PESHAWAR: Notwithstanding with the mounting pressure of the PTI leadership, former Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi’s irrational act to dissolve Punjab Assembly despite friendly Opposition has widely been criticized by political leaders and experts, who considered it negation of democratic principles and parliamentary norms besides sanctity of votes in the country.
“The premature dissolution of Punjab Assembly has shattered the confidence of people of Punjab, who are ready to make all those political parties and leaders involved in this illogical act accountable for their irrational actions in the upcoming election,” said Ikhtiar Wali Khan, PML-N spokesman KP and Member Provincial Assembly while talking to APP on Sunday.
“Being the students of political science, we all knew that democracy derived strength from the power of people, who had a strong say in policies and decision-making of the governments while accepting each other’s criticism with open heart for bringing about improvement in the system and address peoples problems at their doorsteps rather
dissolve assemblies prematurely,” he said.
He said early dissolution of Punjab Assembly has signified political intolerance in PTI leadership as well as in its allied parties and people of the largest province would take revenge from them in the upcoming election.
Ikhtiar Wali said that Punjab Governor did not become part of the premature dissolution of Punjab Assembly and PTI should now get ready of people wrath in the country’s largest
province.
“The people knew that how the mandate of Pakistan’s biggest province was stolen from the PML-N in the 2018 election,” he said, adding that his party would regain its mandate by winning Punjab Assembly elections with two-third majority.
Professor Dr A.H. Hilali, former Chairman, Political Science Department, University of Peshawar said in democracies, people elect their representatives to govern them through a parliamentary form of government for five years and take decisions for their well-being rather wait for long time due to premature disolution of the assemblies.
He said people of Punjab would economically suffer due to issues related to upcoming budget after disolution of the Punjab Assembly.
He said democracy was more than just a set of government institutions as it largely depends on political tolerance, values, mindset, practices and norms inevitable for socioeconomic growth and human development.
Dr Hilali said many forms of governments including monarchy, aristocracy, colonialism and dictatorship were practiced in the world but all these systems were gradually replaced following the introduction of democratic form of government in ancient Greece.
The notion of democracy is basically stemmed after the treaty of Westphalia (1648) and it became socially more favorable after the French Revolution in 1789, he said, adding that political philosophers like Rousseau also advocated about democracy as the most justifiable form of government to address the people’s issues based on political tolerance and acceptability of each others’ mandates.
