Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Senator Farhatullah Babar on Thursday asked the Parliament to consider how to counter the new model of shielding dictators from accountability under Article 6 of the Constitution by whisking them away to a hospital in Rawaplindi. Taking part in the discussion on democracy he called for strengthening rule of law and ending the sacred cow syndrome. No individual and no institution should be beyond transparency and accountability, he said. The sacred cow syndrome and the absence of transparency and accountability selectively is a great impediment, he said.

Farhatuillah Babar said that in the past, political parties and the judiciary were held responsible for endorsing constitutional deviations. However, under the 2006 charter of democracy, political parties decided never to endorse unconstitutional moves and subsequently the SC also buried the doctrine of necessity and the PCO judges. Despite this course correction by political parties and the judiciary, and despite Article 6’s enforcement, a dictator can escape accountability as witnessed recently in the case of General Musharraf by simply walking into the hospital in Rawalpindi.
Today, therefore, we should also reflect on how to prevent this new model of assault on democracy and constitutionalism, he said. Democracy will remain fragile and inherently unstable as long as dictators can comfortably walk away and the parliament, government and judiciary are unable to do anything, he said.
He said that for democracy to flourish and people to benefit from it the people of the tribal areas and GB should also be given their fundamental rights. It is also critical that power is devolved to grass roots through local governments which are duly empowered both financially and administratively.