The civil society organisations on Monday denounced Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf announcement for civil disobedience which, they said, would badly affect economic situation of the country.
Addressing a press conference along with PPP leader Latif Mughal, educationist Dr Riaz Shaikh and others, PILER Chief Karamat Ali said the civil society had agreed that the country was not able to face any kind of adventurism under such economic conditions.
The present economic conditions won’t allow any kind of adventurism in Pakistan and the announcement made by the PTI chief for civil disobedience asking people to refrain from paying taxes would not only affect the economic conditions of the country but also daily wagers, he said.
Karamat also rejected calls for national unity government for three years in the country and said there was no need for such government in the presence of a government having two-third majority in the assembly.
He condemned the ongoing sit-ins in Islamabad and said it had not only stalled the everyday governance of the state but it was directly challenging the political choice and the system of democracy that the people of Pakistan had achieved after a number of sacrifices.
Karamat said the civil society of Pakistan along with trade unions, academicians, student community and professional societies strongly condemned the undemocratic approach adopted by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Pakistan Awami Tehreek, and their allies.
“We strongly denounce any deliberate attempt to derail the democratic process in the country. It is unfortunate that these parties are inciting people to resort to violence and defy the rule of law through so-called civil disobedience setting a negative culture of political confrontation and rebellion against the state over non-issues,” he said.
The PILER chief said they were of the view that all issues ought to be debated upon in the parliament and solved politically.
Any lapse in existing electoral system could be discussed in the recently-constituted electoral reforms committee of the parliament in which all political parties, including the PTI, had due representation, he said, adding that people of Pakistan would never allow democratic process to roll back in the country.
Karamat said that democracy had not been allowed to flourish in this country by forces committed to keeping Pakistanis in a dark age where they would be unable to seek their political, economic and cultural rights by way of civil and political engagement.
These forces had either sought to rule the people directly or have intervened in the democratic process covertly or overtly, he added.
He said it was the right of all political entities to protest and conduct political campaigning to promote their legitimate agendas but no one could be given the right to derail the democratic process in the country.