Siraj fires broadside at govt for serving ‘int’l establishment’

March participants led by Sirajul Haq stop short of entering parliament house

ISLAMABAD:

Jamat-e-Islami (JI) chief Sirajul Haq on Sunday lashed out at the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), alleging that the latter was ruling the country at the behest of “international establishment” and International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Addressing an anti-inflation rally, he said that if the state institutions wished to remain insulated from criticism, they must refrain from dragging themselves into the political thicket and act independently.

The JI chief was flanked by deputy ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Mian Muhammad Aslam, Secretary-General Ameer-ul-Azeem, and other party leaders including Dr Tariq Saleem and President JI Youth Zubair Gondal.

مہنگائی و بے روزگاری کے خلاف جے آئی یوتھ کے اسلام آباد مارچ کے شرکاء ڈی چوک پر پہنچ گئے۔ امیر جماعت اسلامی سراج الحق خطاب کر رہے ہیں#JIYouth_IslamabadMarch pic.twitter.com/yOjZY9dJyy

— Jamaat-e-Islami (@JIPOfficial) November 28, 2021

“The contempt of court is indeed a crime but so is the contempt of man and contempt of justice,” he said, adding that the “parliament of the youth” has today announced its decision outside the parliament.

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The JI chief, who ended his anti-inflation protest just short of entering the parliament house, alleged the incumbent government had rendered the bright future of the youth of the country “bleak”, regretting that there has never been a true representation of youth inside the corridors of power.

“Corrupt mafia and Pakistan cannot run in tandem,” he said, adding that “the corrupt rulers who have sold Kashmir will be forced to leave. We will send them packing”. He claimed that, if given support, his party would oust the venal rulers who he said were serving as “mouthpieces for the international establishment and cruel feudal”.

“Imran Khan himself had said that if over a thousand people raised slogans against him, he would leave the office. Today, the entire country is reverberating with ‘Go Imran Go’ cries, with your own people calling for your resignation,” he claimed.

The Jamat-e-Islami chief went on to say that PM Imran had “cheated” the nation by entering into a conflict with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), claiming that soon the nation “will see the premier playing cricket with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in London”.

ڈی چوک پر امیر جماعت اسلامی سراج الحق کے یوتھ مارچ سے خطاب سے قبل قومی ترانہ پڑھا جا رہا ہے#JIYouth_IslamabadMarch pic.twitter.com/JzhKxFmry7

— Jamaat-e-Islami (@JIPOfficial) November 28, 2021

“The rulers should give their rights to the people of Balochistan. The lingering issue of missing persons is a disgrace to the country’s democracy.”

“The poor fishermen of Gwadar are protesting for their rights. Victims of Nasla Tower in Karachi are demanding their rights.

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Addressing the participants of the rally, Siraj said the time for ‘change’ has arrived, asking them to gear up. “The march of unemployed youth in Islamabad is the beginning of the fight for rights. It is time to expel those who betrayed the ideology and geography of this country.”

Sirajul Haq said in the three-year rule of the PTI government, the country has been pushed back to thirty years. “25 million children are out of school and 7 million young people are addicted to drugs,” he claimed and added that while the rulers were making lofty claims that the economy was improving, the reality was quite contrary to such claims.

Earlier, crossing over all the barriers placed in D-Chowk the protesters held the demonstration under the leadership of Sirajul Haq.

Meanwhile, the police were allocated at the D-Chowk as the protesters tried to enter the parliament house.

It is pertinent to note that the JI chief demanded the conduction of fair and transparent elections from the government. He added that their party supports a system of complete democracy.