Former National Assembly speaker and senior PTI leader Asad Qaiser on Tuesday said that a delegation of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) met him and he formally invited them to an upcoming national conference aimed at ensuring supremacy and survival of democracy and the constitution in Pakistan.
Speaking to the media, Asad said the proposed conference would focus on restoring democratic norms in the country, which he claimed had “completely ended” under the current system. He emphasized that Jamaat-e-Islami has always played an important role in Pakistan’s politics and expressed hope that JI chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, along with other party leaders, would attend the conference.
Referring to December 16 and the APS tragedy, Qaiser said the challenges facing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan could not be ignored. He also highlighted the country’s worsening economic situation, saying the public was suffering due to severe financial distress. He criticized restrictions on meetings with the founder of PTI, calling the denial of meetings with his sisters a violation of the law.
“This is our country and we must move it forward together,” Asad said, adding that the way the current government was running the system was no longer workable.
Jamaat-e-Islami leader Liaquat Baloch, while talking to the media, said that a delegation of PTI and Tehreek-e-Tahafuz Ain Pakistan met JI leaders in a positive and cordial environment. He said the invitation to the national conference, scheduled for December 20 and 21, would be conveyed to JI Ameer Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman.
Baloch criticized the government, stating that Nawaz Sharif’s slogan of respect for vote had been “shattered” and that arbitrary constitutional amendments were being done under a well-planned strategy. He said the country was facing its worst-ever financial crisis, with corruption and looting continuing on the economic front and the common man bearing the brunt.
He said that without political stability, economic stability could not be achieved, stressing that unity among opposition parties was the need of the hour. “When people in a free country do not have protection of life, property and honor, the government loses its moral authority to rule,” he added.
Baloch expressed concern over strained relations with Afghanistan, saying tensions were not in the interest of either country. He urged Afghan authorities not to allow their territory to be used against anyone.
Concluding his talk, Baloch said the system imposed forcibly in the country had failed and that democratic forces must agree on a clear future course of action.
