KARACHI: Open debate on changes to constitution demanded
KARACHI, May 10: Speakers at a meeting of Hamdard’s Karachi chapter urged the government to give priority to the establishment of law and order in the country, in the wake of the suicide bombing incident on Wednesday, as well as the killing of professors, doctors and engineers, which has caused damage to Pakistan.
The meeting on the topic “Referendum, expected constitutional amendments and political future of the country”, was held at a local hotel and presided at by the Deputy Chairman, Qutubuddin Aziz.
Members of Shura Hamdard Karachi, Karim Baksh Khalid, Mukhtar Ahmed Butt, Dr Syed Amjad Ali Jafery, Prof Afaque Siddiqui, Islamuddin Agha, Khalid Ikramullah Khan, Irshad Siddiqui, Mohammed Ahmed Sabzwari, Abdul Haseeb Khan, Jam Amir Ali Khan, Prof Dr Hanif Fauqh, Dr Mirza Arshad Ali Beg and Dr Naeem Qureshi spoke on the occasion.
The speakers said that we should learn lessons from past mistakes, when power conflicts took a toll on Pakistan. As such, we should refrain from political conflict by creating an atmosphere of mutual understanding and respect each other’s point-of-view.
They also suggested amendments to be made public for open discussion before making them a part of the constitution and that the parliamentary system be kept intact. They also opposed the supra-parliament status to the National Security Council.
Members of the Shura also supported the idea of checks and balances between powers of the President and Prime Minister, and demanded that the Election Commission be made more powerful, accountable, as well as freedom of the judiciary.
They emphasized on continuation of accountability at every level and appealed to the masses to use their voting rights in the ensuing general elections.
They also advised politicians to stop leg-pulling which invited the Army to intervene.
The meeting unanimously passed a resolution and condoled the tragic deaths of the renowned scholar Dr Ghulam Murtaza Malik, a Shura member of the Hamdard Lahore Chapter; prominent educationist Prof Zafar Zaidi, two parliamentarians of Karachi and eleven French Engineers. —PPI
