SWABI: Jamaat-i-Islami Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan on Monday opposed any delay in the Feb 8 general elections and demanded the electoral exercise be held on time.

“Polls should be held as scheduled by the Election Commission of Pakistan to let people exercise their right to elect their leaders,” Mr Mushtaq told an election rally in Chota Lahor tehsil here.

The JI lawmaker said elections were necessary to strengthen democratic process in the country.

He said the country needed leaders, who could ensure the effective resolution of major national issues, especially economic mess.

Mr Mushtaq said people should exercise their right to vote sensibly to elect people with the capacity to steer the country out of crises. He called for a level playing field for all parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, in the run-up to elections.

“All parties should get the opportunity to canvas without discrimination,” he said.

The JI leader said the moves by authorities to block election campaigns of “some” parties were a flagrant violation of the Constitution and could lead the society to polarisation.

“I opposed the policies of the PTI government and criticised its leadership, but don’t want it to be pushed to the wall politically,” he said.

Mr Mushtaq said the country’s economic revival and prosperity were linked to fair elections.

“Only free and fair elections promise our progress,” he said.

The JI senator denounced dynastic politics saying it harms democratic norms and values. He said if the people voted his party to power, it would enforce the rule of law and ensure good governance in line with the teachings of Islam.

Mr Mushtaq said the country’s ruling elite had obtained loans from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank to serve their own ends, so the people had to reject it in elections for their development.

He said the election day should be made a day of reckoning for those oppressors, who had burdened the nation with debts.

Published in Dawn, January 23rd, 2024