ISLAMABAD -;A petition demanding a referendum on whether Pakistani citizenswant a presidential form of government against the parliamentary system hasbeen lodged in the Supreme Court.
The petitioner- Dr. Sadiq Ali, a civil engineer by profession who has donePh.D. in turbine design from Ulster University UK – has pleaded thathearing of the case must be broadcast live on all mainstream media for thelarger public interest as it would help Pakistani citizens understand aboutthe presidential form of government.——————————
According to details, Dr. Sadiq has contended that the Supreme Court shouldissue directions for Prime Minister Imran Khan to hold a referendum underArticle 48 (6) of the 1973 Constitution.
Article 48 (6) states:
If at any time the Prime Minister considers it necessary to hold areferendum on any matter of national importance, he may refer the matter toa joint sitting of the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) and if it is approvedin a joint sitting, the Prime Minister may cause such matter to be referredto a referendum in the form of a question that is capable of being answeredby either “Yes” or “No.”
Read Top Stories
Terming the parliamentary form of government as a duplicitous system, thepetitioner argued that the existing form of government has miserably failedin addressing the issue of public debt and unemployment. It has also failedin expanding the industrial base of the country to address the balance oftrade issue. Over the years, it has been unable to attract foreign directinvestment as well.
Therefore, it is imperative to unify the command of public governancethrough a presidential system.
