On the sidelines of 19th Amendment

The Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reforms in its report on the 19th Constitutional Amendment Bill has stated it decided that it will not reopen settled issues, but the National Assembly proceedings on Tuesday underlined a variety of unsettled ones. Leaving apart the voices from the Opposition, Treasury members pointed out such a burning issues like the status of tribal areas that could have been addressed in the 19th Amendment. Commonality among the members speaking on the sidelines of the 19th Amendment Bill was that they desired the constitutional amendment as an opportunity to address the issue left over in the 18th Amendment. On top of them was Nawab Yousaf Talpur who prayed the House to incorporate his long pending constitutional amendment bill on the status of regional languages in the 19th Amendment Bill. Next in line, Akhundzada Chitaan on the Treasury benches was absolutely right in seeking adequate political status for Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) thus repeal of centuries old Frontier Control Regulations (FCR) through the 19th Amendment. It is simply beyond comprehension that the PCCR, despite being a consensus body having representation of all the existing parliamentary forces, simply ignored the FATA issue. In the wake of ongoing war against terrorism, mostly being fought in the tribal areas of the country bordering Afghanistan, the political and constitutional issues of the FATA should have been addressed on priority. It is nothing but ironic that the Parliament that has been adopting one after another Constitutional Amendment for proclaimed restoration of the supreme law of the land simply ignored the tribal belt that chose to be part of Pakistan at the time of its creation in 1947. Likewise Kashmala Tariq of the PML-Q (Likeminded) also raised a very pertinent issue of dictatorship in political parties that the dynastic politics had successfully pushed on the backburner after the 18th Constitutional Amendment. She pointed out that the 18 Amendment had removed Clause 4 of the Article 17 that was requiring elections within the political parties. This, she added, was done to further wield powers in the dynastic chiefs of the big political parties thus barring promotion of democracy within the parties. Therefore, she insisted, this anomalous amendment should be reversed in the 19th Amendment. Last but not the least Rahila Baloch, a Treasury backbencher, suddenly walked out of the House in protest of what she described in so many words that non-elected people were being preferred over elected representatives. Her issue was not directly linked to the constitutional amendments but she exposed the apathy on part of the Government. It was simply a pity that a Treasury member had to walk out of the House to register her grievances against some non-elected but influential people while the Prime Minister was bagging credit for so-called historic legislations through apparent consensus, willing or perforce.

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