MALIK ARSHAD ASIML

AHORE - Jamaat-i-Islami Amir Munawar Hasan on Monday said those seeking reconstitution of the Election Commission of Pakistan want to delay the general elections.Talking to Waqt News, he said a debate was going on in the society whether the elections would be held or not. In his opinion, those in favour of the reconstitution of the ECP were, in fact, casting their vote for the postponement of the polls.The JI chief said he feared the elections would be delayed, but in such a situation all opposition parties would resist the move, adding the polls should be held on time. To bring an end to the prevailing state of uncertainty, he said the government should announce an election schedule and a caretaker setup.Munawar Hassan said there was mistrust among political parties because of which they would be very careful in choosing their electoral allies. As for his participation in the electoral process, the JI chief said he would prefer to contest from Karachi. He opined all the parties should jointly contest the elections in Sindh against PPP and MQM under the leadership of Pir Pagara. The failure of the govt to arrest the assassins of Benazir Bhutto could be one of the important issues to defeat PPP, he observed. About Taliban’s offer for talks, he said the government should take it very seriously. Delay in the talks would mean more bloodshed, the JI leader said, adding the government knew which faction of the Taliban it should negotiate with. According to him, Taliban who flourished under the patronage of the army are no longer under the control of their mentors.About the performance of the Supreme Court, he said it took decisions on the issues of public importance, but did not go for a follow-up action. “In case the apex court has to seek the army’s assistance to get its verdicts enforced, no civil government can survive,” he held.He believed corruption was the most serious problem of the country, adding failure of the government to implement the court orders and parliamentary resolutions also fell under the same category.  Regarding peace in Karachi, Munawar said a military operation was no solution to the problem. In fact, peace could be restored by ensuring the rule of law and withdrawing protection of terrorists.As for the execution of Afzal Guru, the JI leader said now the government was left with no justification for not taking Sarabjeet Singh to the gallows. He was critical of the Bangladesh government for convicting those who had tried to keep Pakistan united. The JI amir also met Waqt News Chief Operating Officer Syed Omar Ahmed, Director News Hafiz Tariq and The Nation Editor Salim Bokhari and discussed with them the current political situation.