JESSORE: Addressing a mammoth cheering crowd, which could easily be counted in four figures, President Ayub declared today [Oct 30] that the parliamentary system could be a success only in a unitary form of government. The two Wings of Pakis­tan, separated by 1,500 miles of hostile territory, have to be federated and for a federation only the presidential system was most suitable. The gigantic development that had taken place during the last six years was due only to the presidential pattern of administration because it ensured stability and continuity of government for a full term, he said.

The President said that after the death of the Quaid-i-Millat, he was convinced that the panacea for Pakistan’s ills lay in the presidential system. He told a very receptive crowd that the Opposition’s nine-point manifesto was totally devoid of any nation-building programme. “It nowhere attempts to explain how they would resolve the various issues, some of which are of paramount importance. It is silent on national issues. It contains only some fantastic promises”, which, the President asserted, would never be redeemed. President Ayub was confident that people would never let the Opposition succeed in making the Centre weak.

Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2014