KARACHI: Former prime minister and Awam Pakistan Party (APP) convener Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has warned that if unrest erupts in the country, then “no one will care which party or institution he/she belongs to”.
Addressing members of the Karachi Bar Association (KBA) at the City Courts, Abbasi said that cracks had already begun to appear in Pakistan’s social fabric. “God forbid, if unrest erupts in this country, no one will care which party or institution he/she belongs to,” he warned, while citing examples of violent protests in Nepal and Bangladesh, where ruling governments were eventually forced to step down.
Referring to the recent protests in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Abbasi said, “When people are deprived of their rights, they move towards agitation.”
“When citizens are denied their fundamental rights, society inevitably drifts towards chaos and conflict. The only solution lies in the rule of law,” he said, adding that the country can only function if the Constitution is implemented in its true spirit.
The former prime minister said: “Today, we must stand up for the rule of law. If we want to give the youth of this country a better future, it can only be achieved through the rule of law.”
He further said that the Constitution clearly lays down directions that the country cannot function without order and that it must have chosen representatives of the people, “but all these principles are being denied.”
“There is neither order nor are elected representatives in the country, and if we think that the country can still function, that is impossible,” he remarked.
He questioned whether the fundamental rights guaranteed in the Constitution are available to any citizen today.
Referring to the 26th and other amendments to the Constitution, Abbasi said: “These amendments are completely contrary to the very soul of the Constitution, and their only purpose was to strengthen ruler of the time.”
Speaking specifically about the 26th Amendment, he added: “The balance that once existed has been destroyed. Today, if someone’s fundamental rights are violated, the case will be put before the same constitutional bench formed by those who introduced the 26th Amendment.”
“They’ve effectively made the judiciary subservient to parliament,” he remarked.
The ex-PM said he does not believe that a complete system of justice exists in the country, adding that “a state without justice cannot function.”
“In such circumstances, believing that the country can progress is nothing but wishful thinking,” he said, adding that “this country has undergone many political experiments, but now is not the time for any more experiments”.
Pointing towards the legal community, Abbasi said that when they [lawyers] cast their votes in the upcoming bar elections, the outcome should reflect their conscience; otherwise, it could lead to discord, which led to a situation where neither the state nor its institutions can function.
“In this country, no reforms have been introduced for long,” Abbasi said, adding that although all three major political parties have been in government, the country still fails to function properly because “these parties lack the vision and capability needed to set things right.”
He urged political parties to work with consensus, saying: “This is the time to unite and move forward together, because the current system has failed, and one major reason for the failure is that we have always resorted to rigging in elections”.
Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2025