Govt’s relief funds announced for floods victims cannot be seen on ground: Sirajul Haq

MULTAN, August 25 (SABAH): Emir Jamaat-e-Islami, Sirajul Haq has said that politicians are living in Islamabad as well as abroad while their voters drowned which portrays that Pakistan was left abandoned.

He expressed these views during a press conference in Islamic Center Multan on Thursday. He said that tents and food were distributed among the flood victims on political basis. “The relief funds announced by federal and provincial governments cannot be seen on the ground and it seems that doors to corruption will open on the pretext of rehabilitation of the flood victims ultimately making assembly members of incumbent parties and contractors richer”, Siraj added. 

The Jamaat-e-Islami emir suggested that in order to make the aid procedure fair, the government should form independent committees comprising people from charity organizations, journalists and representatives of political parties. He warned besieging offices and residences of rulers, along with masses, if relief measures were not undertaken in coming 72 hours. The Jamaat-e-Islami emir noted that Pakistan is a nuclear country enriched with resources and its rulers should cease enjoying lavish lifestyles and spend people’s money on them.

Other present on the occasion include Emir JI South Punjab Rao Muhammad Zafar, Secretary General South Punjab Sohaib Ammar Siddiqui and Emir Multan District Dr. Safdar Hashmi.  While lambasting the decision to postpone the second phase of local body polls in Sindh, Sirajul Haq said that the provincial governments had deprived masses of basic democratic right in connivance with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

Jamaat-e-Islami emir highlighted that Sindh government’s claim of getting busy in rehabilitation work was altogether a misrepresentation as during his recent visit to the province he had witnessed neither the provincial nor the federal government helping the flash floods’ victims. The emir stressed that the party, which had been governing Sindh for several years, had devastated the province and also anticipated that the party would soon face dire defeat.

Sirajul Haq noted that he had been on a visit to South Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan for last five days and had witnessed appalling views of helpless people as well as mismanagement on the part of rulers. “Elderly, women and infants were laying down under an open sky lacking food, medicines and fodder for the cattle; diseases are spreading in the situation”, Siraj maintained.

He added that millions of houses were destroyed by the flood, leaving thousands of people either martyred or missing; and people were searching for dead bodies of their loved ones. He noted that daily wagers had gone unemployed owing to continual rains and their family members were starving.