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LAHORE : Speakers at a seminar have called for the supremacy of the Constitution, transparent elections, judicial independence, an empowered local government system, devolution of powers to the grassroots level and strengthening democratic processes within political parties.
Addressing the conference on ‘Good Governance and Re-organisation of Collapsed System’ at a local hotel here on Saturday, former caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said Pakistan lacked stable democracy, whether politicians or the establishment were responsible for it.
Kakar said the creation of smaller provinces would improve the country’s economy. He also described Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Mahrang Baloch as traitors.
Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmad Khan, who was also main speaker at the discussion, expressed disappointment with the way local bodies issue was being treated and said if the Constitution specified how the federation and the Election Commission would function, the reasons for restricting these provisions to the provincial level must also be examined.
He said discussing matters at local level had become a forbidden subject. He added he did not have Form 47 in his pocket, and if any political party had not awarded him a ticket, he had won through the power of the people.
The PA speaker said the country needed to review the implementation of the Constitution from the creation of Pakistan to determine whether the benefits of democracy were reaching the people.
He said that the problems of the people could not be resolved without empowering local governments, adding that electricity loadshedding remained a problem for the public even today.
Jamaat-e-Islami Deputy Emir Liaquat Baloch said citizens could only receive their rights and solutions to their problems at their doorstep through an empowered local government system. He said a national dialogue was necessary for political and economic stability.
Hamid Khan, senior lawyer said constitutional governance, judicial independence and political stability were essential for the country’s future. He said the constitutional system had repeatedly been undermined in the country, adding that governments should function according to the will of the people and state affairs should proceed in accordance with the Constitution.
He said political and economic stability and good governance were not possible without a clean and transparent system.
Former federal minister M Ali Durrani said genuine public participation in power and resources was necessary, while former Sindh governor M Zubair raised questions about the performance of the hybrid system and governance.
PPP leader Nadeem Afzal Chan said transparent elections and justice were essential for improving the system.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Asad Umar stressed the transfer of powers and resources to the grassroots level. He said decision-making authority had to be transferred to the people and local governments should be given a share in the national financial system.
PMLN leader Khawaja Saad Rafique said the country could not function without the Constitution and political parties needed to promote self-accountability and internal democracy.
Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal also supported the devolution of powers to the grassroots level and the creation of smaller administrative units. He said successful states provided different segments of society with opportunities to participate in decision-making. He added that local governments needed powers and resources to resolve the basic problems of major cities, including Karachi.
Former Punjab governor Latif Khosa, Imran Ismail, Asad Umar, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Liaquat Baloch, Nadeem Afzal Chan, Saleem Bokhari, Hafizullah Niazi and other leaders also spoke at the conference.
