Bilawal laments politics over national security

PPP chairman advocates consensus for constitutional amendments

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Friday that passing any constitutional amendment would be challenging without a consensus among parliamentary parties and stressed that such issues should not be resolved by force.

Talking to journalists at the Parliament House, Bilawal discussed in detail the issues of Pakistani politics, economy and judiciary. He acknowledged the current threat to national security but lamented that politics was still being played even on this critical issue.

"The major task for any parliament is to enact legislation and amend the constitution. Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto gave a consensus Constitution to the country. After that we restored the same Constitution by the 18th amendment," Bilawald said, while answering a question.

"Every political party is present in parliament and all are represented in the committee [on a charter of parliament]," he said, adding: "It will be difficult to bring [constitutional] amendments unless there is an agreement [among these parties]. No one should be forced to pass a constitutional amendment."

At present, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said, every institution faced one challenge or the other and everyone could see that this system was not working. "All our institutions are facing problems, including parliament. Journalism is also suffering at this time," he said.

He expressed worries over the law and order situation. "Recently, there were incidents of terrorism in Balochistan and the situation in K-P [Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa] is even worse [where] the K-P chief minister is facing problems in his own village," he said.

"For the first time there are difficulties in giving peace to the people of Pakistan and for the first time even this issue is being politicised," the PPP chairman added, stressing that terrorism had to be fought jointly by the federal and provincial governments.

He termed the recently formed all-party committee by National Assembly speaker to look into the issues "a glimmer of hope". He said: "We have established this committee with consensus. There should be a working relationship in parliament to solve people's problems, which will be a huge success."

Bilawal said that the Charter of Democracy – signed by former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto nearly two decades ago – aimed to resolve the issues faced by the people of Pakistan and ensure that all institutions function within their respective domains.

"We have implemented 90% of the Charter of Democracy. Only a few points remain, one of which is the Truth and Reconciliation Commission which can work on national issue," he said. "The NAB [National Accountability Bureau] reforms in the Charter of Democracy must also be implemented," he added.

Continuing, the PPP chairman stated that there were other points in the Charter of Democracy which related to the judicial reforms so that the common man could get quick and cheap justice. "Everyone saw three generations of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto waited to get justice."

When asked about extending the tenure of the chief justice, he said the PPP's stance on this issue was based on the Charter of Democracy and stressed that this decision could not be taken by a single individual.

He added that the PPP had been criticising the way appointments were being made in the judiciary. After the 18th Constitutional Amendment, the then government was forced to enact the the 19th Amendment, he recalled.

"The process of appointment in the Judiciary is of the judiciary, for the Judiciary, by the Judiciary. This process needs to be improved. We should take every decision with as much consensus as possible," Bilawal Bhutto Zardari told reporters.

Responding to another question about the statement of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman, he said that discussions were already ongoing on the constitutional amendment, adding that this time Maulana Fazl himself was included in the committee formed by the speaker.

"If the committee wants to amend the Constitution, we will do it and if it doesn't, we can't," he said, adding: "This committee is expected at least to formulate a code of conduct for parliament. We want the Charter to restore the spirit of democracy."

When asked about the possibility of governor's rule in a province, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari stated that the PPP opposed such measures. However, he noted that if governor's rule were imposed under certain circumstances, it would not be sustainable for long due to the 18th Amendment.

Bilawal termed inflation a big problem at present. "We all want to give suggestions on how to reduce inflation but this work can only be done through mutual consultation and discussion. Currently, the problems of Pakistan are not being solved due to the politics of hate.

He said that his goal in politics was not to join the government but to address issues like inflation and poverty and to improve the economy. "We want improvement in every institution," he added.

Bilawal underscored the importance of free and fair journalism in the country. "We need independent journalism as well as responsible journalism. Recently, journalists were abused in a rally. The media should have standards so that if any wrong news is broadcast, it is explained in the same way."