LAHORE - Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Sirajul Haq on Tuesday presided over a meeting of the JI Central Parliamentary Board and reiterated that the party would field youth at maximum number of seats in the coming election.

He vowed to follow the track record of awarding tickets to the honest and capable people. He expressed satisfaction over the performance of the JI in the Cantonment Board election and advised the JI workers to work further hard to keep the pace intact. He extended congratulations to the winners and JI workers.

JI General Secretary Ameerul Azim and other leaders participated in the meeting and discussed the possible candidates for the national assembly seats.

Sirajul Haq said that the PTI failed to hold local government polls in three provinces, thus exposing its claims about the commitment with democracy. He said that the prime minister in the past made repeated statements about devolution of power, but he failed to honor his commitments. He said that the PM took U-turn on every of its stance after coming to power.

The JI chief said that the government after destroying the economy and other institutions was then trying to curb the freedom of media.

He said that the JI would never accept the curb on media freedom, adding that the JI was standing with the journalist community’s struggle for free media.

The JI chief appealed to the people to reject the status quo parties and vote for the JI in the election to turn Pakistan into an Islamic welfare state. He said that the PTI, the PML-N and the PPP proved the sides of the same coin and they did nothing for the country during their tenures in power. He said that the PTI had claimed it would bring real change. “But nothing has changed in three years.” He said that the JI was the only option left with the people and the party would bring real change if voted to power.