Democracy Derailed?: ‘Memogate a conspiracy against govt’

LAHORE: Pakistan Peoples Party foreign liaison committee chairman Prof Ijazul Hasan said on Wednesday the memo issue was being blown out of proportion to derail democracy in the country. He said even if it were to be believed that a memo was sent to the US, what was the harm in asking US to use its influence to prevent a collapse of the democratic government. He questioned asked rhetorically how a government could be accused of treason for seeking another country’s assistance to prevent any unconstitutional step by unrepresentative state institutions. He said similar US intervention had been sought by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz govt in the past. He said the courts’ job was to uphold and interpret the constitution and not to ridicule a representative political party or the president.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 29^th, 2011.