LAHORE, Oct 9: Speakers at a condolence reference said on Thursday that the best way to pay tributes to the late Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan was to continue struggle for the restoration of democracy.
The reference was organized by the Lahore High Court Bar Association. Jamaat-i-Islami amir Qazi Husain Ahmad, PPP MNA Aitzaz Ahsan, former chief justice Sajjad Ali Shah, Supreme Court Bar Association president Hamid Khan and LHCBA chief Hafiz Abdul Rehman Ansari were the prominent speakers.
The Qazi claimed that his party would not accept any amendment to the 1973 Constitution, including the LFO, through any extra-constitutional step. He warned the government against indulging in horse trading for this purpose.
“We had given a deadline to Gen Musharraf for taking off his uniform on an understanding that by that time all the suspended provisions of the Constitution would become functional and no army officer would be in a position to hold any political office. From now onwards, we would not hold any further parleys in this regard,” he said, adding that the public agitation against Gen Musharraf’s holding of the president’s office was a writing on the wall.
Paying tributes to the Nawabzada, the Qazi said he had always preferred national interests on his personal interests and had the ability of uniting all the political factions on one-point agenda.
Former chief justice Sajjad Ali Shah said the Constitution had assigned the task of defending geographical boundaries of the country to the army and nothing else. The army was subordinate to the civil administration.
No amendment to the constitution could be made without a two-thirds majority of the parliament and as long as such majority did not approve the last year’s presidential referendum, the holding of the president’s office by Gen Musharraf would remain invalid, the former CJ maintained.
Certain quarters have created circumstances in the country to strengthen the false notion that democracy could not flourish here. He regretted that the US was taking decisions about Pakistan instead of Pakistani parliament.
Justice Shah said a leader like Nawabzada was the need of the hour and someone should come forward to further his mission.
Mr Ahsan said following the demise of the Nawabzada, his followers should strive for the supremacy of the parliament. Despite being constituted through the elections held by a dictator, the sitting parliament had a legal status and was capable of challenging the legacy of the dictators, he claimed.
SCBA chief Hamid Khan termed the death of the Nawabzada as a huge loss to the national politics. “Now we have to take a decision as to who would rule this country, army or the people?”
He said the general’s claim that the LFO had become a part of the constitution was nothing but a remorse of a dictator who had no other way to support his invalid and extra-constitutional steps.