QUETTA - Balochistan Assembly while adopting a unanimous resolution in support of President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani in the absence of required number of members which is must for quorum has demanded that all institutions of the country should work within their determined Constitutional limits.
The session of Balochistan Assembly started 45 minutes late from its fixed schedule with Speaker Muhammad Aslam Bhootani in the chair on Thursday.
Provincial Minister and Deputy Parliamentary leader of PPP Ali Madad Jattak had moved this important resolution in the Assembly. Tabling the resolution, the mover said that this House believed that the current democratic system which was completing its four years came into existence after great sacrifices of the Pakistani people.
‘This House also believes that the future of Pakistan and welfare of people and strengthening of democratic institutions is attached with continuation of democratic process and Constitutional government is the only means for solution of national problems, strengthening of Federation and empowering of Pakistani people’, he said, adding, that the basic principles of distribution of powers should be adhered to and all national institutions should work within their limits as determined by the Constitution.
The mover further said that violation of basic principles of distribution of powers and interference in the jurisdiction of others institutions would be harmful for democratic process which should be avoided.
He said that this ‘House fully supports the efforts of President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani which were made for strengthening of democracy and also express complete trust in their leadership’. Expressing his views on admissibility of resolution, Ali Madad Jattak said that any effort to derail the democratic process would cause irreparable loss to the country. Criticising Mansoor Ejaz, he said that he had made a conspiracy to pit Constitutional institutions of the country against each other.
Speaker stopped him from mentioning the name of Mansoor Ejaz in the House saying the matter was subjudice.
Supporting the resolution, JUI-F member and Provincial Minister Ainullah Shams proposed that a commission should be formed comprising representatives of all political parties for identifying those people who had made conspiracies against elected governments and unmasking those faces who provided justification to the steps for dissolution of elected Parliaments of the people. He said that now this matter should be decided that real masters of this country were either the people or those government officials who draw their salaries from government exchequer. He said that this matter had already been settled that whether Parliament or judiciary was supreme.
‘The Constitution of country had declared the Parliament as the supreme institution of the country’, JUI-F leader said, adding, that we should support the democratic forces of the country. Provincial Minister Mir Shanawaz Marri said that violation of Constitution was a crime and the elected government should complete its tenure.
PPP Minister Ismail Gujjar said that democracy was the need of country and people. He appealed to the media to support the democratic forces. Balochistan National Party (Awami) leader, Ghulam Jan Baloch said that democracy was the best system but the claimants of democracy should also follow it. ‘We are talking here in favour of democracy but we should look that whether we have streamlined our departments in accordance with democracy or not’, he remarked. Provincial Minister Nasreen Ketheran also supported the resolution and said democratic government should complete its tenure as it was must for strengthening of democracy.
The senior most member of Assembly Sheikh Jaffar Khan Mandokhel supported the resolution, however, he said that Assemblies were the real soul of democracy but members were not giving importance to them.
‘We should start soul searching and look that how many members are present in this House’, he said, adding, that really Army had become a parallel institution in the country.
He said that Turkey was also confronting same situation but the democratic government there delivered and today Parliament was really supreme in Turkey.
He said that the military governments did not deliver in Pakistan but the performance of democratic governments was also not up to the expectations of the people.
The Provincial Minister Abdul Khaliq Bashar Dost also supported the resolution.
When Speaker put the resolution for vote it was approved unanimously by the 10 members who were present in the House at the time of voting.
The total strength of Balochistan Assembly is 65 and 17 members are needed for quorum but the entire proceedings of Thursday’s session continued without quorum.
The House also adopted an adjournment motion for two hours debate regarding suspension and low pressure of gas in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan.
The adjournment motion was moved by Sheikh Jaffar Khan Mandokhel.
He said that people in Quetta and other parts of the province were facing serious difficulties in freezing cold because of suspension of gas supply and low gas pressure.
He said that government should take this matter seriously to save the people from trouble.
The House offered Fateha for departed soul of Pir of Pagara.