Early polls be held for National Assembly as well, says JI emir.

HYDERABAD -- Jamaat-i-Islami emir Sirajul Haq has said that early election should be held for National Assembly as well if the government decides to reschedule Senate polls and transparency is needed not only in Senate polls but the country's overall electoral system requires complete overhauling.

He said in an informal talk to journalists outside Lakha mosque where he offered Friday prayers that he was surprised why the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government wanted early Senate polls. His party stood for an electoral system based on proportionate representation.

He said that JI wanted political and electoral reforms in the country as it was opposed to the outdated and corrupt system. His party believed in enforcement of Islamic system and stability of democratic institutions.

He said that JI was not part of Pakistan Democratic Movement because the party had pursued a different ideology and political vision. In fact, all the problems the country was grappling with today were products of the PDM component parties.

He said that these parties had had several chances to correct the system but they did nothing to reform it. Today, price hike and joblessness had reached their peak and the government had let down the masses after giving them high hopes.

He said that Pakistan was created in the name of Islam but Sharia was not enforced here. Pakistan was still being governed under the colonial-era system bequeathed to bureaucracy by the British.

He said that Islamic teachings were not reflected anywhere in...