Daily Times

The existing parliament has lesser powers than Majlis-e-Shura of Gen Ziaul Haq, former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani lamented while addressing a gathering at a private university in Lahore. “We talk about reforms in state institutions but don’t know which institutions need reforms,” Senator Rabbani said. “There are only three state institutions as per the constitution i.e. the executive, the legislature and the judiciary,” he said. “Regretfully, the parliament has no control over defence, foreign policy, internal security and the nuclear assets presently as well as in the past,” Raza Rabbani said. The state has wiped out all resources in the country, which were producing leaders of calibre. “Presently the system is not under the attack but those want to bring change in the system have been under the attack; the media, students and lawyers are under the attack,” Rabbani said. He stressed on necessity of dialogue among the institutions. “The institutions should decide how could they perform their responsibilities according to the constitution,” Senator Raza Rabbani said. He urged the Parliament to lead the way by initiating the dialogue. ” The federation could not sustain a tragedy anymore.” “The democracy should sustain even it is a crippled one,” he said. Regretfully all political parties of the country have become victims of the corporate culture. The political parties which had to provide the leadership have failed to lead the way, he opined. The government is being run by ordinances in presence of the parliament, he said. No debate ever held over the foreign policy and the national security in the parliament. The Senate has been shut down for three and half months so far, Raza Rabbani said. Foreign Minister instead of giving a statement at the floor of the parliament, announcing details of talks with the Taliban in a press conference in Washington, veteran parliamentarian said. Prime Minister in talks with President Trump called Afghanistan the foremost priority for Pakistan instead of Kashmir, Rabbani said. “A dialogue among the institutions and an understanding is the need of the time,” he added.