ISLAMABAD: National Dialogue Committee (NDC) leaders on Monday called for formation of a national government to rid the country of incumbent hybrid regime which only compounded the nation’s problems.
Speaking at a news conference here, the NDC’s Fawad Chaudhry and Muhammad Ali Durrani insisted that today while Pakistan is being appreciated the world over for the crucial role Field Marshal General Syed Asim Munir played in averting the third world war, the security and economic situation is extremely alarming with the rulers having no policy to follow. Fawad, who served as minister for information in PTI government, contended that the current situation demands that “we should move towards sinking some of our political differences to form a strong opposition”. He said that after sending these rulers home, a national government should be formed to unleash wide-ranging reforms first as going to elections with the present Election Commission and the judiciary would not serve any purpose.
After breaking the backs of farmers, he charged, the government has turned to traders and restaurant owners and ordered shops to close at 8pm, which has caused a multi-billion loss to the economy. “The government’s job is to take steps for the welfare of people, but the current government is not interested in improving the lot of the masses, as this regime does not understand how to work,” he alleged.
Fawad said the interior minister is running the foreign policy and the foreign minister is running the Ministry of Finance, whereas the finance minister is playing the role of additional secretary of the IMF, these people should at least straighten out the arrangement. Negotiations, he emphasised, are the best way to solve problems through which the problems of the PTI founder and other prisoners could be lessened. He wondered what is the status of people representing this party at this time and what is their relationship with the opposition alliance which also includes all those people who played the most important role in bringing a no-confidence motion against the PTI. He underlined the need for forming a grand alliance of the opposition for political space, saying that if there is no space for politics in Pakistan, problems will arise.
Durrani said that now “we will have to move towards a real government and establish a national government so that major reforms can be brought to reduce the problems of Pakistan”. He contended that to fight this hybrid government, the masses have only one way and that is formation of a hybrid opposition, as people are immensely fed up with this hybrid system which only added to their economic worries. Durrani came hard on the rulers and regretted that when ships were passing through the Strait of Hormuz with Pakistani flag hoisted on them, “our rulers were selling priciest oil in Pakistan”. He said that during the last four years, record loans were obtained and if an inquiry is conducted, none of them will be spared, as this will be the biggest ever financial scandal in Pakistan.
He continued that massive corruption was done in every department, including agriculture. He lamented that even a poor motor-biker was not spared from extortion of petroleum levy. They were unanimous in alleging that the incumbent government is a de facto government and not de jure: To bring political stability and ensure that future elections are based on Form 45, a national government must be established. They called for the 28th Constitutional Amendment to effectively implement the 18th Amendment and devolve powers to the grassroots level.
At one point, Fawad alleged that through the Charter of Democracy, the leadership of the PPP and the PMLN divided the provinces and initiated the politics of “Udhar hum, idhar tum” (we on this side, you on that side), which damaged the federal political mindset.
Durrani emphasized the need to revert the current system from Form 47 back to Form 45. According to him, if the current government remains in power, life will become even more difficult for the common man. He claimed that the PTI parliamentary party is not ready to sit in the opposition; they have become a forward bloc of the government. “It appears as though the PTI is acting as the government’s ‘B-Team’ to strengthen it. Currently, the country desperately needs a serious opposition, and the National Dialogue Committee will play its role to fill this vacuum,” he noted.
Ex-senator Waseem Shahzad noted that various wars are fought across the world, but the most dangerous is the narrative war, where the media plays a pivotal role. According to him, a magnificent victory was achieved in the Ma’raka-e-Haq (Battle of Truth) with the support of the media. He contended that Pakistan is currently facing economic and various other challenges; therefore, it is imperative to empower the common man rather than just the elite. He stressed the need to learn from past mistakes to make better decisions for the future.
