HYDERABAD: The very existence of Pakistan is at stake owing to the conditions prevailing in the country and only a strong political system based on true democracy can ensure its integrity.

This was observed by Sindh United Party (SUP) president Syed Jalal Mahmood Shah while speaking to journalists at the local press club on Monday.

Explaining the threats to the country’s existence, he said it was hit by religious as well as ‘party-based terrorism’, and stressed that militancy could not be condoned. The main reason leading the country was that “the state has a religion”.

Also read: Religion and state

“Unless religion is separated from the state, the situation will remain unchanged,” he remarked.

The SUP chief said that the country did not have a visionary leadership offering a comprehensive programme to manage the country in the next 50 years.

Mr Shah described the 1940 Resolution ‘a big issue’ and criticised successive governments for maligning his elders and imprisoning them after labelling them ‘anti-state’. “A controlled democracy was tailored after the fall of East Pakistan and those who had nothing to do with politics became politicians,” he said, adding that politics was eventually made an enterprise.

Mr Shah said that political parties would have to do away with their militant wings, which they had been keeping for their own survival.

“Militancy had been supported until 2013 by the Establishment which is evident from the trend of elections in different provinces but [now militancy] is being abhorred,” he said.

Mr Shah said that the SUP did not want the MQM to be targeted or banned because it [the SUP] strongly believed in non-violence. Referring to the issues of corruption on the part of political elements, bad governance and the trends leading the country to the current state of affairs, he said all these issues were actually interlinked and could be addressed if a transparent political system was in place.

Outsiders

Syed Jalal Mahmood Shah, a former deputy speaker of the Sindh Assembly, criticised nomination of outsiders as senators to represent Sindh, and argued that how could one from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or Punjab represent Sindh.

He gave the example of the United States where senators are elected directly by voters in the federating units.

“The laws governing citizenship in our country are unclear and, therefore, anyone hailing from any area can opt for any seat of the elected houses,” he observed.

He also questioned the representation of Fata [Federally Admin­istered Tribal Areas] and Islam­abad in the senate through reserved seats.

Fair elections

The SUP chief was of the view that the 2005 party-less elections for local governments were largely fair but today it was not possible. “There are forces that work for unfair elections. Militant wings within political parties should be closed to ensure transparency,” he said.

Questioning the credibility of the Election Commission of Pakistan, he claimed its members had political affiliation.

Provincial autonomy

The SUP chief was of the opinion that the view point of MQM on provincial autonomy was stronger than that of the PPP. He said doors of politics to a party should not be closed but militancy should not be supported. He said the MQM should find options to stay in politics, adding that the trend of condemning the party for the sake of politics could not be appreciated the way that politics based on militancy could not be tolerated.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2015

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