Serious reservations: ‘Order shouldn’t be left to whims of a mob’

LAHORE:

Several representatives of the Joint Action Committee for People’s Rights (JACPR) on Wednesday said the committee had been perturbed over recent political developments and urged parties to the dispute to resolve political differences peacefully.

Hina Jilani and IA Rehman addressed the press conference on behalf of the committee. They said the committee would not accept any solution that jeopardised democracy and the supremacy of the parliament. They said the committee had serious reservations regarding the rise of agitational politics that had set a grave precedent where the constitutionally established order had been left to the whims and fantasies of a mob.

They urged political parties to defuse the situation without undermining the democratic process. They urged the government to strengthen national institutions and make the parliament more effective to deter any untoward situation in the future. They said the committee hoped that the government would not resort to violence to control the situation.

They said the committee would resist any attempt to disrupt constitutional rule. They said the committee wished to remind those participating in protest demonstrations and marches that their parliamentary representation was limited to two provinces and their movement lacked popular national support. A number of rights activists were present on the occasion.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 21^st, 2014.