Bilawal’s tirade

Speaking at the meet the press at Peshawar Press Club, Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari alleged the government is not providing level playing field to the opposition parties for electioneering activities for the upcoming polls for the provincial assembly seats of tribal districts. He reiterated his party stance on 18th Amendment and the issue of extension of the tenure of military courts. Once again raising the imaginary fear about the PTI government intention to roll back this amendment, Chairman PPP vowed that his party would put up strong residence against such move and would continue struggle for strengthening the democratic institutions.

As a matter of fact the government has not put any restrictions on holding public meetings for election campaign in the tribal districts and the PPP Chairman largely attended such event in the district of Mohmand is a clear manifestation of it. The executive and Election Commissions are taking measures to ensure holding peaceful and transparent elections in these districts.

Opinion of the political analysts and constitutional experts is diverse about 18th Amendment. However, one thing is crystal clear that in none of the parliamentary systems of democracy the power of the federation have so much diluted that it cannot intervene to prevent the daily genocide of innocent people to which the provincial government simply play as mere spectator. The killing of hundreds of people every day in Karachi during the previous PPP-MOM-ANP coalition government shall be remembered as the bloodiest and the most tragic chapter in the political history of Pakistan. It was after the landmark verdict of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in Karachi lawlessness case that PPP government in Sindh unwillingly agreed to give powers on fixed tenures of few months basis, extendible for further short periods, to federal civil armed force Pakistan Rangers to restore law. Is it the eulogizing virtue of this legislation?

Under the 18th Amendment concurrent list of 1973 constitution was abolished and power devolved to provinces but the provincial governments did not devolve the required powers to the district governments enabling them to perform their developmental functions. The day-in and day- out democracy clamouring leadership of oligarchy and mercantile classes controlled political parties were not inclined to hold local bodies’ polls until the Supreme Court verdict came in the matter. The argument of certain analysts appears convincing that the amendment has drastically changed the federal structure of 1973 constitution toward confederal one.

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