Sheikh Zahid Fayyaz, Secretary General of Minhaj-ul-Quran International, has said that we need freedom of expression, equality, social and economic justice and brotherhood to fight off the contemporary challenges. The so-called elite, he said, has turned Pakistan into an El Dorado where they are busy plundering its resources and robbing the people of Pakistan of confidence in the system. He added in the same context that the devoid of basic necessities of life, the people are fighting with one another. He said that the country is stuck up in a blind alley for last sixty years and the people have yet to marshal into a nation.

Sheikh Zahid Fayyaz expressed these views while addressing a seminar entitled “Imperatives of Pakistan’s survival & protection” organized under the banner of Minhaj-ul-Quran Youth League yesterday in Lahore. Sheikh Zahid Fayyaz said that the survival and longevity of nations lay in acting upon the teachings of its forefathers. He said that our failure in this regard has made us fall victim to forces of strife, violence and chaos and enjoy little respect in the comity of nations.

He said that this sorry state of affairs owes itself to monopoly of ruling elite in political and economic decision-making. He said that Pakistan came into being as a result of collective efforts of the Muslims and its survival lay in getting rid of the present electoral system, which is responsible for many of our present-day predicaments. He warned that if we did not act upon the sayings of the founding fathers, no power can save us from graver crises. He said that we as a nation are lucky that we have the personalities of the Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Dr Muhammad Iqbal as the leading lights who achieved this country for us. “We do not need to look outward for guidance and inspiration. Our founding fathers have the vision and relevance to guide us out of these turbulent times,” he concluded.