KARACHI: Former Senate Chairman Main Raza Rabbani on Friday feared that the new parliament may bring changes in the 18th Amendment of the Constitution, particularly the financial autonomy of provinces as the federation does not want to give all financial resources under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award.
He was speaking at a meeting of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of civil society organisations here, which was convened to discuss the post-election situation. Political leaders, workers and election observers attended the meeting in a large number.
Using the excuse of the financial crisis, the state may tell the provinces that it was not possible to give NFC Award share to them, he said adding that the actual war is to stop devolution of resources from federation and provinces. Rabbani admitted that major political parties are also facing corporate priorities. He said the Parliament has been undermined even during the previous government.
He underlined the need to form a broad-based alliance of all pro-people political parties, civil society, intellectuals, writers, rights activists and individual political workers to wage a movement for rights of people. Rabbani expressed concern over the anti-trade union statement by Chief Justice of Supreme Court and said a joint letter be sent to the Chief Justice, protesting his statement regarding trade unions.
He also expressed his concern over the free participation of the banned outfits in the General Elections. Over 250 candidates of the banned and prescribed outfits were allowed to contest elections. Other candidates of the mainstream political parties were facing hurdles to contest elections but the Election Commission did not raise any question on election contest of banned outfits.
He said except for one party all major political parties were not provided level playing field during the election campaign. He also raised questions on delaying tactics by the polling staff during the elections. The administration was used to limit the election campaigns of major political parties, even many political parties were barred from holding election rallies on the pretext of the security threats. Only one party was free to hold gathering and rallies.
“The actual game happened after the poling as the polling agents were asked to leave the polling stations after the end of polling time,” he said that the concept of fair and free elections was violated when the polling agents were not present during the counting process.
He said a farce was crated and the Election told the nation that an electronic system will be used for rapid announcement of results. “But after an unusual delay in announcement of the results, they told us the system had actually failed. “This is a waste of the national exchequer and the Election Commission should face investigations by the NAB.”
Senior journalist and representative of South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) Imtiaz Alam also supported the idea of formation of a wider platform of progressive elements. A candidate of Aam Log Ettehad Wali Mohammad Naushad narrated his problems on polling day. He said that polling arrangements were very poor and the commission did not pay any attention on complaints from the candidates and parties.
A number of election observers narrated the situation during the polling day and said that in Karachi the polling results were deliberately delayed despite the fact the constituencies were very close. Karamat Ali, Director, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER), Ayoub Qureshi of National Party, Abdul Khaliq Junejo of Jeay Sindh Mahaz, Nasir Mansoor of National Trade Union Federation (NTUF), Amanullah Shaikh of Awami Jamhoori Party, Ms. Mahnaz Rahman of Aurat Foundation, Ms. Seema Maheahwari from HRCP, Ms. Malika Khan, Ms. Naghma Shaikh, Ms. Abida Ali, Ms. Farhat Parween, Abubakar Yousufzai, Hareef Chandio, Azhar Jameel and others also spoke on the occasion.
At the end, a committee was formed to prepare a set of recommendations for the formation of a wider platform of the civil society organisations.