KARACHI - Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Pakistan Secretary General Liaquat Baloch has said that there is a consensus among all segments of the nation that terrorism should be eliminated at all costs, but extension in the period of military courts is not a solution to the problem.

While addressing a party’s convention at the JI, Karachi headquarters, Idara Noor-e-Haq, he said that the bill for extension in the tenure of military courts had been passed in the National Assembly and was likely to be passed in the Senate too, but military courts were not as much useful as was being expected by some quarters.

A large number of JI workers participated in the convention.

“In order to bring the real change, we need to reform the entire judicial system and institutions,” he opined.

He added that the JI had told the government to get rid of ad-hocism and bring reforms in judiciary to eliminate terrorism. He said the government was corrupt and incompetent and under its leadership, Pakistan could go nowhere.

Baloch further said that people would have to stand up against corruption as it was holding the entire political system hostage. Talking about the present-day Islamic movements, he opined that for them political and parliamentary struggle was the most viable way for bringing the Islamic revolution.  The JI leader was of the view that the party had proved that it was not a bunch of emotional people, but a force of serious-minded people, who are striving for bringing a peaceful Islamic revolution in the country.

He claimed that JI was the only party which was capable of bringing a real, positive and durable change in the country.

“Karachi is the most important city of the country and the whole country is affected if the situation turns bad here,” Baloch said, and added, “JI workers have given lots of sacrifices for this city.”

He said that JI was playing its role on all fronts, be it the issue of Kashmir or of blasphemy on social media.

Talking about the current international scenario, he said that the Western civilization was about to meet its logical end. “The capitalist civilization in bound to be decomposed in near future,” he predicted. He directed the JI workers to launch a powerful Rabta-e-Awam campaign in the city so as to produce effective results in 2018 general elections.

He also hailed the role of Islamabad High Court, particularly its handling of the sensitive issue of blasphemy on social media. JI Karachi chief Engineer Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rahman, in his address, urged the party workers to strengthen their relation with masses.

Citing the recent decrease in K-Electric's tariff, he said that JI was effectively raising voice for the interests of masses. He opined that among other things, blockage of computerized national identity cards had emerged as a very serious problem for a large number of Karachiites. On the occasion, he announced that JI would stage a big sit-in in protest against the blockage of CNICs, if the government did not pay heed to the repeated demands and efforts of the JI for a peaceful resolution of the issue.

The JI leader also said that an acute unrest and confusion prevailed among citizens regarding the political future of the city. “The citizens are unwilling to trust the so-called mainstream political parties of the country in general and of the city in particular.  He said that the situation could become very favourable for JI.

He maintained that JI had proven itself capable of leading the city. “The party has provided the citizens with a honest leadership which served the city with dignity and in a transparent manner,” he said, and added, “Need of the hour is to approach masses and tell them that JI is the only party that could mitigate their miseries.” Naeem claimed that the party had an edge in the city over all other parties because, what he said, the ideological opponents of JI had not only exposed themselves through their incompetence and corruption but had also unveiled the reality of liberalism.