PESHAWAR: “Parliament is the supreme institution that made the Constitution for a smooth running of the country and cannot be dictated in matters related to legislation,” said experts on Wednesday.
They said that making legislation was the sole prerogative the parliament members and no institution can deprive them of this constitutional right.
Former National Assembly (NA) Deputy Speaker, Faisal Karim Kundi told APP that the parliament was Pakistan’s supreme institution because of its dynamic role in making the constitution and preparing laws for people and the country which look after state finances’ and oversaw the performance of the government through parliamentary committees.
Kundi said it was the parliament that had revived the 1973 Constitution in its original form by removing all lacunas’ incorporated by dictators during PPP’s last tenure and granted an identity to Pakthoons besides provincial autonomy to all the federating units.
“All state institutions should respect each others’ mandate and perform its duties within their constitutional parameters and warned that any clash between two state organs would be disastrous for democracy, development and progress of the country.”
“Interference in each others’ domain would create anarchy and chaos in the country and would adversely affect the performance of the institutions,” he remarked.
Kundi said that in the past we have seen that a clash between state institutions had not only derailed democracy but had a negative effect on the government’s smooth functioning.
Former KP advocate general Esa Khan told APP that all state institutions were deriving powers from the Constitution and had set limits for all three main organs of the state including Parliament, Executive and Judiciary.
“The powers and limits of all state institutions were clearly defined in the Constitution and Pakistan cannot make progress unless all organs of the state perform its duties within its constitutional ambit,” he stated.
He further said that the judiciary was the constitution’s custodian and the guarantor of the people’s fundamental rights.
Senior lawyer Alamzaib Khan opined that the constitution has empowered the parliamentarians to make a debate on any issue of national importance and no institution or personality can deprive them of this legal right.
“Pakistan is passing through difficult time and cannot afford a standoff or clash among state institutions,” he observed.
Khan further added that harmony among institutions was imperative to take the country out of its existing challenges besides taking it towards progress and development as envisioned by our forefathers.