Tinkering with 18th amendment to affect Centre, says Rabbani

Former Senate chairman Mian Raza Rabbani has warned the federal government that its wish to tinker with the 18th constitutional amendment will generate an adverse public reaction, which in turn will create repercussions for the federation.

Rabbani said this on Saturday at a ceremony held at the Scouts Auditorium to launch a documentary on the life of noted human rights activist and lawyer Asma Jahangir.

The former Senate chairman said that Islamabad intended to continue with its hold on the provinces. He said the 18th amendment had ensured autonomy to the provinces, but attempts are being made to roll back this constitutional amendment.

Rabbani said that rolling back the 18th amendment will lessen the resources available to the provinces. He said the 18th amendment has more to do with the resources available to the provinces instead of anything else.

The former Senate chairman said that the people of Pakistan have time and again rejected the presidential form of governance, but once more arguments are being advanced in favour of imposing a presidential system in the country. He said that the Founder of the Nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, had also given preference to the parliamentary form of governance. He added that the survival of the parliamentary form of governance is once again being endangered.

Rabbani said that the people will foil any attempt against the parliamentary form of governance. He said that the political culture is being eliminated from the country under a systematic attempt. A conspiracy has been set into motion to end the culture of politics of resistance from the country, he added.

The former Senate chairman said that everyone in the country is patriotic and there is no need to distribute certificates of patriotism from Rawalpindi to anyone.

He praised the services of the late lawyer Asma Jahangir, saying that she had dedicated her entire life to ensure the rule of law in society, as she had also emerged as an icon of the democratic struggle against dictatorship.

Rabbani said that Asma had also rendered an exemplary struggle for the cause of provincial autonomy. He said that everyone is under an obligation to safeguard the constitution, as any attempt to tarnish the constitution will generate an adverse reaction from the public.