all.  “Narrative of the JI has become popular in the country. People want accountability of the government and the opposition. The government has failed to recover money stashed abroad,” he said.

Govt not moving ahead for promised change: Sirajul Haq

He said the PM had announced that accountability should start from his home.

“Now when a member of his family is facing allegations of corruption and there are persons around him who have been accused of corruption of billions of rupees, it is necessary for him to uphold justice and hold them accountable,” he said.

Haq said more than five months had passed but real accountability had not yet started. Former premier Nawaz Sharif was disqualified but the other 436 accused whose names appeared in the Panama Papers were not even sent summons.

“The rulers had promised that they will bring back $375 billion that were looted and shifted to other countries. But not a single penny has been brought back.

“The government had promised to provide jobs to 10 million people and roof to five million people but unemployment has increased and thousands of people have been rendered homeless,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 14^th, 2019.