ISLAMABAD: The rejection of PML-N leader Ayaz Amir’s nomination papers by the returning officer on the grounds that he opposed the country’s ideology is very sad news. The decision of the returning officer is based on Article 62(g) which was made part of the Constitution during General Ziaul Haq’s regime and endorsed by the previous parliament in the Eighteenth Amendment. This clause of Article 62 states that a person is not qualified to become a member of parliament/provincial assembly if “he has, after the establishment of Pakistan, worked against the integrity of the country or opposed the ideology of Pakistan”.
This is a sad state of affairs in a country where people cannot distinguish between freedom of expression and speech given by the Constitution and opposition to the ideology of Pakistan. If a person believes that the creation of Pakistan was a mistake, based on his own views, it does not imply that he has harmed the ideology of the country where he lives and follows the country’s laws and the Constitution. Personal views can be different but silencing them using religion is the worst anyone can do. This is tantamount to killing the very spirit of our religion, which propagates an open and progressive way of life where freedom of expression is considered a fundamental right. If at all any action has to be taken, it should be directed towards the returning officer, whose interpretation of the Constitution and religion seems to lack basic insight.
Dr Irfan Zafar
Published in The Express Tribune, April 9th, 2013.
