News Desk |
Fawad Chaudhry, the Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, dismissed all rumors about ushering in a presidential form of government and regarded it as a “non-issue” that is only being stirred on social media.
While addressing the media in Islamabad on Sunday, Fawad Chaudhry banished the notion of presidential system and emphasized that such a process would require challenging amendments to the constitution, which would take a great deal of time to be enacted. Dawn quoted his remarks, “Such things were circulating in social media only. It is difficult to get simple amendments in laws and routine matters take long, so how can we expect a major change in the Constitution that requires a two-thirds majority in parliament.”
The fact remains, few miscreants didn’t let Presidential System sustain, they cared more for their vested over National Interests. Otherwise, history tells that Pakistan prospered by having an empowered President in place.
The Minister for Information further added that in order to usher a presidential form of government, Pakistan will have to meet the prerequisite of breaking down the existing provinces into several small provinces. He also highlighted that the legal and political difficulties make this is a far distant, and largely unpractical possibility.
He said, “We have 62 percent of the country in Punjab only, how can this system perform in the Pakistan of today. Besides, you all know legal and political difficulties in creating new provinces, so it is practically not possible.”
The possibility of establishing a presidential system in Pakistan has recently emerged as a hot topic for debate on social media platforms and press conferences. The opposition appears to have raised the fervor of lamenting the PTI-led government of hatching “schemes”, while Pakistan’s keyboard Nazis and analysts are debating the benefits of a system that has worked splendidly well for the democracies of US and France and even the state of Iran.
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Senior defence analyst, Air Marshall (R) Shahid Latif commented on the “vested interests” of these opposition parties and their apprehensions over a presidential system in a bitterly honest tweet. He notes, “The fact remains, few miscreants didn’t let Presidential System sustain, they cared more for their vested over National Interests. Otherwise, history tells that Pakistan prospered by having an empowered President in place. The 18th amendment did not bring fruits on the table either.”
https://twitter.com/AMShahidLatif/status/1117485445821140993
While addressing the National Conference on Human Rights and Democratic Participation organized by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan in Islamabad last Wednesday, former senator and senior PPP leader, Farhatullah Babar, stirred a debate by highlighting “suspicions” of the prevalence of a “centrist mindset” that wants to do away with the present parliamentary system, and rule the country with a stern force of authority. He added that these “suspicions” are aggravated when media outlets that have a reputation of being “backed by the establishment” also promote such narratives.
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Dawn quoted his remarks, “Mysterious discussions recently in media on ‘Islamic presidential system’ raise doubts whether pitch is being prepared for replacing federal parliamentary structure with a unitary and centrist form of government.”