Daily Times

Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said on Sunday that collective efforts were needed to normalise life in flood-hit areas, as the country faced serious crisis in the wake of unprecedented torrential rains and flash floods. He said all organs of the state would have to play their role to turn the situation into normal. He was speaking at a session of Asma Jahangir Conference-2022, held at a local hotel. He said that everyone will have to identify his responsibility and come forward to help the flood victims. Nobody could pass on his responsibilities to others, he added. The responsibilities of a state are divided among three organs of the state: parliament, executive and judiciary; but there are vast gray areas also and as a result of it, there is an inherit conflict which is perhaps natural, he said and added that these conflicts like judicial activism, executive incursions and supremacy of the parliament, which needed to be resolve on priority basis through collective efforts. The PML-N senior leader said that Constitution of Pakistan is here to protect the rights of the people of the country, adding that political parties of the country have a long history of making efforts to resolve these conflicts. Mistakes and misdeeds of institutions could be rectified; what was done wrong at least we should say, adding that he was not there to put blames on others but to find solutions through constructive discussions and talks. The former premier said that protection of sanctity of ballot should be protected and each organ of the state have equal responsibility in that regard, as it was essence of democracy. He was of the view that until the institution of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was there, the country could not move forward, because it was making the executive, one of the important organs of state, paralysed, and due to this department, parliament was unable to make independent decisions. He requested the Supreme Court to not to look at the wording of the amendment but at what NAB had done to the country. “Billion of resources we have lost due to NAB,” he added. Former chairman Senate Raza Rabbani, Senator and former president Supreme Court Bar Association Syed Ali Zafar and Member National Assembly (MNA) Dr Nafisa Shah also expressed their views on separation of powers topic of the conference, and highlighted the issues and extended suggestions.