LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami Emir Sirajul Haq has called for the formation of caretaker government to hold the fresh polls.

“What happened on Sunday was shocking but the fire has spread to a level that it will be settled only thorough elections,” he said while talking to journalists at Mansoorah in Lahore.

The JI emir, however, urged the political parties to sit together for electoral reforms, rejecting the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI)’s unilateral reforms.

He said that he believed the political system was not strong enough to adopt the electronic voting machines (EVMs) at present level. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), he said, had already expressed its inability to hold elections through EVMs in such a short span of time.

The JI chief hoped the Supreme Court would soon issue the verdict to end the ongoing political instability. The top court decision, he said, would be helpful to strengthen democracy. He regretted that the politicians once again failed to end political instability.

The prime minister, he said, attacked on his own assembly, a unique and sad incident in the history of the country. He said the political parties at least now expressed maturity and held dialogue to bring the country out of crisis. The politicians’ failure, he said, at last provided an opportunity to the government to impose martial law. He said the JI believed a weak democratic system was much better than dictatorship.

To avoid uncertainty, Siraj said, the matter should be referred to the masses who as real custodians should be allowed to elect their representatives through free and fair elections. He said it had been also proved that the establishment’s experiences to bring the people into power with its backing badly backfired. Therefore, he said, the JI had always called for establishment’s neutrality. He said every institution should work under the limit defined in the constitution.

To a question, he said no one could refuse the US interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs as it was an open secret. But, he said, he was surprised that why the Washington would be against the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) which worked under the influence of the US-backed institutions throughout its four years in power.

He said if the prime minister received any threat from foreign power, he should bring it to the parliament’s knowledge. He said the PTI government failed to transform Pakistan into Madina-like state and merely made tall claims. He said the major opposition parties and the PTI had continued fighting for self-interests, bringing the country to the present level of instability.

He said the JI had refused to be the part of the game since the day one and would continue its struggle for the right of the people. The JI, he said, was working to bring the real change and transform Pakistan into Islamic welfare state.