Siraj reiterates demand for early general polls

• Siraj seeks govt to call general polls across country.
• Urges all political parties to develop consensus on issue. 
• Demands govt release all detained leaders.

LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Siraj-ul-Haq reiterated the demand for early general elections across the country, not just in two provinces -- Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa -- where assemblies have been dissolved. He called on all political forces to initiate dialogue to develop a consensus on the issue.

“Caretaker setup should be formed at centre and provinces and elections should be held in entire country at the same time,” he said while presiding over a meeting of central working committee (Majlise Aamla) at Mansoorah on Monday.

The meeting attended by JI leaders Liaqat Baloch, Ameerul Azim, Hafiz Naeemur Rahman and others discussed national political and economic situation and held that the PDM, the PPP and the PTI equally responsible for the prevailing crises. The meeting demanded transparent enquiry into the countrywide electricity breakdown which kept the millions of people without electricity for whole day, causing losses of billions of rupees. The meeting also called for implementation of Federal Shariat Court decision of making the economy interest-free.

The JI leaders asked the government to release the detained leaders and workers of Gwadar Rights Movement, saying the rulers should listen to the people of Balochistan instead of pushing them to the wall. Siraj expressed satisfaction over the success of JI in Karachi local government elections, reiterating the resolve that JI will give mayor to the metropolitan. He said JI will bring stability and prosperity in Karachi by taking all stakeholders on board.

He thanked the Karachi people for giving mandate to JI and congratulated Karachi leadership for this success. He said since all the ruling parties failed to bring the country out of crises and exposed badly, the JI was the only option left with the masses. If voted to power, he said, the JI will transform Pakistan into welfare Islamic state. He said success of the JI in Karachi and Gwadar was ray of hope for the entire country.