Islamabad - The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the main opposition party in the Senate, Monday called for the compulsory teaching of constitution and constitutionalism in all military academies in the country.
PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar, speaking on the motion emphasised the need for teaching courses on the constitution and constitutionalism and human rights in military academies.
Referring to Gen Ziaul Haq, he said that a former military dictator in a newspaper interview ridiculed the constitution as a "mere 15-page document that I can tear at will and all the politicians will follow me wagging their tails."
While referring to Pervez Musharraf, he said that another military dictator who fled the court trying him under Article 6 recently said that the constitution could be dispensed with if the country faced threats. “It is therefore absolutely necessary that courses on constitution and constitutionalism and human rights are taught in the military academies,” he said.
He said that Quaid-e-Azam after his visit to Quetta in June 1948 and meeting some senior military officers had said that in his conversation with them he had noticed that they did not fully grasp the value of the constitution.
The Quaid then also explained to them the importance of the constitution and the value of upholding it. Secondly, Babar said that those who subverted the constitution and their abettors must not be allowed to escape punishment.
He wondered what made it possible for the last dictator who instead of going to the court turned his car towards a hospital in Rawalpindi and escaped the reach of the courts and law enforcing agencies. He also called for removing the portraits of dictators from all official premises.
Hafiz Hamdullah of JUI-F while speaking on the motion also supported the PPP senator saying all the institutions were equal in the eyes of the law.
Later, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution moved by Senator Farhatullah Babar to preserve the culture and heritage of the people of Kalash in Chitral and for the inclusion of this area in Unesco World Heritage site. It happened after Law Minister Hamid Zahid said that he did not oppose it.
The senate also unanimously passed a resolution seeking appointment of homeopathic doctors in all the hospitals under the federal government.
The resolution was moved by Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini which was unanimously passed by the Upper House as no minister opposed it.
A bill moved by Jammat-e-Islami chief Senator Sirajul Haq about the abolition of interest based banking system in Islamabad was referred to the committee concerned. The House was adjourned to meet again on Wednesday.
