"Without Accountability proper implementation of constitutional provisions and laws, the Elections will bring the nation in confrontation with even severer problems than before."

The Central Majlis-e-Shoora of the Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan expressed in its meeting of Dec. 29, 1996 its deepest concern over the fact that the approach and performance of the interim government was completely ineffectual. The Central Shoora had earlier (Nov. 1996) welcomed the dismissal of the National Assembly and the federal government by the president on the hope that the nation after getting rid of the corrupt, oppressive and anti-people government would be rewarded with a sincere, competent, honest and patriotic government. For the achievement of this objective, the Majlis-e-Shoora had made timely demand from the President and the Interim Government that for the sake of stability of the democratic system and purposeful elections it should be made certain that only those persons present themselves as candidates in the forthcoming elections who fulfill the requirements of Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution. Moreover, those who had ruthlessly looted the national wealth and had oppressed the people on the basis of improper and illegal use of their rank and status would face unbiased accountability. Properties of such persons should be confiscated; they should be severely punished and declared incompetent to contest in future elections.

The Shoora had also emphasized the fact in its resolution that if the president and the interim government displayed any negligence in the proper execution of their duties then the mere dissolution of the assembly and the dismissal of Benazir government would not solve the problems and the nation could face an even more serious crisis. These timely and pertinent demands were ignored. The most important duty of the president, after the Nov. 5 measures, was to establish interim governments in the provinces comprising of capable, trustworthy and eligible persons. President Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari did not meet the expectations of the nation in this respect. The interim governments set up by him in the provinces comprised of such controversial and dubious persons from whom the execution of accountability and purposeful elections could not be expected. There were rather persons appointed at sensitive offices of authority who were a threat to the national security.

Initially both, the President and the Interim Government, kept reassuring the people that a corrupt persons regardless of their status would not be spared at all. That looted wealth would be taken back and the plunderers and notorious persons would not be allowed to contest the elections. But as the days went by the government did not take any significant step in this regard. Even if certain individuals were charged, who are notorious throughout the country for corruption, it was done so under the M.P.O. The result was that these persons easily acquired court orders for their release, becoming heroes themselves, portraying the government instead as the persecutor. After a delay of several weeks, the government promulgated an Accountability Ordinance which was defective and hardly effective enough to bring a corrupt person to justice. The caretaker prime minister was telling the nation that he was unable to hold the corrupt elements accountable in such a brief span of time. At the beginning of his tenure he used to say that he had sufficient proof of their crimes, but later submitted that the criminals did not leave behind any evidence of their crimes. He claimed that the process of accountability did not require months but three years. After failure, he then demanded from the people to themselves screen such criminals with their votes, whereas the Government’s own attitude in this context was that when the public offered incontestable evidence against some of these crooks, at the time of submission of the nomination papers, the returning officers hardly paid any attention to them. As a consequence, a large number of members of that same Assembly, which was dismissed as being corrupt, incompetent and dishonest, were again declared competent candidates. It seems, the returning officers were instructed to refrain from rejecting anyone’s nomination papers.

The president in his decree of Nov. 5, had also declared the extra judicial killings during the tenure of the previous government, as one of the major reasons for the dissolution of the Assembly, but the government too, did not take any significant action against the persons responsible. The Government had not been able to retrieve even a trifle of the plundered national assets. The recovery of electricity and telephone bills and some recovery of rent of the official residences cannot be considered as being a great accomplishment. The Government was fast loosing any remaining public trust in itself by a continuous and rapid amendment of various laws. It was also accused of being biased. Defaulters of massive and exorbitant loans were not properly persuaded for refunds. These criminals rather managed to enter again the political arena, with new designs, to defraud the nation once more.

The government was helpless as far as the usurpers and tyrants were concerned, but it was itself, a source of continuously increasing problems for the people just as the previous rulers had been. The caretaker government of Malik Meraj Khalid made a record increment in the prices of consumer goods within a span of a few weeks. As in the past, this government too was increasing inflation by recklessly printing new currency notes. Moreover, instead of withdrawing it, an intention of making a 5% increase in the General Sales Tax was expressed. The government was subordinate to the IMF and the World Bank. Every command of these institutions was being fulfilled to the extent that these institutions even asked the government to limit the number of "hajis" and thus stop the "wastage" of valuable foreign exchange. The president’s and the government’s cowardice was evident from the fact that they did not have the courage even to protest such an insult.

The government decidedly proved itself ineffective in its actual duty of carrying out accountability and preventing the corrupt elements from taking part in the elections. But, although, being just a temporary guest for a few weeks, the Interim Government was planning to privatize such sensitive national institutions, as the Pakistan Railways, PIA and WAPDA. Unrest, price hikes, unemployment, sectarianism and favoritism flourished during its tenure. Criminals could and did easily escape after committing thefts, burglaries and murders. The government also failed in providing security to the Provincial Ombudsman, Justice (Retd.) Muneer Ahmed Khan, and apprehending his murderers after they had committed the crime.

The most alarming matter nowadays was the deliberate targeting of Pakistan’s ideology. It was quite peculiar that the Supreme Court had begun deliberation on a certain appeal which concerned the removal of Article 58(2)B from the Constitution. From the statements of the lawyers during their arguments, it appeared as if the matter of an amendment in the Constitution was being debated in the National Assembly rather than the hearing of an appeal in the Supreme Court. During these arguments, some lawyers demanded the elision of Article 2(a) of the Constitution, according to which, the Objectives Resolution had been made a permanent part of the Constitution. The Judiciary was not supposed to perform the duties of the National Assembly. It did not face the question of leaving Clause 58(2)B a part of the Constitution or of eliminating it, rather, it was to decide whether the president’s exercise of Nov. 5 1996 fulfilled the requirements of the said clause. The delay in passing a judgment and the arguments and speeches of the lawyers before the court gave rise to anxiety and confusion in the minds of the general public.

The government’s poor performance, particularly in the area of accountability, as the caretaker prime minister clearly admitted himself a disregard for law as shown by the acceptance of nomination papers of a majority of members of the previous national assembly, together made more than obvious that the February, 1997 elections were to be an exercise in futility. Only the corrupt elements were to be again victorious on the basis of their money, bullying and wrangling. Discrepancies were grossly ignored during the elections and the new National Assembly formed on the basis of these elections, proved in no way, different from the previous one.

Jama’at-e-Islami Pakistan is an Islamic and democratic political party. It wanted to transform Pakistan into an Islamic welfare state through the process of elections. The party always participated in elections for the achievement of this objective. Four elections have been held during the past ten years but each assembly was dissolved before it could complete its term. Jama’at asked the government to spare the nation the agony of holding elections, which would only result in having the same kind of assembly formed again. Accountability was instead, the prime requirement of the nation. The people could not relinquish this just demand of theirs. But the government completely failed in carrying out accountability, rather, in a certain way, it became a patron of the corrupt elements. The president did not accept even this pertinent demand that elections should be held on the basis of proportionate representation, so that electoral discrepancies could be checked to some extent. It became obvious at the very beginning of the electoral process that the 3^rd February elections will bring the nation in confrontation with even severer problems than before. Under the circumstances, the Majlis-e-Shoora then had decided that:-

(1) Jama’at-e-Islami Pakistan will not take part in the elections of the 3^rd of February, 1997, and that those of the party’s candidates, who had submitted their nomination papers on the hope of having effective accountability and the holding of transparent elections, will withdraw.

(2) An appeal was made to the people of the country that because their just demand for accountability has not been fulfilled and Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution of Pakistan have also not been acted upon either, therefore, in protest they too should not make use of their votes.

Despite abstaining from an active part in the elections, the Shoora further announced that the Jama’at-e-Islami will not use violence as a means of obstructing the electoral process. The decision of not taking part in the elections, was a means of promoting democratic values and an effort to bring a competent and pious leadership to the forefront through clean and meaningful elections. Also that the Jama’at’s protest will remain peaceful. Jama’at had to make that decision, because the Caretaker Government failed to carry out accountability to curb corruption and to bring back plundered wealth and the party did not expect that elections, held under the supervision of the caretakers would result in the formation of stable, acceptable and better assemblies. The party pledged to continue its peaceful struggle by organizing public opinion instead of participating in these farcical elections, so that the just demand of the people for accountability could be acted upon and such amendments asked for and implemented in the electoral laws, in the presence of which, instead of usurpers, notorious and opportunist persons, competent, pious and patriotic people are elected, and the nation protected from unrest and injustice could be transformed into a true democratic and welfare Islamic state.

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Jama’at-e-Islami Central Council Resolution Dec. 29, 1997