MUZAFFAR GARH  -  Amir Jamaat-e-Islami Siraj-ul-Haq has said that political and economic terrorists have kept the people hostage for seven decades. 

Expressing his views while ad­dressing a public meeting in Mu­zaffargarh, he said, “The work of the rulers is to loot, and the poor are only there to vote for them. Sugar, electricity and water thieves are patronized by gov­ernments. If the nation is united, the country can be reformed into an Islamic welfare state. The next election will be decisive. Jamaat-e-Islami will contact all political parties on the one-point agenda of the elections in 90 days.”

JI leader Siraj criticised Paki­stan’s political elite, accusing them of perpetuating corruption and dynastic politics to the det­riment of the nation. He argued that over the past five years, Pak­istan has faced unprecedented challenges, including soaring in­flation, rampant unemployment, deteriorating law and order, weakened institutions, dimin­ished accountability, and limited access to justice. Siraj empha­sised that the parliament has often prioritized safeguarding the interests of the ruling elite over those of the general public. He commended recent govern­ment actions taken in response to public outcry, including efforts against electricity theft and ini­tiatives to address the influence of the dollar mafia. 

He urged the people to unite and raise their voices against the ruling authorities to compel them to take more meaningful actions. The Jamaat-e-Islami leader declared that their move­ment is aimed at championing the cause of the common people, and he called upon the youth to support a peaceful Islamic democratic revolution. He de­manded reductions in electric­ity, petrol, gas, and food prices, insisting that the caretaker gov­ernment should prioritize the interests of the poor rather than protecting the interests of inter­national financial institutions and continuing the policies of previous administrations.

During the protests in South Punjab against rising electric­ity prices and overall inflation, a large number of people, includ­ing women, rallied behind Siraj. The movement is set to continue, with upcoming events including a public meeting in Faisalabad on September 16, a three-day sit-in in front of the Peshawar Gover­nor House on September 18, and a national energy conference in Islamabad on September 17. Siraj warned that the Jamaat-e-Islami would sustain its protests until in­flation subsides, and they would also announce a wheel-jam strike. Highlighting issues specific to South Punjab, Siraj lamented the plight of impoverished farmers who suffer due to water theft and resource distribution inequities. He pledged that the Jamaat-e-Islami would focus on South Pun­jab’s agricultural development, aiming to meet the food needs of the entire South Asian region.