Raza Rabbani terms President Arif Alvi’s tenure a failure

ISLAMABAD: Former Senate chairman Senator Raza Rabbani, while highlighting President Alvi’s constitutional violations, has termed the tenure of outgoing president a ‘failure’ and said the president completed his constitutional term in which he failed to perform his duties in accordance with the Constitution.

“It was a term where on a number of occasions, he violated the Constitution 1973,” Rabbani said in a statement on Friday, adding that Alvi failed to perform his constitutional duty under Article 75 of the Constitution, by neither assenting nor returning two bills to the Majlis-e-Shoora, with a message requesting that the bills or any specified provision thereof be reconsidered.

Highlighting constitutional violations during Alvi’s rule, Rabbani said he promulgated ordinances without application of mind in contravention of Article 89 (1) of the Constitution 1973. He said references were filed against two judges of the superior judiciary without application of mind.

The former Senate chairman said, “On February 4, 2020, the Islamabad High Court set aside the order of president on the dismissal of the chairman and members of Competition Commission of Pakistan. “While on February 11, 2020, the Islamabad High Court set aside the PMDC Ordinance promulgated by the president. The Supreme Court of Pakistan quashed a reference sent by the president against Justice Qazi Faez Isa. The Balochistan High Court set aside an NFC notification issued by the president while the Islamabad High Court set aside the removal of ombudsman by the president. The president’s refusal to administer oath to a prime minister-elect and his cabinet is also a violation of the Constitution.”