Country’s survival hinges on strict adherence to Constitution: opposition

ISLAMABAD: The opposition parties Sunday linked the country’s survival with strict adherence to the Constitution, rule of law and masses faith in state institutions.

Leaders belonging to different opposition parties gathered here at the Istehkame-e-Pakistan Conference organized by Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen.

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and PTI senior leader Omar Ayub strongly criticised the ruling coalition and alleged that Sindh’s water had been seized and Asif Zardari was shedding crocodile tears after selling Sindh’s water. “A green initiative meeting was held at the President House on July 8 last year. Asif Zardari signed the document, which also includes amendments to the Sindh Water Apportionment System and Irsa law,” he claimed.

Omar Ayub said the people of Balochistan say they want an end to enforced disappearances and grant of right to their resources.

He wished there was real stability in the country and his leader Imran Khan and other political leaders and workers would not be in jails. “A strong economy, sustainable peace, stable defence and national harmony are indispensable for a strong Pakistan,” he said.

“It is a pity that the freedom of expression has been taken away. The media exists but broadcasting is banned,” he said.

“The Jaffar Express tragedy is a complete security failure because the state institutions are busy chasing the political activists, neglecting their real responsibilities,” he remarked.

Mehmood Khan Achakzai, head of Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan, said, “If we want to save this country, we have to ensure the implementation of the Constitution, which was a form of social contract”. He made it clear that intelligence agencies should also be accountable to the Constitution.

“A government that comes into existence through intimidation and fraud and does not give the people their rights, cannot be accepted. A no-confidence motion should be brought against the speaker, fake committees should be boycotted and public representatives should unite and present the real facts before the international community,” he insisted.

PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja paid tribute to Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and Mehmood Khan Achakzai for raising the voice of truth and remarked, “We are breathing in a false, hypocritical system”. He noted that MWM, PTI and the opposition alliance stood together against oppression in the form of an ideological alliance. The main purpose of the Constitution is to promote justice, respect and social harmony, he added.

He regretted that there was no Constitution and law in the country, saying, “The fence and walls are not safe; plans are made against us, but we say come and talk to us.” Salman Akram said the Constitution was a pact that had been broken repeatedly.

Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said Pakistan will be stable when the people will trust their elected representatives, the Constitution and state institutions. The law, he contended, was a sacred trust and its respect was obligatory on every citizen and institution. “If Pakistan is to keep the federation stable, supremacy of the Constitution must be ensured. Only transparent, timely and free elections can lead the nation towards political stability and democratic supremacy,” he said.

Former senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said the country was currently going through a severe crisis. “Measures like the ban on the freedom of expression, insecurity in Parachinar, Balochistan, KP and south Pakistan and canals water issue raised in Sindh reflect dangerous trends. If we continue to deviate from the Constitution, the situation will get out of hand,” he warned.

Former minister for religious affairs Dr. Noor-ul-Haq Qadri said their caravan was Hussaini, which will raise its voice against oppression at all costs. “My homeland cannot function without justice. Justice is one of the attributes of God, and its absence is a sign of social decline,” he said.

Sahibzada Hamid Raza, the head of the Sunni Ittehad Council, strongly criticized the indifference of the current rulers and said, “May God destroy those rulers who are silent on the destruction of Gaza.”