F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister of Pakistan and Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari addressing the National Assembly on Wednesday said that the 90-day and in some cases, 60-day clause in the Constitution regarding the elections was not abrogated by us but by someone else. It began with members of the National Assembly having tendered their resignations, as the same 60-day deadline applies to those seats. Local government elections too are held as per the law and Constitution. During PTI’s tenure, local government elections were not held despite court orders.
Even in the minority decision of the court, the 90-day limit is not being applied to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This limit has been extended for the KP elections. I would like to clarify that the Pakistan Peoples Party would never transgress from the Constitution. However, it cannot be so that orders are given to undermine the Parliament. If our honourable judiciary encounters difficulties while interpreting the Constitution, then the PPP as the political party that not only drafted but restored the 1973 Constitution is ready to step in. We drafted the Constitution so that each and every institution, including the Parliament as the mother of all institutions and Constitution would be respected. The Parliament is currently being ridiculed and undermined.
Our law minister and the attorney general today were explaining the honourable judiciary’s decision and I was shocked and horrified to learn how an institution that is responsible for protecting the Constitution is indicating that the Parliament should be ignored when it comes the money bill and other matters. We did not abrogate the Constitution in the past, nor will we do it in the future. It is against the basic principles of not only our democracy and Constitution, but that of the entire world. The Parliament is the custodian of the national purse. We will decide how and where the money of the people will be spent. It is only this institution’s prerogative to decide where to spend money and we are not liable to follow anyone else’s directions. The PPP was standing with the Parliament yesterday, and it will continue to do so in the future. The executive is bound to follow the orders of the National Assembly.
If the judiciary is ridiculing and undermining this House [National Assembly], if it is insinuating that we take an unconstitutional step, then in the eyes of the PPP, it is a contempt of the Parliament. It is a breach of privilege. How can an institution take it upon itself to order us to abrogate the Constitution and not listen to the Parliament? The privilege of the House is being breached. This offensive order of the judiciary should be taken up in the Privilege Committee. The very concept of democracy is that the Prime Minister is answerable to us, the elected representatives of the people of Pakistan.
When the PM is undermined or ridiculed, the House is too. We have tolerated this since long. How many prime ministers would be sent to the gallows or would have to face contempt charges? It is up to us to not let any Prime Minister be undermined in the future. We respect judges, and should receive the same treatment. It is absolutely unacceptable that a judge plays with the future of the country as per the dictations received through secret calls. When we passed the resolution in the National Assembly, we were reiterating our trust in the Prime Minister. Be it us expressing our confidence on the Prime Minister or the money bill, we stand with the majority 4-3 decision. If there is any lack of confidence, then it is so on three judges.
If this current situation is pondered upon, keeping in mind Article 63, then it becomes apparent that there is something else going on. We can see that this confusion only threatens our people, democracy and federation. Is it the case that attempts are being made to impose the One Unit policy again from back door? It is not only my personal opinion that the insistence with which attempts are being made to hold elections in one province only will endanger our federation. It is the stance of all political parties minus one that the elections are held in their due time on the same day nationwide.
If people are adamant on holding political dialogue in the ‘panchayat’ of the judiciary, then the probability of it being a successful process is low even if we are able to convince our allies. The heads of all institutions should ponder on whether they want to be remembered as members of the Tiger Force in the future or as unbiased individuals. If they choose the latter, then it would be more appropriate for them to hold a dialogue among themselves and build consensus. If any specific judge or even our President insists on playing a partisan political role then we would find it difficult to emerge from the current political crisis and history will remember them the same way it remembers their predecessors, Chairman Bilawal said.
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