LAHORE: Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani has warned of dire consequences if an attempt is made to roll back the devolution of powers process to provinces under the 18th Amendment to the Constitution.

“The previous PPP government adopted delaying tactics to enhance provincial autonomy while the present regime is following the suit,” Mr Rabbani told newsmen at the inauguration session of a media training workshop arranged by Punjab Higher Education Commission and the Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors in collaboration with United Nations Development Fund at Arfa Software Technology Park here on Saturday.

A certain mindset was against devolution of powers to federating units, he said while adding that people who called for provincial autonomy were declared traitors in the past.

“There is no denying the fact that education and health sectors under federation could not deliver. There had been no improvement in the education and health sectors under federation,” he said.

Article 6 has failed to defend parliament and the Constitution, said the Senate chairman. The need of the hour was to make parliament more dynamic and effective. There has been a positive change in the attitude of parliamentarians for the last two months.

“Now the federal ministers have been attending the Senate sessions on a regular basis. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also attended the previous session,” said Mr Rabbani.

Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2015

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