Pakistan heading towards Presidential Form of government?
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ISLAMABAD -;A petition demanding a referendum on whether Pakistani citizens want a presidential form of government against the parliamentary system has been lodged in the Supreme Court.
The petitioner- Dr. Sadiq Ali, a civil engineer by profession who has done Ph.D. in turbine design from Ulster University UK – has pleaded that hearing of the case must be broadcast live on all mainstream media for the larger public interest as it would help Pakistani citizens understand about the presidential form of government. ------------------------------
According to details, Dr. Sadiq has contended that the Supreme Court should issue directions for Prime Minister Imran Khan to hold a referendum under Article 48 (6) of the 1973 Constitution.
Article 48 (6) states:
If at any time the Prime Minister considers it necessary to hold a referendum on any matter of national importance, he may refer the matter to a joint sitting of the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) and if it is approved in a joint sitting, the Prime Minister may cause such matter to be referred to a referendum in the form of a question that is capable of being answered by either “Yes” or “No.”
Terming the parliamentary form of government as a duplicitous system, the petitioner argued that the existing form of government has miserably failed in addressing the issue of public debt and unemployment. It has also failed in expanding the industrial base of the country to address the balance of trade issue. Over the years, it has been unable to attract foreign direct investment as well.
Therefore, it is imperative to unify the command of public governance through a presidential system.
