Speakers at a seminar, organised by Pakistan Thinkers' Forum, here on Sunday, came up with a consensus view that the government should take decisions in the supreme national interests, and Army should not interfere in the civil affairs.
It was said that for the last 50 years, Army has been interfering in the matters of civil government. Consequently, defence of the country became weak; masses in the country faced the problem like disparities, lawlessness, corruption, unemployment and favouritism.
A former finance minister, Sartaj Aziz, said that the present government had done nothing for the betterment of the common people. Due to rapid growth of inflation, people are unable to meet their basic requirements. Therefore, the government should take appropriate measures to control this menace to provide instant relief to the masses.
He said that fair and transparent election was the need of the hour as well as the demand of the people. The politicians, instead of struggling for gaining personal benefits, should take concrete and pragmatic steps to change the economic and political conditions of the country, he added.
A former Foreign Secretary, Samshad Ahmad Khan, said that the governments had been taking decisions just for personal interests in the past, due to which people had to face political and economic hardships. Separation of East Pakistan and the current Balochistan situation were the result of such type of wrong decisions of the establishment, he said.
"Transparent, free and fair election, an independent election commission and non-controversial institutions are the only solution of all problems," he added.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that political issues should be solved politically. Dialogue is the best way to solve the problems. He said that more than 50 percent people were 'directionless' due to lack of proper guidance. He said: "Washington officials would not come to solve our problems; rather we have to solve our problems by ourselves."
MMA leader Farid Ahmad Piracha, Kashmala Tariq, MNA, a former Governor Punjab Shahid Hamid and Asad Durrani also spoke.