January 13, 2009	Tuesday	Muharram 15, 1430

ISLAMABAD, Jan 12: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) submitted to the National Assembly Secretariat on Monday the draft 18th Constitution Amendment Bill which seeks to repeal most constitutional amendments introduced during the tenure of former president Pervez Musharraf.

Talking to reporters, MQM’s parliamentary leader in the National Assembly Dr Farooq Sattar said the bill sought to repeal ‘undemocratic clauses’ in the 17th Amendment. Clauses ‘essential for the democratic system’, like those about reserved seats for women, voters’ age and joint electorate would be retained.

Dr Sattar said time had come to end the centre-based system. “A strong centre cannot guarantee a strong Pakistan, but strong federating units can.”

He said the sense of deprivation among provinces should be addressed. The constitution was amended in the past to serve interests of individuals or some political parties, but MQM’s bill, he said, aimed at ‘empowering the people’.

He said the bill proposed that the centre should have only three subjects — defence, foreign policy and currency — and other subjects should be transferred the provinces and districts.

He said the bill also provided real concept of independence of judiciary with appointments of judges through a judicial commission.

According to Dr Sattar, the bill also aims at eliminating feudalism and adhocism.

He said the tussle for power between president and the prime minister had always been a problem and had in the past provided an opportunity to the army to intervene. The bill, he added, tried to delineate the powers of the president and the prime minister.