A day after emergency and governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Pakistan Peoples Party said the Constitution has to decide what happens next. A day after emergency and governor's rule were imposed in the province, PPP secretary general Nayyar Hussain Bukhari said that "legal requirements and the parliamentary process must remain fundamental to any extraordinary measure." He said the issue would be placed before parliament, where elected representatives would debate it and decide according to constitutional procedures.
What the PPP is asking for
Democracy, constitutional supremacy and the sovereignty of parliament were, he said, the commitments the party stands on. Constitutional provisions may have to be invoked in extraordinary circumstances, he said, but only on constitutional requirements rather than political considerations, and only inside the limits the Constitution sets. He left room for an unusual measure, and said it has to stay lawful.
He said parliament would be able to examine the imposition of emergency in the province and determine an appropriate course of action. The next decision, he said, sits with elected representatives.
Why security is part of the argument
Bukhari said questions had been raised about the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government's performance on law and order and about an alleged lack of cooperation in combating terrorism. He said terrorist attacks on security institutions, police stations and places of worship had created serious difficulties for the public. Fear and insecurity, he said, had forced residents in several areas to remain in their homes.
He said effective measures against cross-border infiltration and attacks from Afghanistan were essential to Pakistan's national security. He also said responsible cooperation between the federal and provincial governments was necessary to eliminate terrorism and to protect the lives and property of citizens.
Talks failed, parliament is next
Bukhari said party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and President Asif Ali Zardari had made concerted efforts to resolve the issue. He said attempts to find a solution through negotiations had not proved successful. With that route closed, he pointed to parliament as the place where the imposition of emergency would be examined.
In everyday language, an emergency is a constitutional response to a serious crisis, and governor's rule means the province is run through the governor under the Constitution rather than by the elected provincial government. Bukhari's position was that either step, if used, has to stay inside those constitutional limits, with parliament judging the course ahead.
Aasan alfaaz mein
KP mein emergency aur governor's rule lag chuke hain, aur PPP keh rahi hai ke agla faisla Constitution ke andar hona chahiye. Nayyar Bukhari ne kaha ke yeh mamla parliament ke saamne aayega aur elected numainde qanoon ke mutabiq faisla karenge. Unhon ne kaha ke hamle aur khauf ki wajah se kai ilaqon ke log ghar se bahar nahi nikal rahe. Unka kehna hai ke Afghanistan ki taraf se ghuste logon aur hamlon ko rokna zaroori hai, aur markaz aur sooba mil kar logon ki jaan aur maal ki hifazat karein.
