KARACHI: Former Senate chairman and senior Pakistan Peoples Party leader Mian Raza Rabbani has accused the federal government of using the coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity to attack the 18th Amendment and the National Finance Commission (NFC) award and feared that it will destabilise the democratic system.

Speaking at a press conference at the committee room of the Sindh Assembly building on Wednesday, the seasoned politician asked the ruling elite to recognise the multiethnic and linguistic diversity as the country’s hope for unity rested in embracing this rich indigenous diversity.

“The self-appointed praetorian guard of our country still suffer from a colonial mindset and believe provinces are not capable of shouldering administrative and financial autonomy, and that devolving such powers to provinces will lead to financial chaos, economic instability and waste of precious resources,” he said.

Rabbani says Pakistan’s hope for unity rests in embracing its rich indigenous diversity

“[They think that] granting full autonomy to the provinces would eventually lead to the disintegration of the federation [and] Pakistan can only survive as a federation with a federal financial system managing its economy. They see the pandemic as an opportunity to attack the 18th Amendment and the NFC award drawn in its light.”

Ethnic, cultural diversity

He said the corridors of powers in Pakistan failed to realise that the country had four federating units and Islamabad capital territory, each distinct, plus Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, which were still out of the ambit of the Constitution; and that these units were ethnically and culturally diverse.

“[They believe] the 18th Amendment has turned the polity into a confederation rather than a federation, they are intended on withdrawing from the federating units the administrative and financial powers vested in them under the 18th Amendment and the 7th NFC Award,” added Senator Rabbani.

He said that Pakistan had suffered as a result of the “ruling elite’s love affair” with a strong centre. From 1947 to 2010, he said, Pakistan was administered as a unitary state in repudiation of the Lahore Resolution and Dicey’s definition of federating units, being federation’s coordinates and not its subordinates.

“The overbearing centre made a mockery of representative government. The federation deprived the provinces of two taxes in 1948 and continued to exploit financial resources for their policies. As a consequence, East Pakistan became Bangladesh,” he added.

“As regards the arguments in favour of local body’s empowerment, the 18th Amendment, amended Article 140(A), Constitution, 1973, by empowering each province to establish by law a local government system and devolve political, administrative and financial responsibilities and authority to the elected representatives of the local governments, in accordance with their circumstances and needs,” he said.

He said the state’s refusal to address the grievances of the people would only lead to further acrimony in the state’s social contract with its people. The state’s insistence on national homogeneity and its imposition of a particular will on a country that hosted diverse identities would continue to face resistance.

“To the centralist, the clarion call of history is, sheathe the sword or be prepared to be crucified at the altar of history. Let the federation breathe,” said the PPP leader.

Published in Dawn, September 10th, 2020