Profile: Hello Mr chairman

ISLAMABAD:

Senator Mian Raza Rabbani, born on July 23, 1953 in Lahore, is affiliated with Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) since 1968. He was also an activist during his student life. He is an advocate at the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Rabbani is representing PPP in the Senate since 1993. He has been elected for Senate six times.

His parliamentary services are hailed widely. Rabbani is considered an icon for his active involvement in the legislative process. He remained chairman of parliamentary committee on constitutional reforms in the past. Rabbani co-authored bills of the 18th, 19th and 20th constitutional amendments.

His refusal to join the federal cabinet during the previous tenure led by his party was just to avoid taking oath from then president Pervez Musharraf.  He also moved a resolution against Musharraf which was passed by the Senate. His recent speech against 21st amendment gained popular appeal.

Rabbani drafted many other bills and amendments as a Senator, including the bill for the repeal of the National Security Council Act 2001.

The new senate chairman was also elected chairman parliamentary committee on national security and co-authored 63 recommendations to the resolution passed on October 22, 2008 in a joint sitting of parliament. He also co-authored new Terms of Engagements with the United States and Nato.

Rabbani drafted Aghaze Haqooq-e-Balochistan, a developmental, administrative, political and financial package for Balochistan.

Rabbani is an active member of various parliamentary committees, including Senate standing committees on law, justice and parliamentary affairs, human rights, rules of procedure and privileges, defence, planning and development.

Not new to important positions, he served as federal minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination and Human Rights from February 12, 2011 to May 11, 2011, and then resigned from the cabinet.

A PPP favourite, he was leader of the house during the PPP tenure. He was also leader of the opposition in Senate during Musharraf’s regime. Rabbani has authored A Biography of Pakistani Federalism and LFO — a fraud on the Constitution. He was contributor in the book Blind Justice.

In true political tradition, Rabbani was jailed for over two and a half years in the struggle for the rule of law, restoration of democracy and human rights. Rabbani also became victim of violent police brutality in front of the parliament house in 1998.

Last year, he wrote an open letter regarding the country’s prevailing circumstances. An excerpt of the letter reads, “The masses of Pakistan haunted by history and apprehensive of the future are concerned about the threats to the existence of the Federation. The State is at the edge of the precipice and the only turnaround, and turn we must, lies in a federal democracy under the Constitution, 1973.”

The letter also says, “A democratic system encourages dialogue, debate, accommodation, tolerance and confines dissent and conflict by providing mechanisms and institutions that function under the law and the Constitution.

Much is wrong in the country today. Much damage has been done to its Constitution, institutions and its laws. Corruption, terrorism, sectarianism, lawlessness, crime, drug abuse, economic disparity, crony capitalism, fiscal irresponsibility, economic mismanagement have made it difficult for the common man to earn his daily bread.

His welfare and that of his children is being mortgaged at the hands of the international financial imperialist. Pakistan must surmount and move forward, surmount it will, Insha’allah.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 13^th, 2015.