Pakistan Civil Society Forum (PCSF) on Thursday has expressed serious concern over undermining of the democratic institutions of the country after submission of the JIT Report in the Supreme Court of Pakistan on July 10, 2017 and demanded the apex court to decide the Panama scandal case according to the Constitution and laws.
In a joint statement issued to media the PCSF, a national network of leading civil society organizations of the country, also expressed its concern over the statements by some opposition leaders in the media demanding resignation of the Prime Minister because according to them the JIT report has stated so. "It was not the mandate of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to declare anyone culprit or innocent. It is the courts to decide," the statement said.
Targeting only the Prime Minister and his family is equally condemnable act as accountability of all citizens as there should be an institutional mechanism for the demand from the Prime Minister to resign is tantamount to maligning the parliament, judiciary and other democratic institutions.
This situation, orchestrated on electronic media by the TV anchors, opposition political parties' leaders and so-called political analysts, has created an unrest and uncertainty in the country, which has also diverted the focus from pressing issues being faced by common people of Pakistan, it added.
This is a known fact that the entire elite class in the country is corrupt so there should be an agreed framework to do across the board accountability of all elites, especially those who remained in the power in any bureaucrats form including politicians, military officers, judges and civilian bureaucrats. "We appeal to all saner elements to bring back the government's focus to genuine issues like electoral reforms and people's welfare," the statement added.
The unrest against the democratic institutions arises frequently in Pakistan due to the fact that the current form of parliament is not true representatives as all sections of society like labour; peasants and other working class people are not part of the parliament.