LAHORE, Aug 29: A roundtable conference on ‘National dictates in the emerging political scenario’ on Friday stressed the need for avoiding concentration of state powers in the hands of a single person, checking partisan behaviour of state institutions and making the prime minister the real chief executive of the country.

The participants of the roundtable at the Pakistan Institute of National Affairs welcomed the statements made by the leaders of the two major political parties at the break up of their coalition and stressed the need for promotion of principled and issue-based politics.

Defence analyst Col ZI Farrukh (retired) said the establishment had played a role in the break up of the coalition and was trying to induct the PML-Q in the government.

Nawaz Sharif could play a role in strengthening the democracy by establishing healthy traditions as the leader of the major opposition party.

He stressed the need to focus on the dangers looming on the stability of Pakistan and addressing the issues of military operation and violence in the country.

He called for removal of non-elected and corrupt elements from high offices.

Brig Zafar Iqbal (retired) expressed his apprehensions about the political conduct of Asif Ali Zardari.

Political analyst Qayyum Nizami, journalist Salman Abid, Prof Dr Shafique Jallandhri, Col Afzal Hazir (retired), Prof Dr Razaul Haq Syed, Mahmood Ali, Engineer Anwar Husain Mujahid and PINA Secretary-General Altaf Hasan Qureshee also spoke.