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| 29 June 2004 | Tuesday | 10 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425 |
HRCP decries 'arbitrary' changes in Islamabad
LAHORE, June 28: Commenting on the change of the country's prime minister, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) says the recent actions in Islamabad have proved beyond all doubt the lack of democracy.
In a statement issued here on Monday, HRCP chairperson Tahir Mohammad Khan and secretary-general Hina Jilani said: "No attempt has been made to explain why a prime minister has arbitrarily been ditched.
An unheard of situation has been created in which a prime minister-designate, Chaudhry Shujaat Husain, has been appointed for an interim period, and the assumption made that the man nominated as future prime minister, Shaukat Aziz, will both win an election to the National Assembly, and then be elected prime minister by that house.
A more blatant show of disregard for the electorate and representatives in parliament is not possible." The HRCP reiterated its stance that unless people were allowed the right to participate in political decision-making, and the choice of leadership, the despondency and sense of demoralization already in place across the country would take still firmer hold.
"This sense of indifference to events, within both political parties and citizens, exhibited by the lack of rallies or protests over the arbitrary change in leadership, marks perhaps the biggest defeat for rulers - who have succeeded only in alienating people from the political process.
This, in the longer run, could prove devastating, in terms of the future of democracy, stability and federal cohesion," the statement said. "The actions taken also establishes the true state of democracy and commitment to fundamental freedoms of people, including those to political participation.
It is clear that power continues to be exercised absolutely by a military dictator, who has succeeded in manipulating parliament to serve his own purposes. It is the people of the country who will pay the price for this, in terms of the failure to give them the right to have a say in national affairs or play a part in determining their future destiny," the HRCP statement said.
ARD: The Punjab ARD on Monday said that Gen Pervez Musharraf had expressed his lack of trust in all MNAs of the treasury benches by deciding to get Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz, a Senator, elected prime minister to succeed Chaudhry Shujaat Husain.
Punjab President Qasim Zia said at a news conference after an emergency meeting of the coalition at the residence of Mr Mansoor Khan that those who had voted for the general to "legitimise" his presidency and then passed resolutions that he should not take off his military uniform had been ignored.
Also present on the occasion were Pir Nau Behar Shah, Syed Munir Husain Gilani, Saifullah Saif and Khwaja Izhar. Qasim condemned the government for its failure to control the deteriorating law and order situation and said target killings had become order of the day. He said recently two PPP leaders were targeted in Sindh after which a PML-N leader was made victim.
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