- To maintain unity the ideals must not be compromised
The Lahore Resolution of 1940 envisaged a Pakistan with a federal structure that provided maximum powers to the provinces. March 23 is also important because on this day in 1956 the Dominion status of Pakistan under a Governor General was changed by a new constitution which defined the identity of the country as the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The word republic implies a democratic state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives. Democracy in Pakistan follows the Westminster model with a system of checks and balances in place and the scope and limitation of the Parliament, Executive and Judiciary, the three institutions of the state, clearly defined. Under the constitution, the army is a department of the government with the sole mission of safeguarding the geographical borders of the country and coming in aid of civil power when expressly called for.
The 18th Amendment which restored in the main the 1973 constitution also reduced the sense of deprivation among the provinces and brought parochialism under control thus strengthening the federation which was becoming weaker on account of a rising sense of alienation in the provinces. The Senate has over the last two years darkly hinted at certain forces contemplating reduction in the powers and resources allocated to the provinces. Any doctrine which aims at strengthening the center at the expense of the provinces is bound to weaken the federation.
There is a need on the part of the three institutions of the state to strictly avoid transgressing their scope defined in the constitution. A perception is being formed that an overbearing judiciary is encroaching on the turfs of the Parliament and the government. The judiciary needs to avoid dabbling into issues for which it has little expertise or resources. It should avoid creating expectations that it may find hard to fulfill. It must strongly discourage suggestions like the apex court imposing a judicial Martial Law for three months prior to the election. Nawaz Sharif too needs to realise that the procedure defined in the 20th Amendment has to be strictly followed in the formation of a caretaker set up.
