Pakistan can run only with parliamentary system: Shahid Khaqan

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that unfortunately we did not accept democracy and instead blaming the institution or the constitution, we should blame ourselves.

“Things will be fine only if the leadership gives importance to the Parliament,” he said while addressing a seminar on the theme of “Strengthening Democracy, Celebrating World Democracy Day in Islamabad on Sunday.

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that Pakistan can run only with a parliamentary system, the existing system has to be corrected. He said the parliamentary committees are very important but the gradually every successive assembly is going backwards. He said majority of people in the assembly are not being elected but brought into the assemblies. “Lies are told without hesitation in the parliament,” he said.

He said everyone knows how the legislation is being enacted, laws do not stand in the court of law, while the people are starting to think of democracy as a joke. Abbasi said the federal government has been limited to three ministries, today the ministry is run by bureaucracy and he himself have been a part of this disorder.

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said the right to speak in the Parliament has also been removed from the previous assembly.

He said the tax has been imposed in the country to 50% and those who imposed taxes do not pay the tax themselves.

He said the federal minister has no authority in the country and the ministries were run by bureaucracy today.

Former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry said that the Parliament will work properly only if it is elected as when MNAs will come in parliament on Form 47 then parliament will remain useless.

He was of the view that social change is driven by political change, the future of democracy in Pakistan is very bright, we have to improve our economy, now the fight has entered the next phase. “There will be improvement only when authority comes to politicians and people,” he said. Former federal minister Daniyal Aziz said that corruption has now become a system in the country. He said the committee system in our Parliament is very weak while in the world such committees are formed with elections while here such seats are distributed as donations as every member of Parliament has a privilege.

He said the civil supremacy has suffered many setbacks in Pakistan,” he said.

Member of National Assembly Zain Qureshi said that democracy in the country is on ventilator and there is a need to breathe new life into democracy.”

There is no time to celebrate Democracy Day in the country yet as half the time there is no democracy in the country,” he said. He said the role of the standing committee is to monitor. He said the minister should have the authority to make administrative decisions. He said parliamentary traditions are disappearing and there is need to understand the legislation, basically capacity building is needed.