Consequences of running the country on hybrid model & any artificial or ad-hoc system could be dangerous: Sirajul Haq

LOWER DIR, June 21 (SABAH): Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Sirajul Haq has said the consequences of running the country on hybrid model and any artificial or ad-hoc system could be dangerous, demanding free and fair elections.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Sirajul Haq said the government of 14 political parties was worst in country’s history following the bad experience of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTI).

The people experienced such horrible happenings in last one year which they had never seen in 75 years, he added.

Now when the PDM, the PPP and the PTI failed to deliver, it was need of the hour that people should be allowed to elect their representatives through transparent elections, he said. For this, he added, it was the duty of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) that it should take all the political stakeholders into confidence and devise a transparent mechanism for the national vote.

He called for the creation of a separate Dir Division, arguing the Malakand Division being the largest in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with nine districts and nine million population was presenting a plethora of problems. The governments, he said, promised CPEC route and identified nine points in the area for the border trade with Afghanistan and central Asia but failed to honor their commitments. Similarly, he said, the claims to build economic and industrial zones in Malakand also remained limited to the papers. He said the majority of the overseas Pakistanis belonged to Malakand division but the governments had desperately failed to protect their properties and families back in the country. Rather, he regretted, the defense minister insulted the community, attracting backlash from all over the world. He demanded the government to issue Mohsin Pakistan Golden Cards to overseas and address their concerns. He said overseas sent 31 billion-dollar remittances but they were treated like third degree citizens at airports.

Sirajul Haq said the PPP made fun of democratic values and mandate of the people of Karachi in mayor election, demanding the ECP declare the selection process as illegal and hold fresh election for the slot by ensuring presence of 31 elected representatives who were kidnapped on June 15. He said the JI would hold protest demonstrations in front of the ECP head-office Islamabad on June 23 against rigging in Karachi local body polls and mayor election.