report in Dawn, December 26th, 2023
BAJAUR: Jamaat-i-Islami senior leader Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan on Monday demanded a level playing field for all political parties in the run-up to the Feb 8 general elections to ensure the free, fair and transparent electoral exercise.
“Some parties are denied their constitutional right of level playing field ahead of elections – an act totally wrong and undemocratic,” Mr Khan told a convention of his party’s workers in Barikoo area of Salarzai tehsil here.
The event was held to launch the JI’s election campaign in Bajaur district.
The JI leader said that it was unfair on part of authorities to patronise a political party’s leader as a ‘super ladla’ and depriving another party of even its election symbol.
He said that he didn’t agree to the PTI’s policies and strongly criticised its government’s performance for four years but opposed bids to push the party and its leadership to the wall.
Mr Khan said that it was the constitutional responsibility of both the caretaker government and the Election Commission of Pakistan to hold elections in a free, fair and transparent manner but apparently, both had failed to do so.
He said free and fair polls would strengthen democracy in the country. The JI leader urged voters to reject family politics in the country.
He said not only were leaders of a few parties involved in massive corruption but they had also “enslaved” the nation for decades.
Mr Khan said he hoped that the people would reject such people in the Feb 8 elections.
He claimed that the JI leadership was honest and had the ability to address the country’s political and financial crises after coming to power.
The JI leader said his party had always raised a strong voice against anti-people policies of the governments.
He said the people should vote for the JI in the next elections for enforcing the rule of law and introducing Islamic system of governance in the country.
Jamaat-i-Islami local chapter chief Sahibzada Haroon Rasheed and several other party leaders, including nominees for Bajaur tribal district’s only National Assembly and four provincial assembly seats, also addressed the gathering.
They said that they were confident that the people of the district would vote for their party in the upcoming elections as the previous lawmakers had failed to deliver the goods to the disappointment of their voters.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1800794/jamaat-demands-level-playing-field-for-all
