PTI govt with thin majority can’t change 18th Amendment: Asfandyar Wali

Ag agencies

ISLAMABAD: Awami National Party (ANP) supremo Asfandyar Wali said on Monday that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government having only three-vote majority in the National Assembly cannot change 18th Amendment.

Meanwhile, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the federal government of PTI instead of working with provincial government is trying to sabotage the good work done by Sindh government. “It is the responsibility of the leadership to take difficult decisions in the times of national crisis but the very first time the federation and the prime minister are displaying alienation from the provinces,” said Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in an interview to BBC News Urdu.

Bilawal said the federal government cannot absolve itself from responsibility of chalking out a strategy by wrongly explaining 18th Amendment. Replying to a question, Bilawal said that 18th Amendment gives powers to the provincial government but does not absolve federal government of forming a consolidated policy on national level but there is a lack of leadership in the federation. He asked why the federal government does not consider about 18th Amendment when it wants to snatch administration of big hospitals in Sindh. “Why now when the entire world is dealing with a pandemic the federal government has started talking about the 18th Amendment,” he asked.

He said if the federal government has no role left for the health in the country, why there is institution like National Disaster Management Authority and federal health secretary. He said that during floods not only one province is affected but the entire country and in wars the whole country fights the war. He said unfortunately due to lack of leadership in the country there is no national unity in the times of a pandemic. He said that prime minister cannot hide behind the garb of 'independent society' and not decide in the interest of the people of the country. He said that such statements of the prime minister only create confusion.

He said that such statements of prime minister are irresponsible. “Every province is trying to combat the pandemic to the best of its ability and in this situation if you get the message that you are alone in your efforts then this attitude can result dangerous for the federation,” he said, adding that there cannot be any carelessness with the lives and health of the people. Bilawal said Imran Khan's confusion gives an impression that Pakistan is not an independent country. “Governments all over the world are avoiding popular decisions and taking tough decisions to protect the lives of their people,” he said.

He said federal government criticised Sindh government, the most successful government dealing with pandemic, just to hide its own inability and incapability. He said that Imran Khan should realise that the solution of every problem is not to collect funds. The PPP chairman said that restoration of economy is the responsibility of the federal government like the responsibility to run the economy. He said that the financial help by the IMF and reduction in oil prices have helped Pakistani economy. “The need at the moment is to divert money from development projects to health to deal with COVID-19,” he said. He said that politics is being done at the moment as the province which is working hard is being criticised and the others where no work is being done are not questioned. “One thing has been clear from this pandemic that federation will only criticise no matter how good the Sindh government and PPP perform,” he said.

Meanwhile, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazalur Rehman pledged to protect the 18th Constitutional Amendment.

During a telephonic conversation held between Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Maulana Fazlur Rehman about the 18th constitutional amendment, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the democratic forces of Pakistan will never compromise on the 18th Constitutional Amendment. He said that democratic parties had restored the Constitution of Pakistan to its original form and shape through the 18th Constitutional Amendment.

The PPP chairman made it loud and clear that any attempt to reverse or repeal the 18th Constitutional Amendment will not be tolerated and the democratic forces would resist any such attempt with full force.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Maulana Fazalur Rehman also agreed to protect the 18th Constitutional Amendment.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal has said the 18th Amendment is a unanimous national document any attempt to meddle with it will only lead to new conflicts.

In a statement, Ahsan said all political parties endorsed, approved and passed the 18th Amendment in the Parliament through consensus. At a time when the country is already facing mammoth challenges including a severe economic crisis and a fatal pandemic, there is no reason to prop up a contentious issue. He said the country needs to focus all its energies on the fight against the new coronavirus and the is no wisdom in opening up a new Pandora’s Box that will divide the polity and the politicians. An appropriate measure would be to revive local governments so that an existing force to fight the covid19 could be awakened.

The former interior minister said the government should stop attempting political disintegration of the country and must focus to keep the federation and its federating units together. The people of Pakistan are at a loss to understand such miscreant statements by this government. At a time when the entire country needs to be united to brave the economic fallout of the new coronavirus outbreak in the country, there simple is no room for any politically divisive designs, he said. The government is already guilty of polarisation of Pakistan's polity and this would deal irreparable damage to national unity and cohesion, he added.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the government has no intention to repeal 18th Amendment.

“There was no doubt on the importance of the 18th Amendment and government has no intention to repeal it but there is need to look whether it was implemented in true spirit for the purpose it was brought,” he said while talking to newsmen at the Parliament House on Monday after the meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Coronavirus.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the provinces rather than looking towards to the Centre should devise their own mechanism and they should sit with the Centre to review the whole process. He said many things devolved to provinces and from provinces these be devolved to local governments. “The provinces has got their increased shares through NFC but they did not pass on to the local government and now there was need to sit on this with provinces,” he said.

He said if the NFC awards has to come then it is to be looked on that available resources has to be distributed between the federal government and provinces and we wanted that the provincial should have autonomy so they also increased their resource moblilisation and not too look towards the Centre. “After the NFC award, the Centre did not have the financial space after distribution of the resources so there is a need to balance and for this Centre and provinces should have to fresh review,” he said.

He said the consultation with the provinces, political parties for seeking their opinion. “In the federation, the federating units have their important and Centre solvent is also necessary and how we come forward on this time will tell,” he said.