Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader Senator Raza Rabbani has said that only democracy can save Pakistan, adding that though PPP has differences with PML-N on several issues but it would not let anyone to derail democracy. This he said while addressing a press conference to present his open letter addressed to different segments of society at Karachi Press Club. Senator Saeed Ghani, Waqar Mehdi and others were also present on the occasion.
He said that an elected government was overthrown by a dictator on the midnight July 4, 1977 and Pakistan is still suffering badly due to the consequences of that dictatorship. He said that prevailing situation was also a gift of past dictatorship specially that of Ziaul Haq and Pervez Musharraf.
The senior PPP leader said that political forces should learn lesson from the past and avoid any attempt to derail democracy in the country. He called for promoting regional cultures and freedom of press through safeguarding rights of working journalists. Rabbani said that dictatorship did not recognise the core principle of federal democracy, which envisages unity through diversity, , and imposes a unitary structure that leads to fragmentation.
"A democratic system encourages dialogue, debate, accommodation, tolerance and confines conflict by providing mechanisms and institutions under the law," the PPP leader said. According to Rabbani, much damage had already been inflicted on the Constitution, state institutions and laws. "Corruption, nepotism, sectarianism, lawlessness, crime, drug abuse, economic disparity and economic mismanagement have all made it difficult for the common man to earn his daily living," he added.
He said that democratic system in Pakistan may not have come without flaws, it may be sluggish with a smack of bad governance, yet let there be no misconception. Raza presented a 15-point Benazir Bhutto Model to Democratic Transition which included three major segments, titled as Constitution-Federalism, Civil-Military relations, Governance and Fundamental Rights.
Elaborating the first point, he said that the charter of democracy should be revisited to bring new covenant among democratic forces, reaffirming federal and parliamentary structures in 1973 Constitution. Explaining the second segment, Rabbani said that civil-military relations should be redefined and the process of dialogue and development be formed at executive and parliamentary levels, ad-hocism should be shunned and a good governance system, including Civil Services Reforms should be developed, independence of judiciary be ensured and national consensus against intolerance and terrorism in all its forms and manifestations be created.
For third segment, he said that the government should protect rights of minorities, women and children, economic and political rights of working and middle class, ensure implementation of Article 38 of 1973 constitution and develop balance in quota system and merit in providing jobs.
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