PESHAWAR, July 24: Political leaders at a seminar on Wednesday underlined the need for restructuring of the defence, foreign and financial policies of the country instead of a major surgery into the constitution proposed by the military rulers.

The seminar ‘Democracy and human rights programme in connection with effects of proposed constitutional package’ was organised by the  Human Resource Management and Development Centre (HRMDC)  at the Peshawar Press Club.

They  said the rule of law had been replaced with the  law  of rulers. “The generals have changed the concept of government. They want  to establish a government of generals, by the generals and for the generals,” they added.

The country president of South-Asia Partnership, Mohammad Tesheen explained  the purpose of the seminar and said the  formation  of the National Security Council (NSC) was an encroachment upon  the parliament. After the proposed amendments into the  Constitution, the prime minister would be government employee rather than chief executive of the country, he added.

Gen Pervez Musharraf had suggested all checks and balances for the PM and chief ministers, but excluded him from accountability. The six discretional powers to Gen Musharraf would turn him  into an unchecked dictator, he added.

Former senator of the Awami National Party, Bashir Ahmed Matta, Jamaat-i-Islami NWFP chief Prof Mohammad Ibrahim, ANP leader Qazi Mohammad Anwar, a local surgeon Dr Said Alam spoke on the  issue. The  pro-government politicians, PML (Q) provincial  chief  Salim Khan Saifullah and PPP (Sherpao) secretary Ahmed Hassan abstained from the seminar.

Mr Matta said the constitutional package would pave the way for an autocratic rule and ruin the federation wherein federating units would be deprived of the provincial autonomy.

He  said neither Gen Musharraf could bring in any change  into the Constitution nor the supreme court could empower him to  make amendments.

Qazi  Anwar  criticised  the role  of  superior  judiciary  in Pakistan  and said: “In the past, the same judiciary had  declared leader of the house (Zulfikar Ali Bhutto) as murderer and  leader of opposition Khan Abdul Wali Khan as traitor.”

Dr  Said Alam rejected all accusations made by rulers  against politicians  and said those who had a big pie in the budget  were not  less corrupt than politicians. The nation had witnessed  the incompetency during the Kargil battle, he added.

He  said: “When rulers refer towards the ground realities  they exhibit their might. After the solution of Kashmir dispute, there is no justification of such a huge army, but army rulers want  to have a permanent role for future.”

Prof Ibrahim urged Gen Musharraf to resign forthwith as he was no  more general after his retirement. “If Gen Musharraf wants  to be the president of Pakistan, he should present himself after two years before the parliament.”