Parties call upon stakeholders to perform within constitutional domains

The major political parties in the country were unanimous in calling upon all stakeholders to perform their duties within their respective constitutional domains on Wednesday. The statements by Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani and Chief Justice Iftekhar Chaudhary on Tuesday were widely believed not synchronised and yet the content of the two statements did lead to the perception that the two men were targeting the institutions they are heading.
General Kayani as per the press release issued by ISPR stated that the country was passing through a "defining phase," and warned of "negative consequences" if the country's institutions failed to work in harmony. A press release issued by the Supreme Court of Pakistan quoted Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry as stating that gone are the days when defence of the country used to be defined by the number of tanks and missiles.
A day earlier President Asif Ali Zardari while addressing SAARC Speakers' conference, had also noted that some people might feel that parliament was still under assault from certain quarters, but these were teething troubles of a genuine democratic transition and "the dying kicks of the old order". Political analysts argue that the back-to-back speeches by the top three most powerful men in the country reflect at best an uneasy relationship and at worst an adversarial one.
The heated debate on television channels following the three statements compelled Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif to publicly declare that the stability of the system lies in complete harmony between all the state pillars. "We all, including generals, judges and politicians made mistakes in the past...now the time is rife that national interest must be the top priority of us all," he added.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F) secretary-general, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri told Business Recorder: "If the institutions work within their constitutional limits, nobody would comment on their role...if you will distribute money, hatch conspiracy, help someone win elections, people will definitely hold debate on such actions," he cautioned.
Senator Shahi Syed of Awami National Party (ANP) termed the speech of Army Chief as purely political. "It was a political speech....we all should mend our own fences and stay within our constitutional parameters," he added.
Commenting on the statements by Army Chief and Chief Justice, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira said that the only way forward is to follow the Constitution, and added that the two men referred to holding the constitution in high esteem. He said the government from day one had been saying that all institutions of the country should work within their constitutional domains. Dispelling a perception of a clash between state institutions, he said institutions were not built overnight and targeting them was not in the national interest.
Secretary General Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Dr Arif Alvi termed the speeches as healthy saying it happened for the first time in the political history of the country that all the institutions are in search of their respective domains. "It's a discussion which never took place before [and] unlike in the past the army now appears ready to resolve issues through dialogue," he opined. In the past, he said the judiciary "rubber stamped" all coups and the ruling government's actions and now with an independent judiciary in place everybody is forced to fulfil their duty within the ambit of the constitution.