LAHORE, Aug 25: Former federal minister and NA speaker Syed Fakhr Imam on Wednesday expressed concern over the way prime ministers were changed during the past few months.

Talking to reporters, he said all decisions were being taken by an individual and the role of parliament was being undermined. Mr Imam said under the constitution it was the prerogative of parliament to elect a prime minister or throw him out through a procedure laid down for the purpose.

But at present, he said, everything was being done by an individual who was not supposed to be calling the shots. He regretted that over 300 MNAs had been ignored and a member of the Senate picked up as a replacement of Chaudhry Shujaat Husain.

If all MNAs had been elected on the basis of merit, as claimed by powers that be, then there was no justification for anyone to choose a non-MNA for the office of the chief executive.

Mr Imam, who played an important role in the establishment of what was once the PML-Q, said if capabilities of a technocrat were the major attraction, then university professors, civil servants and professionals in other walks of life could also qualify for the post of prime minister.

He said the matter should be decided once and for all whether it should be for the parliament to decide who should rule the country or an individual's opinion should prevail.

Already, he said, the balance of power had tilted towards the president and what was once called the parliamentary system had been converted into a quasi-parliamentary one.

When it was pointed out that any objection to the present system would become irrelevant as it enjoyed the backing of parliament, the former NA speaker said the arrangement lacked legitimacy despite parliament's participation.

He said while the performance of the new government would become clear after some time, its failure might cause disappointment among the electorate. He said that deterioration of law and order was very clear. Similarly, although the government claimed that the foreign exchange reserves had swelled to $12 billion, the benefits were yet to reach the common man.

The state of inflation and unemployment, though very serious, had never been discussed by parliament. As a consequence, he said, the government was under no pressure to take any step for relief of people living below the poverty line.

Syed Fakhr Imam demanded that all those arrested by the law-enforcement agencies on charges of involvement in criminal activities should be put on trial so that the nation could see people who wanted to disrupt society. He said the law and order situation was so bad that nobody would like to make an investment in Pakistan.

In response to a question, Mr Imam said he and other members of his group were holding consultations with people in all provinces to decide what role the dissident PML leaders should play in national affairs. He indicated that the group would announce its course of action in the near future.