ISLAMABAD, Oct 5: Chief Coordinator of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) Ahsan Iqbal says only parliamentary democracy can safeguard the interests of the federating units.

Speaking to a delegation of Sindh Young Thinkers, Mr Iqbal said Pakistan was a federation in which the four units had agreed to join the federation under a political contract of 1973 Constitution.

Under the Constitution, the federating units had agreed upon parliamentary democracy as a system of governance because it safeguarded the interests of all the provinces, he maintained.

If parliamentary democracy is changed into what he called ‘Askari Democracy’ then there would be insecurity in the smaller provinces and the federation would come under threat.

He said ‘Askari democracy’ can’t be same as running Askari Bank or Askari Leasing Company, therefore, the present rulers must not tamper with the Constitution through the LFO.

“Today, even ball-tampering is an offence how come tampering with the Constitution should go unpunished. The opposition is united on the issue of LFO, as it negates the basic right of the people of Pakistan to make or amend the constitution through Parliament.

“If we concede the right of the Constitution-making to an individual then we will be setting a precedence for which the posterity will not pardon us. This will mean that tomorrow anyone who takes government with the power of gun can forcibly impose his will and change the structure of the Constitution against the will of the people of Pakistan.”

He said PML-N had taken a consistent and principled stand on the LFO issue. He said the party had also learnt from its past mistakes and was committed to winning the battle of democracy for the people of Pakistan.

He said Pakistan today stood isolated in the international community because of the policies of the military government. The recent decision by the Commonwealth countries had proved the fact that the stand of democratic forces in the country was based on the principles of democracy, he added.