PESHAWAR, July 18: Former NWFP chief minister and chief of his own faction of Pakistan People’s Party, Aftab Ahmad Sherpao, on Thursday criticised the constitutional package, saying that election of a powerless prime minister and chief minister would be against the parliamentary form of government and national interest.

Addressing the Peshawar High Court Bar Association here, Mr Sherpao said that only an elected parliament was empowered to amend the constitution. He asked the present government to adopt the constitutional mechanism for amending the constitution.

He said the country had been passing through a crucial phase of its existence and the situation was even worse than that of the 1970s. There was a lack of trust between the political parties and it was need of the hour that all the parties sat together for evolving a joint line of action for bringing the country out of crisis, he maintained.

“Since its very inception, the country has been facing constitutional crisis. The constitution of 1962 was used by an individual for his personal gains which resulted in the dismemberment of the country,” Mr Sherpao said.

He added that the 1973 constitution was framed with the consensus of all the political parties, but despite the passage of 29 years its basic structure was never implemented, especially the apprehensions of smaller provinces had not been addressed.

He stated that on various points in the constitutional package the political parties had consensus like reducing the voter age, reservation of seats for women, etc. but confusion surrounded the issue of changing the basic structure of the constitution in the name of introducing checks and balances.