ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on Wednesday said all the state institutions are accountable to the parliament as it is the author of the Constitution and sole legislative organ of the state.
The NA speaker was addressing the inaugural session of the two-day international parliamentary convention being held at the Parliament House, where speakers, deputy speakers, constitutionalists and representatives from different walks of life from more than 17 countries gathered to join the golden jubilee celebrations of the Constitution of Pakistan.
Pervaiz Ashraf said the parliament represents and mirrors will of the people hence all the state institutions are answerable to the parliament.
He further apprised the delegates of the struggle and efforts involved while paving the way towards the Constitution of 1973.
He also lamented that constitutional and political process was hampered by multiple episodes of dictatorships, recalling that democratically-elected prime minister and founder of Constitution Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was sent to gallows and the Constitution was kept into abeyance or tampered.
Highlighting the importance of 18th Amendment, the speaker said that it not only restored the original spirit of the Constitution but also ensured complete provincial autonomy envisioned by Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. “We have yet to ensure complete fulfillment of Article 26, Article 3, 25 and 25-A of the Constitution and eliminate gaps in promise and performance,” he added.
The speaker further said he believed in the words of her leader Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto that “democracy is not a product but a continuous process.”
He further added that it encapsulates the building blocks of democracy, including free and impartial media, women’s participation, transparent elections and impartial judiciary. “The 1973 Constitution promised these building blocks of democracy to achieve the goal of an ideal Islamic, federal, and parliamentary democracy,” he added.
Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar, addressing the plenary session, said the cooperation among the global states was must for addressing the pressing challenges being faced by the constitutional democracies across the world.
The minister underscored the challenges being faced by democracies around the globe, including the rise of hybrid democracies, populism, nationalism, depleting level of truth and rising migrations threats to democracies. He said that intense polarisation was another rising threat to democracies, which would lead to economic inequality and democratic disconnect.
He also underlined that the deepening gulf between the political elite was also eroding democracy, whereas weakening of the political parties all over the world was under discussion. The law minister said amid prevailing scenario, challenges to judicial independence and media integrity had also threatened democracies.
Senator Farooq Naek of the PPP said the Constitution protects the citizens’ rights and freedoms by limiting government powers and ensuring provision of rights to the masses.
He said that stability was necessary as it ensured smooth functioning and working of the government. “Adaptability for the Constitution is equally important so that it can live up to the changing demands and needs of the time. Changes in the Constitution will have to be made in a responsible and balanced manner,” he added.
Senator Naek informed the convention that the parliament so far made 26 amendments to the Constitution. In his view, he said the constitutional democracies faced various challenges in prevailing times due to growing influence of non-state actors, rising misinformation and others.
Farahtullah Babar of the PPP said the constitutional democracies were facing challenges all over the world but these have been pronounced more in the case of Pakistan.
He said the challenge of populism was rising in constitutional democracies and Pakistan was also facing it, adding that the fake news had threatened democracies and institutions and it was not only the private sector but also others involved in perpetrating wrong information.
Deputy Speaker of the Mili Majlis of Azerbaijan, Adil Abish Oglu Aliyev, said the Constitution included opinions of all the people and was being amended from time to time. “Internet and social media have become a part of our lives now that cannot be abolished,” he added. He said the incidents of human rights violations and genocide were a matter of concern whereas legislation should be made in this regard as social media laws need to be improved. “In this regard, we can benefit from each other’s experiences to ensure the protection of our freedom and rights.”
