Islamabad : Former chairman Senate Mian Raza Rabbani Wednesday said that a new crisis of intolerance of the opposition to the state narrative was taking roots while Pakistan was already facing economic, political and governance crises.
“Societies become a victim of such intolerance when the state believes it all powerful and decides to impose its political, economic and governance narrative over the people,” he said in a statement issued here by the Senate Secretariat. He believed the truth and reconciliation commission to heal and not witch-hunt was the way forward.
He lamented that today political leaders like Bilawal Bhutto, who questions a new state narrative were subjected to NAB, working journalists, who question the status quo were harassed and fired, independent academicians were handcuffed and paraded in the court to nip the bud of academic freedom, political rights activists and lawyers are harassed and were gone missing and the media is constrained.
Rabbani pointed out the post-colonial state must realise the importance of democratic dissent and fundamental rights. He noted the Quaid-e-Azam headed the first committee on fundamental rights to be included in the new Constitution and today Article 10, safeguards as to arrest and detention, Article 10(A), rights to fair trial, Article 15, freedom of movement, Article 17, freedom of association, Article 19, freedom of speech, Article 19(A), rights to information and Article 25, of the Constitution, 1973, equality of citizens before law are being floated and violated.
“The state must realise that today there is a need to heal society through constitutionalism and rule of law. The way forward lies through Parliament and a People’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission to heal and not a witch hunt,” he emphasised.