LAHORE -  Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq has said that all apprehensions about delay in the next general elections should come to an end after passage of the delimitation bill and political parties should cooperate with the Election Commission of Pakistan to hold the elections on time.

He was talking to the media at the residence of Lieutenant Abdul Moeed, who was martyred in a terrorist attack in the Federally Administer Tribal Areas (FATA) last week.

Siraj deplored that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was still questioning why he was ousted. He advised the former premier to accept the Supreme Court verdict against him with an open heart to prove his faith in the supremacy of the judiciary.

He urged the election commission to ensure electoral reforms before the 2018 elections so that elections do not remain a game of the wealthy alone. He urged the political parties not to allow corrupt elements creep into their ranks and kick out the black sheep who considered politics a means to make money. He said it was high time for political parties to take serious steps to facilitate election of honest and competent people to parliament.

The JI chief paid tribute to the armed forces for laying down lives for the country. He said these brave men and their families are face of the nation. He impressed upon the government to acknowledge the sacrifices of these people with an open heart and declare their families heroes of the nation.

Siraj noted that Pakistan was the biggest loser in the US-led war on terror, as it had lost 100,000 people, including security personnel and suffered a financial loss of over $100 billion. Despite that, he said, the US president and vice president were hurling threats at Pakistan. He said that rulers who were afraid of the US badly disappointed the masses.

The JI chief said that government’s failure to present the FATA reforms bill in the Senate proved its inefficiency. He said the FATA issue should be resolved in line with the wishes of the tribal people.

He said the Palestine issue had awakened the Muslim world. He said that Muslim rulers should sit together and work out a common line of action for liberation of Al-Aqsa Mosque from Israeli occupation.