APC says democracy only solution

LAHORE: The political parties, attending an APC organised by the Lahore High Court Bar Association, on Saturday agreed that democracy was the only solution for steering the country out of prevailing crisis.

A declaration issued after the meeting said martial law or non-political forces had no place in current setup and political forces would not side by them in any circumstances, adding that they would rather become iron wall to foil all attempts and conspiracies to derail democracy.

Leaders from all major political parties – including PML-N, PPP, PTI, JI, PSP and MQM-Pakistan participated in the conference which was aimed at devising a policy to counter the alleged anti-judiciary campaign launched by ruling and other political parties.

The conference also condemned US President Donald Trump’s decision to accept Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, vowing to thwart such attempts. It deplored vilification campaign launched by the ruling party against the superior judiciary and judges, saying judiciary was the guardian of rule of law and protector of people’s basic rights.

The participants also resolved that the future of democracy was under threat in the prevailing political situation and they would not support any undemocratic step in the country. “It is the sole prerogative of the Parliament to rule the country, however at the same time, the political parties should learn a lesson from their mistakes and restore people’s confidence in the political system and politicians,” the declaration added.

It also demanded establishment of an independent Election Commission, provision of fundamental rights of citizens and speedy justice to the victim families of Model Town incident. PTI Vice-Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi said free and fair elections were the basic requirement for democracy to flourish in the country, adding the same goal could not be achieved without setting up an independent Election Commission.