Senate calls for end to caretaker govt concept

ISLAMABAD: Senators Wednesday called for packing up the caretaker government concept, saying it was tantamount to negating parliamentary democracy and that it had been abandoned long ago in other countries.

During a Senate sitting, some outgoing members of the house made farewell speeches and advocated the empowerment of the house and consistency in the democratic system.

The house adopted a motion not to take up the Question-Hour during the remaining sittings of the ongoing session.

PMLN Senator Saadia Abbasi rose to argue for the removal of anomalies from the Constitution to promote democracy in Pakistan. She slammed the caretaker government for what she alleged was its poor performance, adding that it is the collective responsibility to rectify the legacy they (caretakers) are leaving behind.

The concept of caretakers, she emphasized, was a negation of parliamentary democracy and she added that governments come and go across the globe with the incumbent prime minister continuing till his successor comes in. She also said those who think the sitting prime minister cannot be fair and impartial have seen what was done during the caretaker’s rule, urging all the parliamentarians to play their role in the promotion of democracy and human rights and the removal of anomalies from the Constitution.

Irfan Siddiqui of the same party fully agreed with her and said as regards the question of caretakers performance, it could be bad for a regular government as well as had happened in the past. “In principle, there should be no room for an interim government, for the world has already moved ahead, leaving behind this concept,” he noted.

He pointed out that even Bangladesh had done away with this experiment of caretakers, and Pakistan was the only country where the trend of caretakers was continuing. The caretakers, he explained, who recently left, had been running governments in provinces for 13-14 months, while the caretakers in the Centre stayed for seven months. In his farewell speech, PPP’s Maula Bux Chandio, who is bowing out after completing his six-year term, advised the institutions responsible for the country’s security to strive to maintain the masses’ confidence and desist from forcing their way to democracy. “They should not try to derail democracy. You should respect democracy; it will bow its head before you,” he emphasised. He also told the judges that their posts are transitory. PTI’s Faisal Javed claimed that those who did not consider Imran Khan a politician used his name in media shows to increase rankings. He said Imran had a clean sweep in recent elections, urging for giving back the mandate to his party, which the public had given to it.

Meanwhile, a resolution demanding release of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Founder Imran Khan was tabled. The resolution, introduced by Senator Falak Naz Chitrali and co-signed by Saifullah Abro, called for an end to what is described as politically motivated cases against Imran Khan. The resolution asserted that vendettas have severely damaged the country’s economy and international standing. It specifically sought the release of Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi and Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who what it said have been embroiled in false cases. Furthermore, the resolution urged the release of other prominent PTI members such as Ejaz Chaudhry, Shibli Faraz, Yasmin Rashid, Sanam Javed, Parvaiz Elahi, Mahmood-ur Rashid and others.