Transparent voter list, independent EC must for next elections: JI Chief

JI chief says PPP government's disobedience of the judiciary is a planned strategy.

MULTAN: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief Syed Munawar Hasan said on Monday that elections would not be accepted unless a transparent voter list and an independent EC was not constituted.

Talking to the media at a party member’s resident in Multan, the JI chief shared his views on the the next general elections.

“Interim government and an independent Election Commission (EC) should be constituted after negotiating and coordinating with religious and political parties of Pakistan," added the JI chief.

Talking about the senate elections and general elections, he said that no party could go alone into the elections and a coalition was inevitable to form a government.

On talks about coalition with Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), Hasan said that it was too early to comment on that since all parties will go for a coalition after the announcement of elections.

“The coalition or seat adjustment with PTI will be decided only after the announcement of elections. We are in touch with all religious parties of Pakistan for coalition in the next general elections.”

'Disobedience of judiciary is a planned strategy of the PPP'

“The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government has neither accepted any decision of the parliament nor the decisions of the All Parties Conference.” Hasan said, adding that the disobedience of the judiciary was a planned strategy of the PPP.

“They never had any plans to strengthen democracy in the country because there is no advantage to the government. People are still suffering with load shedding and other issues. Not only have they been successful in creating a confrontation between institutions but have also destroyed the biggest organisations in the country and they will never be able to re-establish them in the future.”

Having been very vocal in the party’s recent gatherings and rallies about besieging the Parliament if NATO supply routes were restored, Hasan said that it was his party that took this decision initially which was then adopted by other religious parties too.

Sindh given to extortionists, Balochistan given lollipops, Punjab one-man-show

Hasan also opined on the condition in every province of the country, saying that Sindh has been handed over to extortionists and target killers in the name of reconciliation and that terrorists were operating under the government’s cover.

On Balochistan, he said that the province was like a volcano on the verge of erupting and that the government was not taking their issues seriously,  considering them as an infant who could be satisfied with financial packages akin to ‘lollipops’.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Hasan said the government was busy exchanging locals in the province and FATA for millions of dollars from the US and its allies.

On Punjab, the JI chief dismissed the Punjab government as a one man show adding that there was no governance in the province.

MFN status to India 

“Declaring India as Most Favoured Nation (MFN), we are sacrificing the rights of the people of Kashmir and will eventually lose Kashmir,” Hasan said while reflecting upon Pakistan’s decision on granting MFN status to India in 2011.