KARACHI: Former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani has said that some elements want to ‘roll back’ the 18th amendment “which will prove to be a disaster for Pakistan”.

“Pakistan is created on the basis of federation. If you try to weaken the federal character of Pakistan, it will bring bad consequences,” said Rabbani while talking as chief guest during a programme organised to pay tribute to communist and peasants’ leader Jam Saqi.

He paid rich tribute to comrade Jam Saqi and said all political parties had evolved consensus on the 18th amendment which had been passed unanimously.

“Don’t open this Panadora’s box… don’t add new factor of terrorism to an already beleaguered society in Pakistan,” he remarked.

Rabbani warned that any judicial or military law would be harmful for the country since all martial laws had left bad effects on Pakistan.
He said that the 18th amendment was aimed at devolving the powers to the provinces and giving provincial autonomy, but some elements were not happy over it.

Rabbani calls for intra-institutional dialogue

“After this law, the education and health are provincial subjects, but the federal government does not allow the provinces to make change in curriculum,” he said, adding that the same thing happened in Sindh where “syllabus does not focus on the democratic values”.

Speaking on the occasion, Federal Minister Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo, the National Party (NP) chief, said that Saqi remained committed to democracy. He said he was also one of the witnesses to the treason case against Saqi and other politicians of Pakistan.

Pakistan Muslim league-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shah Mohammad Shah lauded Saqi’s services and said Comrade Saqi remained committed to the rights of the poor and was a true democratic leader.

He called upon all political parties to get united against the proposal to impose a judicial martial law in the country, he added.

Former president Supreme Court Bar Association Justice (retd) Rasheed A Rizvi said Saqi was a chapter of Pakistan’s politics.

“He is a beacon of light for students, labourers and political workers. He was a great student leader. I came close to him when a case of red flag was registered against him. During the MRD movement, we remained in jail together,” he added.

Saqi struggled his entire life for the rights of the oppressed class, he said, adding that he stood on principles.

Dr Riaz Shaikh was of the view that Saqi spent his entire life struggling for the cause of poor people. “He also struggled for unity of the nation,” he said.

Zahida Hina in her write-up said that Saqi was a man of principles who even resigned from the Communist Party. He continued his struggle for the people and joined the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), but was not satisfied with it. In his last days, he was inclined to mysticism, she added.

The gathering at the Arts Council was attended by politicians, socialist leaders, civil society and labour activists and representatives of human rights organisations.