LAHORE – Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Syed Munawar Hasan has said that the statement of the caretaker interior minister, ruling out the deployment of troops on polling stations, had given rise to doubts about holding of fair and free elections.
Addressing the Friday congregation, he called upon the Election Commission to explain its position on this score. He said that it was the responsibility of the Election Commission to hold fair, peaceful and transparent elections in the country and the care taker government was bound to extend full cooperation to the Election Commission in this regard.
He said that the interior minister seemed to be ignorant of his responsibilities. The JI Ameer said Pervez Musharraf had abrogated the constitution twice, for which he was liable to be tried for treason.
He said he would direct the JI Karachi leader Naimatullah Khan to challenge the eligibility of Pervez Musharraf for the elections. He welcomed the assurances by the Election Commission and also by the army chief for holding fair and transparent elections in the country.
He said the JI manifesto promised building the country as a truly Islamic welfare state. He said that although all other parties had given their manifestoes with rosy promises yet their actual intentions were to continue the US slavery and their loot and plunder through their previous policies that had only led to economic destruction, price spiral, unemployment and energy crisis.   He said that the Washington wanted a pro- US government in Islamabad at this juncture. As such, the next elections were of great importance and the voters should exercise their right to vote with great care and caution, and vote for only those who were patriotic, honest and competent.