KARACHI: Pak Sarzameen Party chairman Syed Mustafa Kamal said on Sunday that Pakistan would not progress without having a presidential system of governance.

Although there are some people who had been talking about imposition of the presidential system in their own capacity to ensure what they called a balance between the federation and federating units, it appears to be a first that the head of a political party expressed such views.

Even major parties, including the Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, had time and again warned against any attempt to create a presidential form of government and vowed to resist any such move.

But speaking at a party programme, the PSP chairman, whose party had contested and lost the 2018 general elections, appeared to be dissatisfied with the existing democratic parliamentary system when he said that the progress of the country and access to justice could not be possible without a presidential system.

He continued that the National Assembly seats of Punjab — which had the biggest share of seats in the lower house of parliament — should be made equal to the seats of other provinces on the pattern of the Senate, which gives equal representation to all the provinces.

However, without elaborating further, he said the rulers were paying mere lip service to all issues.

Mr Kamal also demanded that the provinces must issue a provincial finance commission award on the pattern of the National Finance Commission award.

He said that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf should enforce a local government system across the country as per the promises it made in its election manifesto.

The PSP chief had returned to Karachi from the UAE on March 3, 2016, held an explosive press conference against Muttahida Qaumi Movement founder Altaf Hussain, parted ways with him and announced making his own party.

On Sunday, a large number of party workers and supporters gathered at the PSP headquarters, known as Pakistan House, to celebrate Youm-i-Tashakkur. Senior party leaders, including Anis Kaimkhani who had also returned to the country with Mr Kamal three years ago, were also present.

Published in Dawn, March 4th, 2019