Sirajul Haq expresses concerns that the caretaker govt being vested with powers that contravene the Constitution

LAHORE, July 27 (SABAH): Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Emir Sirajul Haq has expressed concerns that the caretaker government being vested with powers that contravene the Constitution.

“I’m astonished who is the authority behind the government move?” Sirajul Haq questioned during a press conference at Mansoorah on Thursday.

The caretaker government, he said, has a pivotal responsibility to maintain impartiality and ensure the integrity of fair elections. However, he added that recent developments indicated that the government was actively attempting to influence the electoral process, raising concerns just two weeks before the elections.

Sirajul Haq pointed out that the caretaker governments in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were seemingly extensions of the PDM and PPP rule, further asserting that similar setups were now being prepared at the federal level. He underscored that this trend raises apprehensions about the fairness of the electoral system.

Furthermore, he highlighted that the government was utilizing development funds to sway the election process, suggesting that this financial influence might hinder the democratic principles that elections are founded upon. The use of development funds to sway public opinion in government constituencies is an alarming prospect for the sanctity of the democratic process, he emhpasised.

The JI chief announced that JI would initiate its campaign on the 30th of July, commencing from Malakand Chakdara with the goal of raising public awareness and fostering transparency.

Sirajul Haq demanded strict and exemplary punishments for those involved in the incident at the Islamic University in Bahawalpur. He stated that educational institutions have turned into dens of drug trafficking, obscenity, and blackmailing. This harmful game, he said, has been going on for many years, and recent scandals have exposed the use of obscenity and drugs in universities in major cities like Lahore and Faisalabad, among others, without any action being taken.

The sacred bond between teachers and students was being violated and the governments, anti-narcotics department and the administrations were silent spectator, he said,

The government, Sirajul Haq said, had time till August 3 to take action against the culprits involved in Islamia University scandal and if no measures were taken, he said he would personally go to Bahawalpur and plan of action for the future would be presented to parents after meeting them, he added.

Sirajul Haq said that the performance of the 13 parties over the 15 months was zero. During the current government’s tenure, he said, inflation and unemployment had broken all records. During the PDM’s tenure, he said, electricity prices increased by 72 percent, making it easier for people to leave their homes instead of paying the bills.

Both PDM and PPP, he said, had failed to fulfill any of their promises they had made before coming to power in April 2022. To a question, he replied the JI would not make any alliance in elections. He said the ECP must start dialogue with the political stakeholders to devise a plan for transparent elections.