LAHORE - Jamaat-i-Islami has decided not to be part of any agitation against the PTI government and play an effective and constructive role of opposition in the parliament.

The JI, which is a component of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal along with JUI-F, JUP-Imam Noorani, Tehreek-i-Islami and Markazi Jamiat Ahlehadith, announced its decision after a meeting of its 18-man central executive council (Majlis-e-Shoora). The meeting continued for two days at JI head office Mansoora.

“We have reservations on fairness and transparency of election process but decided to sit in the opposition and await the fulfillment of Imran Khan’s promise to build Pakistan on the pattern of Madina state,” JI Chief Sirajul Haq announced yesterday in a press conference while referring to Imran’s speech in which he announced to run the country on pattern of Madina state established by Holy Prophet (PBUH) over 1400 years ago.

One MNA and two MPAs of the JI have been elected through the platform of MMA which bagged total 12 seats in lower house and one and nine in Sindh and Balochistan. The rest of the seats belong to JUI-F as no other party leader has been elected in July 25 polls.

The JI now have five legislators elected in Parliament as two of its leaders, Sirajul Haq and Mushtaq Ahmed, are already serving as senators.

Sirajul Haq, during the presser, called for setting up of a commission to probe into allegations of irregularities and rigging in elections. He said affected parties must be allowed to present their reservations in the proposed commission and all of those must be removed.

He said the illegal interference by the ‘state institutions’ in the elections had left a bad impression on the public mind due to which even the winners felt ashamed. He claimed that the state institutions and their resources were used to change loyalties of people in order to secure desired results. Besides, he said, the election results were delayed for hours and the polling agents of the candidates from Dir to Chitral were not provided Form 45.

The JI chief however, expressed satisfaction over the holding of elections as per schedule and noted that the religious parties including the MMA had secured more than 5.5 million votes. He said the JI believed in bringing about the Islamic revolution through the democratic process. He said the vote bank of the religious parties could become a formidable force through unity. He said the other parties of the MMA would be taken into confidence on these issues.

“We will appreciate every good work of the government and oppose every wrong move. We want Imran to fulfill his promises to move the country towards an Islamic state. PTI chairman will be given time to fulfill his promise about provision of jobs to 10 million youth and freeing the country from the clutches of the IMF, besides providing shelter to five million homeless families,” he said.

The JI chief said that trade with India without liberation of Kashmir would be harmful for the country. He added that talks with India without Kashmiri leadership would be unproductive.

Siraj reiterated his demand for across the board accountability of the corrupt  and retrieving the 500 billion dollars of the Pakistanis lying abroad. He said this money could be used to pay off the 83 billion dollars loan on the country and providing necessary relief to the masses. He added that recovery of this plundered money should be the foremost task before the new government.

JI Secretary General Liaquat Baloch, JI deputy chiefs Asadullah Bhutto and Dr Farid Ahmed Piracha were also present during the press conference.