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ISLAMABAD: Keeping in view the volatile political situation and precarious internal environment, Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani has appealed to all political forces and leadership to act with sagacity and take prudent steps to rid the country of the quagmire posing threats to peace, security and stability.
He expressed these views at the inauguration ceremony of the monument of martyred journalists at the National Press Club (NPC) on Monday. The chairman paid glowing tribute to the martyrs of journalism who laid their lives in the line of duty.
Rabbani said that warlordism was detrimental to the growth of the society and people would resist any move hampering democratic process. He said that the country was facing internal and external threats and there was a dire need to adopt sagacious approach to address the challenges on social and political fronts.
“All the institutions will have to work within their constitutional ambit which will help overcome challenges” he remarked. He termed the recent attacks on journalists unfortunate and observed that the government needed to take urgent steps for protection of journalists and media workers.
He said that journalists were being manhandled, tortured and subjected to unnecessary pressures. “In societies where institutions are weak and political uncertainty prevails, role of journalists gets more prominence.” Rabbani said that Quaid-e-Azam presented a concept of progressive democratic state in his August, 1947 speech; however, unfortunately, it was overwhelmed by extremist ideologies.
He said that there was no room for warlordism in the country. “The Senate stands in solidarity with journalist community over Ahmad Noorani’s incident. He said that the government should table journalist protection bill otherwise parliament itself would take the initiative. He underscored the need for strict implementation of law.
“Unfortunately, in Pakistan we work under a system which has five types of applicability of law,” he stated. “The set of rules and laws are for the ruling elite. The other set of rules is for the ruling civilian elite. The third category is for collaborators of the ruling elite; the fourth for the rich and the powerful and fifth for the ordinary citizens of Pakistan.”
However, he said that according to the constitution of Pakistan, all citizens were equal before law and deserved to be treated equally.
Published in Daily Times, November 21st 2017.
