MULTAN-Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Liaqat Baloch urged the nation to refrain from making the China-Pak Economic Corridor (CPEC) project controversial like Kalabagh Dam (KBD) and stressed making decision with national consensus.
Addressing the members of District Bar Multan here at the bar hall on Wednesday, he added that the US was opposed to the CPEC and therefore a series of conspiracies was hatched against the project. He stressed upon the government to promote practices for boosting trade. He said that the JI had a categorical stance on Kalabagh Dam that it should be constructed forthwith to fulfill national water and power needs.
Referring to the issue of new provinces, he said that new provinces should be constituted on administrative basis otherwise sense of deprivation would further aggravate in the undeveloped areas of the country. He said that the leaders of Saraiki parties were limited to raising mere slogans for Saraiki province as they did not launch any struggle for the achievement of the goal. He asked the lawyers to launch movement for a separate province and the JI would fully support them. He said that over 9,000 lawyers practiced law in South Punjab but not even a single judge was taken from here which was serious violation of merit. He was of the opinion that a serious movement for a separate province would exert pressure on the parliament and it would become a compulsion for the political parties to back this issue.
He said that the country faced problems due to absence of foreign minister and foreign policy. He maintained that the policies were formed under the influence of World Bank and IMF which caused troubles for Pakistan. He said that the US bypassed Pakistan and patronised India while on the other side India invited Israeli leadership to Delhi. He said that it was need of the hour that an independent foreign policy should be formed. He pointed out that occupied Kashmir was under curfew for the last 130 days and Kashmiris were subjected to inhuman violence and state oppression.
He warned the problems for Pakistan would further mount if we fail to move forth along with China, Turkey and Iran. He said that the CPEC was the road to progress and prosperity but we needed to take this project seriously. He pointed out that the US had the priority to counter China and we need a permanent foreign policy to keep Pakistan out of American dirty game.
He said that the deterioration of civil-military relations always resulted in assassination of the constitution while independent judiciary was caged and democracy was ambushed. He suggested to the rulers to refrain from increasing tension with the military. He asked the government to clear the institutions responsible for holding accountability of political intervention with a view to restoring nation’s trust in them.
He added that NAB, FIA and other investigative institutions were politicised by the ruling class which created serious problems. He said that a corruption-free system was needed to save the country and JI had launched a movement for this purpose since March. He said that the ruling class divided the nation on lingual, religious and regional grounds to strengthen their rule. He said that the JI was the only party whose workers and leaders had no stain of corruption. President of the Bar Azeem ul Haq Pirzada, other office bearers and a large number of lawyers were present.