14 May 2004	Friday	23 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425

LAHORE, May 13: The alliance among the feudals, civil and military bureaucracy has gradually transformed the rule of law into the rule of the rulers in Pakistan.

This was stated by Prof Dr Imran Ali while speaking on economic empowerment during a dialogue on the "Role of civil society in legislative governance" organized by the Legislative Strengthening Consortium here on Thursday.

He said the lot of the people had improved in India because of the alliance of the middle class and intelligentsia. Exploitation had, however, been continuing in Pakistan where military had joined hands with civil bureaucracy and feudal class.

He said Pakistan had been turned into a dependent mercenary of the US imperialism. The army took over power two years before the start of war against Soviet Union in Afghanistan in 1977 and two years before the US intervention in Afghanistan in 1999.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan governing body member Dr Mehdi Hasan said the people had been deprived of their fundamental rights with the passage of time. The government had also started deporting Pakistanis like Shahbaz Sharif, he added.

He said several parallel systems of justice like Supreme Court, Federal Shariat Court, jirga and panchayat were in operation in different parts of the country simultaneously.

Women were being discriminated due to amalgamation of culture and religion and killed in the name of honour. Religious minorities were also discriminated against despite the president's claim that he was against religious extremism and believed in a progressive Islam.

He said all the 19 governments in Pakistan had been changed in an extra-constitutional manner. The political parties did not believe in democracy either and were run by different families.

Punjab Assembly parliamentary secretary for social welfare Shehla Shahid said the government had earmarked Rs190 million for the establishment of beggars' homes in the province. She claimed that the male members were not supporting the bill on domestic violence.