HYDERABAD: Jamaat-i-Islam Pakistan’s deputy emir Dr Merajul Huda Siddiqui has demanded that Election Commission of Pakistan suspend power of local governments as the LGs were targeting opponents of Pakistan Peoples Party to favour the former ruling party.

Siddiqui, candidate for a National Assembly seat from Latifabad constituency, said at a news conference at local press club on Thursday that Pakistan needed a representative government in the centre to overcome the deepening multiple crises confronting the country. It was possible only if elections were held transparently and fairly, he said.

He said that airspace violation by Iran was in fact result of failed foreign policy with the result that “we are now in war with our neighbours”.

He said that JI was contesting elections because the party believed only democratic process could change destiny of masses. ‘Team tarazu’ was competent as well as honest, he said.

He said that 18 months of government by Pakistan Democratic Movement had brought about a deluge of price hike for Pakistanis.

He criticised Bilawal’s claim that ‘Teer’ would hunt down ‘Sher’ and said that both the parties had in fact ‘hunted down’ masses in their turn. Now gas load shedding was also being carried out daily in Hyderabad although Sindh produced 60pc of the country’s gas, he said.

Gas load shedding was affecting industrial production while detection bills issued by Hesco had made peoples’ lives miserable, he said.

Siddiqui said that IMF had offered loans to Pakistan’s elite but they were being repaid by people. Level playing field should be provided for holding of fair elections and democratic liberties should not be undermined, he said.

He said that JI’s flags and banners were being removed by the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC) staff despite the fact that it was not the HMC’s job to enforce ECP’s code of conduct.

Flanked by other JI candidates, he said that HMC was targeting all political parties except PPP. The ECP should order suspension of powers of LGs and take notice of the HMC’s overstepping of its powers, he said.

He said that there was no reason to delay polls and if it happened JI would resist it.

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2024