ISLAMABAD: Former federal minister and senator Muhammad Ali Durrani on Wednesday proposed an elected ‘National Unity Government’ to foster national cohesion that transcends divisive political lines.
The proposed plan suggested that the National Unity Government should be formed for five years after the general elections.
“The challenges we face today as a nation are formidable, and the requirement for political unity has never been more critical. Let us rise up to this challenge, forgo the personal interests for the collective, rise above partisanship, and embrace the vision for a stronger, more united nation,” Durrani said.
“It is essential that we begin by insulating national interests, democracy, and the sanctity of our institutions from political discord and form a collaborative environment between the nation’s government and institutions to achieve a shared objective, rather than perpetuating a culture of confrontation,” he emphasised.
“We are confronted with a pressing need for a renewed approach to governance,” Durrani said while underlining the need to draw inspiration from examples in history. He referenced example from United Kingdom (UK) during World War-II, specifically pointing out the formation of national unity government in the UK, as well as instances in 1988 in Northern Ireland and 1994 in South Africa under the leadership of Nelson Mandela.
Senator Durrani argued that these examples of unity governments proved to be successful in steering their respective countries out of the crises and bring an end to the devisive politics.
“Pakistan currently facing same situation that requires our renewed approach to learn from these examples remaining in parliamentary and constitutional structure,” he urged.
The proposed plan envisions that the political party securing the majority of seats in the upcoming parliamentary elections will assume leadership in the national government.
Furthermore, the proposal advocates for the absence of an official opposition, with all members committing to uphold the national agenda. According to the proposal, the leading political party will nominate three candidates for the position of Prime Minister, to be elected through a voting process.
The cabinet shall not exceed 30 members, selected based on competence and eligibility, collectively representative of all political parties based on their relative number of seats, it said.
Senator Durrani also suggested that the elected government must ensure timely and inclusive local body elections within six months while maintaining a duration consistent with national and provincial elections.
In addition, the plan suggested that the government should also commit to the synchronisation of local body elections with national and provincial elections to take place simultaneously at the day of general election for all future electoral cycles. Senator Durrani resolved to share the plan with public at large including political parties.
