LAHORE, Jan 1: The Hamdard Thinkers Forum has expressed grave concern over the harassment of Pakistanis by the US agencies forcing them to get themselves registered with the INS and demanded that they should be exempted from registration.

The demand was made through a resolution adopted at the monthly meeting of the forum held at the Hamdard Centre here on Wednesday which was presided over by S. M. Zafar.

The resolution, moved by Advocate Chaudhry Bashir Ahmad, said the US government was registering the immigrants from various countries whom it considered a security threat for its country. They included a large number of Pakistanis who were photographed, fingerprinted and detained after called to investigation centres on the pretext of interview.

The resolution said Pakistan had been a US ally in its war against terrorism and the new government had also assured it of its cooperation. Pakistan’s inclusion in the INS list had sent a wave of resentment among its people as they considered it a violation of human rights. The US government had taken no notice of Pakistan’s protests against the harassment of its nationals. Pakistan’s ambassador appealed to Prime Minister Jamali to draw the attention of the US president to the treatment being meted out to the Pakistanis in the US and seek immediate withdrawal of the country’s name from INS list.

Through another resolution, the forum urged the newly elected parliamentarians to maintain the sanctity of the constitution. Any violation of the constitution would harm the national integrity which should be preserved at any cost.

Speaking on the occasion, Punjab Assembly former speaker Hanif Ramay said the country’s history was replete with abrogation and violation of constitutions. For the first nine years from independence, no constitution could be framed due to many problems like settlement of refugees, etc. The 1956 constitution was abrogated by the army when the people were preparing for the first general election in 1958. Gen Ayub gave his own constitution in 1962 which was abrogated by another army chief Gen Yahya.

After the dismemberment of Pakistan, a new constitution was adopted by parliament through the consensus of all political forces in the country. But, the late Mr Z. A. Bhutto moved seven amendments in four years, including an amendment which suspended basic rights of the people. Gen Zia kept the constitution suspended from 1977 to 1985 and distorted it through incorporation of Eighth Amendment. Nawaz Sharif adopted six amendments by bulldozing parliament.

Mr Ramay said the constitution was again suspended by Gen Musharraf in 1999 who introduced drastic changes in it through LFO in 2002.

He regretted that violation of constitutions by individuals could not transform the people of Pakistan into one nation which caused immense loss to the country.

S. M. Zafar said the new generation of parliamentarians should learn a lesson from the blunders their predecessors had been committing for the past 55 years and should not repeat them.

He said unlike former Soviet Union, China, France and Iran where revolutions had brought about new systems of government with clear objectives, in Pakistan, the change had been evolutionary and through a democratic process.

Democracy demanded tolerance and care for national interests instead of the vested interests. “Let us make the new democratic order a success,” he concluded.

Punjab University former vice-chancellor Dr Rafiq Ahmad lamented that though the 1973 Constitution had remained in force, its articles ensuring fundamental rights like free compulsory secondary education, financial matters, elimination of exploitation, anti-cartel provisions, discouragement of concentration of wealth, had never been enforced.

He said unless there was popular resistance, constitutions would continue to be abrogated and violated.

Others speakers included Chaudhry Sultan Ali, Prof Abdul Jabbar Shakir, Brig Zafar Iqbal (retired), Begum Riaz Qadeer, Ms Azra Khayal.

Hakim Said scholarships to deserving students of various universities and educational institutions sanctioned by a London-based NGO, Education Aid, were given by Hamdard chief Ms Sadia Raashed, daughter of the late Hakim Said.