Qazi sees new conflicts in future

Published August 23, 2002

LAHORE, Aug 22: The Legal Framework Order will give birth to new conflicts in future instead of stabilizing the political setup and economy of the country, says Jamaat-i-Islami amir Qazi Husain Ahmad.

Speaking at a press conference here on Thursday, he said withdrawal of the order would be in the best interest of the army as well as the nation as it would provide a chance to the elected representatives to work in an open atmosphere purged of all pressures.

Arguing that the order would concentrate all powers in the president, he said “all-powerful rulers become a threat to their own nation and to themselves as craving to get more and more powers intensifies with the passage of time.”

Terming Gen Pervez Musharraf arrogant for saying that he did not need to plead before anyone for retaining the offices of the President and chief of army staff for the next five years, the Qazi said he who wanted others to abide by the constitution must surrender himself before the law.

“Musharraf has been claiming that all matters in the army are decided on merit then under which law he is declaring himself as the President and COAS for five more years,” he questioned.

He regretted that the army rulers had retained the constitutional amendments that were the most controversial and were of basic nature and every segment of society had opposed them.

Asked if the Jamaat-i-Islami would move the court of law against the amendments, he said the judiciary had already expressed its limitations by saying that they were working under the provisional constitutional order (PCO).

Moreover, he said masses were the real power after Allah Almighty and only they could safeguard the constitution by coming out on roads in big numbers.

Supremacy of the Constitution would be restored if people were properly mobilized in the election campaign.

Asked if he would seek army’s help in this regard, he said they did not want commotion in the ranks of armed forces.

Answering yet another question, he said no code of conduct or any other government step could check the mobilization of people in the electioneering. “The government can forcibly hold back 5,000 but not 50,000.”

He believed that the people would vote against the army government in the October polls for the three-year rule had given them nothing but rising unemployment and price-hike, lawlessness and insecurity.

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