The representatives of the civil society including non-governmental organisations, labour organisations, academia, women’s rights bodies, and reporters expressed deep concern over the current political situation in the country and said a crisis was being manufactured on frivolous grounds in the name of the so-called ‘memogate’.
According to a press statement issued on Saturday the civil society activists including BM Kutty, secretary Pakistan Peace Coalition, Dr Kaisar Bengali, senior economist, Dr Haroon Ahmed, Pakistan Mental Health Association president, Haris Gazdar, an independent economist, Dr Aly Ercelan, Tasneem Ahmed Siddiqui, Farooq Tariq, spokespersons Labour Party Pakistan, Mehnaz Rehman, regional director Aurat Foundation; Irfan Mufti, SAP-Pakistan, Dr Pervez Tahir , Peter Jacob, National Commission for Peace and Justice, Ali Raza, Shirkat Gah, Nasir Mumtaz and others said it was time all conspirators against democracy and the sovereignty of the people be called to account. Sovereignty belonged to the people who had agreed to exercise it through their representatives in a federal, parliamentary, and a democratic system. Any attempt at arbitrarily altering this arrangement is tantamount to an attack on the sovereignty of the people.
“We emphasise that the role of political parties and political leaders is to represent their constituents’ interests and arrive at negotiated agreements to differences in agreed political forums,” the said adding the role of state’s security organizations is to serve the people through stipulated constitutional arrangements, under the command of the executive, and not to define what is or is not in the national interest.
“We believe that any attack on the sovereignty of the people will be unjust. It will necessarily lead to conflict and must be resisted,” they added.
They appealed to the people of Pakistan to stand united and firm in support of democracy and to resist all attempts aimed at its subversion.
