Chairman Senate Mian Raza Rabbani on Thursday underscored the need to empower Senate for strengthening federation and democracy, saying that 342-member National Assembly kills the concept of 104-member House of Federation, when there is a joint session of the parliament.
Giving observations during a debate in Senate to commemorate International Day of Democracy, he said that importance of 104-member House which has equal representation from all the four provinces, is nullified when there is a joint session. "The 342-member National Assembly kills the concept of 104-member house of federation, and the need of the hour is that the Senate must be given financial power, so that the federalism and democracy could be strengthened," he added.
Senator Farhatullah Babar of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) stressed the need to consider how to counter the new model of shielding dictators from accountability under Article 6 of the Constitution just by whisking them away to a hospital in Rawalpindi. In an obvious reference to military interventions in the past, he called for strengthening rule of law and ending the sacred cow syndrome, adding that no individual and no institution should be beyond the pale of transparency and accountability.
"The sacred cow syndrome and the absence of transparency and accountability selectively is a great impediment...the political parties and judiciary were held responsible for endorsing constitutional deviation, but there is no one to ask when a military dictator [Pervez Musharraf] left the country despite all court cases against him," he regretted.
However, he said that under the 2006 charter of democracy the political parties decided never to endorse unconstitutional take over and subsequently the Supreme Court also buried the doctrine of necessity forever by removing the judges who took oath under PCO.
"Despite this course correction by political parties and the judiciary and despite Article 6 a dictator can escape accountability as witnessed recently in the case of General Musharraf by simply walking into the hospital in Rawalpindi," he added.
He said that the political parties should also reflect on how to prevent this new model of assault on democracy and constitutionalism, he said, adding that democracy will remain fragile and inherently unstable as long as dictators can comfortably walk away and the parliament, the government and the judiciary are unable to do anything.
Senator Seher Kamran said that there existed no democracy in the country, which she substantiated by recalling the Model Town massacre; Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's reluctance to present himself for accountability after Panama Leaks, etc.
"If there had been democracy in Pakistan, a foreign minister would have been sitting next to him at UNGA meeting last week instead of his wife and niece. If there had been democracy, the prime minister would not have given much importance to his family and the kitchen cabinet," she regretted. Senator Azam Khan Swati of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said that unless the police, National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) are made independent, the democracy could not be strengthened.
"The eradication of corruption; basic health education to people; clean drinking water; giving up abolition of discretionary powers of the prime minister and strengthening of democratic system, as the goal of a true democracy will remain uphill task," he maintained.
Senator Tahir Hussain Mashhadi of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) said that there could be no democracy in the country unless the rich and the poor were treated under the same law. "There is a need to awaken the conscience of the handful elite unless a common man have confidence in the democratic system, the hollow slogans of the democracy will serve no purpose, as practical efforts are needed to boost confidence of people in democracy," he added.
Senator Taj Haider of PPP said that free and fair elections, independent judiciary, freedom of press, were some of the perquisites to strengthen the teething democracy, adding the political parties must join hands for the sake of democracy like they did to oust a dictator before 2008 elections.
Senator Hafiz Hamdullah of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F) said that West and the United Nations were the worst dictators, which could be judged from the veto power of the five permanent members of UN Security council, which negates the very essence of democracy.
Senators Lieutenant General Abdul Qayyum (Retd), Rehman Malik, Mushahidullah Khan, Dr Karim Khowaja, Azam Khan Musakhel, Usman Khan Kakar, and Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini also assailed the West especially the US for what they called 'double standards' to promote their own vested interest under the pretext of democracy.
They said war in the gulf is a testimony of what the US has been doing under the guise of strengthening democratic institutions, adding that Iraq and Afghan wars and uprising in Gulf countries is a testimony how democratic the countries are. Speaking on a calling attention notice moved by Senator Tahir Hussain Mashhadi, who drew the government attention towards closure of Pakistan textile City Project at Port Qasim, Karachi, the minister for commerce and trade Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan said that the project was started in 2004 and by now 250 acre land has been acquired and levelled involving an expenditure of two billion rupees.
He said due to non-availability of infrastructure the work could not be carried forward, adding the Prime Minister has directed for inquiry against those who started the project 12 years ago without making arrangements for the basic infrastructure.
Responding to another calling attention notice by Atiq Shaikh of MQM regarding failure of commerce ministry to increase export by $35 billion, Dastgir said that the export target of $35 billion by 2018 was effectively being followed to achieve. He said incentives are being given to the exporters to achieve the target by 2018, adding that the government achieved the export target of $35bn was fixed in a trading environment which was fundamentally different than what has developed during the last one year.
He said that Pakistani exporters are struggling in a difficult trading environment where global trade has contracted and most of the countries with similar product-mix have suffered a decline in exports, the minister said. He said the government is trying to ease the pressure on the export sector through multiple measures like improving access to energy, downward adjustment in electricity tariff, lowering of interest rates and zero rating of leading export sectors. "We've also given sales tax exemption to five export oriented sectors," he added.
Chairman Senate Raza Rabbani announced that that the meeting of drafting committee of Senate's committee of the whole will be held tomorrow (Friday) to complete the draft of recommendations by Monday. He said the in-camera meeting of the committee of the whole will be held on Tuesday at 10am where the recommendations prepared by the drafting committee will be presented. Through a motion, moved by Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Shaikh Aftab, the House expressed its deep gratitude to President of Pakistan for his address to both Houses of Parliament on June 01, 2016. A report of Federal Accounts for financial year 2013-14 and report of Auditor General for 2014-15, were also laid in the House.
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