Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leader Ameer Sirajul Haq on Monday lamented the denial of fundamental rights to women in Pakistan and blamed the successive governments for the situation arising out of their failure to uphold the Constitution, The News International newspaper reported.
The Jamaat-e-Islami leader while speaking at a rally commemorating ‘Hijab Day’ which is observed on September 4 every year, highlighted the prevalence of child abuse and widespread denial of women’s property rights in Pakistan.
JI’s women wing Secretary General Dardana Siddiqui, ex-MNA Ayesha Syed, Sakina Shahid and others were also present at the rally.
The JI chief said the implementation of the Islamic system in the country would ensure that women regain their rightful place and receive all due entitlements.
He also paid homage to the women for steadfastly resisting the intrusion of Western culture which, according to him, has been persistently promoted by Western interests with the complicity of the governments, as per The News International.
Siraj criticised the assault on the family structure, exemplified by the domestic violence bill, passed by the previous government and the subsequent transgender act, as he believed both of these laws sought to undermine the nation’s core ideology.
He talked about the low rate of girls’ education and noted that many were sent to the homes of wealthy landowners and feudal lords to perform domestic labour.
He drew attention to the shocking cases of abuse against girls at the residences of a judge in Rawalpindi and a Pir in Ranipur, asserting that the government bears direct responsibility for these atrocities due to its failure to protect its citizens.
Siraj pledged that, should the Jamaat-e-Islami come to power with the support of the people, they would establish the rule of law and provide comprehensive protection to the women.
The JI leader vowed to extend interest-free loans to facilitate the establishment of small businesses and safeguard families, adding that the JI had initiated a protest movement against exorbitant utility bills and intended to challenge unjust agreements with independent power producers (IPPs) in the Supreme Court, according to The News International.