LAHORE - Speakers at a seminar termed amendments in the Constitution, both by civil and the military governments in the past, a major blow to democracy in the country whereof the nation has also suffered badly. They, however, praised the 18th Constitutional Amendment in the context that it would go a long way creating transparency in political system and the balance of power among the state organs. The seminar was organised by Joint Action Committee and South Asia Partnership Pakistan on the subject Understand Constitutional Amendments and Future Strategies at Durab Patel Auditorium of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan on Wednesday. The speakers including Irfan Mufti, Abid Hassan Minto and others. Salman Akram Raja in his address laid stress on the role of intellectuals to create political awareness among the masses. He said they needed to prepare the society beforehand to accept a big change otherwise the society reacted to it if such a change was brought about abruptly and that also failed to yield the desired effects. As such the intellectuals have an important role to prepare the masses for a change. Naeem Shakir advocating the minorities point of view spoke in the context of segregating religion from the state. He said in a state people of various faiths lived as such the state must not be related to any religion.