Common man, labourer no more consider themselves part of state: Rabbani

KARACHI: Former Senate chairman and senior PPP leader, Senator Raza Rabbani, lamenting the current state of affairs, on Saturday said the common man and labourers don’t consider themselves part of the state any more.

Addressing a book launching ceremony, the former Senate chairman said the state of Pakistan had been treating the common man and labourers in a stepmotherly manner. He said the people had to install standby power generators as an alternative arrangement because the state had failed to ensure uninterrupted power supply in the country.

He said the people had to avail the expensive water tanker service as the state had failed to ensure water supply to its citizens. He said that the citizens had to hire the services of private security guards despite the fact that it was the duty of the state to ensure protection of the people.

He said that the federalism was the basis of Pakistan but unfortunately, later on, the presidential systems and dictatorship had been imposed in the country. The PPP leader lamented that the provincial autonomy could not be ensured despite the provision of this concept in the Constitution, adding that those who waged the struggle to secure the concept of provincial autonomy were dubbed as traitors.

“We all are guilty in this entire history as this game will continue endlessly till the time we don’t accept our mistakes,” he said, asking the audience: “Where were we when this concept of provincial autonomy was usurped.” He said that a different set of laws was present for the people belonging to the elite class to treat them favourably. “The law will favour you, if you are a rich and influential person,” he said.