ISLAMABAD, Feb 22: The military and the civil bureaucracy has created the worst crises for the country, which needs setting up of a constituent assembly to draw up a new social contract recognising the rights of the five nationalities to collectively combat the dangers threatening the integrity of the country.
These remarks were made by the leaders of the Pakistan Oppressed Nations Movement (PONM) and some other nationalists/regional parties at a seminar on "Legal Framework Order, 17th Constitutional Amendment, Future of the Federation of Pakistan and Political Parties Future Strategies" here.
They said the culture and languages of Pukhtoons, Balochis, Sindhis, Saraikis and Punjabis must be honoured, advice of the federating units (five nationalities) must be made essential in the country's internal and external politics and there should be a total end to meddling in the affairs of the neighbouring countries.
To achieve these objectives to put the country on the road to progress, a new constitution was imperative, and if the ground realities continued to be ignored then no one would be able to save Pakistan from fragmentation, they further said.
Those who spoke on the occasion included the Movement's President Sardar Ataullah Mengal, Vice President Mehmud Khan Achakzai, Awami National Party (ANP) President Senator Asfandyar Wali Khan, Mumtaz Ali Bhutto of Sindh National Front, Abdul Hayee Baloch, President National Party, Senator Prof Sajid Mir, President Jamiat Ahle Hadith, Karimullah of Saraiki Party, Maulana Obaidullah Bhutto of JUI Sindh, Syed Zain Shah of Jeeay Sindh Mahaz, Rasool Bakhsh Paleejo of Awami Tehrik and others.
Sardar Ataullah Mengal said Punjab had attained superiority over the other federating units hence the present system could not be termed a federal one. He held Punjab responsible for successive martial laws in the country.
Mr Mengal said despite the fact that the smaller units possessed long coastal belts and vast land, their resources were being utilized by Punjab without paying any price.
Mehmud Khan Achakzai said the nationalist parties were equally patriotic though they had never accepted dictates from the external powers. He said Pakistan was a common land of Balochis, Sindhis, Saraikis, Punjabis and Pukhtoons and they had equal right on independence which was not bestowed on them as charity.
He said the country was passing through the worst-ever crises due to the wrongdoings of the generals and military and civil bureaucracy.
He said the setting up of a new constituent assembly and framing of new constitution were need of the hour. He said the opposition in the parliament had lost their war between democratic and undemocratic forces due to some unwise friends and efforts should now be initiated to form a united front against the unconstitutional actions of the military government and get rid of it. Achakzai said Jamali and his '40 friends' could not steer the country out of the present crises.
Mumtaz Bhutto said the Centre had usurped all the powers since day one and the head of the state was made centre of all powers which was in clear negation of the social contract reached between the nations at the time of creation of Pakistan.
He claimed that things had turned so bad due to military bureaucracy's policies that the people from no federating unit but Punjab could opt to remain in Pakistan if a referendum was held today to seek the choice of the people of all the federating units.
Senator Asfandyar Wali Khan said the provincial autonomy had further been curtailed by the passage of the 17th amendment and due to sixth schedule the provincial chief minister's secretariat had become a general post office between GHQ and district governments.
He said despite the fact that three provincial assemblies had rejected the Kalabagh Dam, still the government was perusing its construction. He said only Gen Musharraf would be responsible if fatal damage was done to the country's solidarity and salvation.
The PONM secretary general, Syed Jalal Mehmud Shah, said the country's prestige in the comity of the nations was badly hurt due to the missing of democratic parliamentary system from its polity. He declared: "We have neither recognised the constitution nor do we accept it today as a document which could cement unity among the federating nations."