LAHORE - The Jamaat-i-Islami will work out a new political strategy during the next few weeks to challenge the existing ‘exploitative system’ and approach every single Pakistani to seek their support for an Islamic, democratic system in the country, says Senator Sirajul Haq, recently re-elected as party chief for a second five-year term.

The new policy would be framed by the new Shoora (consultative body) which would be elected by some 39,000 members with voting rights, by the end of the current month, he said in an interview to The Nation on Monday.

The 56-year old leader from Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa will take oath for the next term on April 14. At present he is in Saudi Arabia and is due to return home on April 6.

He is the fifth amir of the Jamaat, with Maulana Maudoodi, Mian Tufail Muhammad, Qazi Husain Ahmed and Syed Munawwar Hasan his predecessors.

Asked about his priorities during his second term, Senator Sirajul haq said there was a consensus in the party that oppression, corruption and exploitation were rampant in society and the Jamaat would have to use all its energies to uproot these menaces. “We’ll stand by the oppressed to defeat the oppressors”.

In his opinion solution to all problems facing the people lay in good governance, which successive governments failed to give so far.  In fact, he regretted, once in power all governments became guardians of the system which is responsible for all problems.

Questioned as to what would be the JI’s policy towards the PTI, PPP and PML-N, the leader from KP said his party would not like to become part of the corrupt system and would work strictly in line with the party’s manifesto to bring about a real change.

He lamented that the PTI government was also being run mostly by the very leaders who have been working with the PPP, PML-N and even Gen Pervez Musharraf.

He said no change was witnessed during the past eight months of the PTI rule.

He predicted that in the next five years the Jamaat would become a formidable force, with considerable presence in both houses of parliament and the local government institutions.