Posts Tagged ‘18th Amendment’

دھائیوں کا نشانہ پانچ جولائی 1977، چھ اگست 1990، پانچ نومبر 1996 اور اب 2012 کی کوئی وارد کی ھوئی تاریخ کونسی ھوتی ھے اسکا انتظار کرنا پڑیگا یا پھر موجودہ گورنمنٹ کی دی ھوئی تاریخ کو معجزے سے کم نہیں [...]

  Does Pakistan need more provinces and if so should they be formed ethnically or administratively? These vexing questions are taxing the wits of perplexed Pakistani policy-makers today. A quick glance across Pakistan reveals several anomalies and misbalances. Punjab constitutes around 50% of its population while Balochistan covers [...]

What is Federalism John Kincaid, Professor at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania and director of the College's Meyner Center for the Study of State and Local Government gave a useful definition of federalism: Federalism is essentially a system of voluntary self-rule and shared rule. This is implied in the derivation of the word 'federal', [...]

There is every reason for over a million strong Pakistani Diaspora in UK and Pakistanis wherever to celebrate their country’s 64th Independence Day with great fervour and enthusiasm. It will be their fourth Independence Birth anniversary under a democratic dispensation achieved after too much of blood, toil, tears and untold human sacrifices. [...]

The 1973 Constitution given by Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was democratic, federal and parliamentary. It had a vision of Federalism in terms of fiscal devolution, ownership of resources, participation in policy formation and collective decision making. This was a fundamental change from earlier Constitutions. Unfortunately with deliberate [...]

President Asif Ali Zardari has said that the government stands committed to ensure equal rights for minorities as enshrined in the Constitution and the UN Declaration of Human Rights. In a message on Minorities Day, the President said the recognition and respect for the minorities rights is part of the Pakistan Peoples Party’s manifesto. He [...]

The Civic Education Network Pakistan organized a learning event; Constitutional Literacy Campaign, "Scope of Constitutional Provisions and Space for Provincial Autonomy" in Lahore on July 31, 2011. The 18th Amendment and the 7th National Finance Commission(NFC) Award have signficantly changed the the resource distribution criterion, ownership [...]

Senator Raza Rabbani One has mostly seen political leaders falling in the eyes of public, especially in this time and age where media puts the spotlight on too many undesirable aspects. Scandals of all sorts get attributed to them; clarifications, rebuttals, reactions, counter fights stud the blogs and Youtube sites. It is rare to see a leader [...]

Pakistan Peoples Party has been at the receiving end of electoral rigging and gerrymandering by establishment and Pakistan Army over many general elections. Despite of all types of targeting, the PPP remains the largest political party of Pakistan having won elections four times and having its own representative as head of government. If the [...]

Academia, Civil Society Organizations and youth from different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA passed a joined resolution on April 07 in favor of devolution of HEC under the 18th Constitutional Amendment and condemned all those anti-constitution and anti-democratic hypes for confusing the devolution of Higher Education to the [...]

The Federal Government has transferred five ministries, including the Ministry of Education, to the provinces under the devolution plan in the 18th Amendment. The ministries of Education, Social Welfare and Special Education, Tourism, Livestock and Dairy, Rural Development and Culture have been transferred to the provinces. The Commission for [...]

President Asif Ali Zardari’s annual address to a joint sitting of parliament addressed the accomplishments of the current government, and called for defeating the mindset of “intolerance and hatred”. The President congratulated the parliament for passing 18th and 19th amendments. He said that the country was in poor condition when the [...]

There are those who believe that Pakistan was envisioned as an Islamic theocracy. If one subscribes to this view, then we have actually become quite a successful state The art of intellect, I have been told, is not just to answer questions; it is sometimes reflected better by asking the relevant questions. Some will even go as far as [...]

Our regular contributor has expressed his feelings on the recent verdict on 18th Amendment through the following cartoon.

  Source: Express Tribune The Supreme Court’s short order is somewhat enigmatic as it raises more questions than it answers. It is, however, being hailed by many as a sort of a political compromise. The Order has only addressed issues raised as to the new mechanism provided for judges’ appointment under the new Article 175(A) and [...]

The Supreme Court's order (on the 18th amendment) throws light on certain very important issues about the court’s recent role and function in our constitutional democracy. The court has been stretching beyond its constitutional mandate. Suo motu notices were issued to fix prices of sugar and other commodities. Then the executive’s function [...]

Pakistan's supreme court has asked parliament to review a constitutional amendment that would see senior court judges appointed by a parliamentary committee, delaying a potential divisive change to the relationship between the judiciary and the government. The ruling on Thursday came after legal challenges were launched against a number of [...]

Related article: 18th Amendment: The Parliament must not surrender its sovereignty to grade-22 bureaucrats in the Supreme Court The Supreme Court has ordered that Article 175-A that has been amended through the epic 18th Amendment be sent back to the Parliament for review as it harmed the independence of the judiciary. The apex court in its [...]

A natural disaster, largely unavoidable, has provided a glorious opportunity to all those who have been hankering to reverse Pakistan’s fragile transition from an authoritarian to quasi-democratic rule. There is hardly a new script for the much-touted change and its proponents are using the same old tricks out of their worn out hats to prepare [...]

"Let us recognize that democratic governance is a yearning shared and voiced by people the world over.  Democracy is a goal in its own right, and an indispensable means for achieving development for all humankind." Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Message for the International Day of Democracy 2010 Today, Pakistan and the rest of the world mark [...]

This business of the Supreme Court taking it upon themselves to overrule the people's elected representatives in parliament is really getting ridiculous. Now, having failed to fix the match, the Supreme Court appears to be trying a little spot-fixing of its own. Daily Times describes the situation pretty well in an editorial today: The Supreme [...]

The Supreme Court (SC) has extended the tenure of 32 additional judges working in the high courts of the four provinces till further orders. The eleventh hour decision has been taken to overcome the situation created by a legal void due to delay in implementation of Article 175-A, which lays down the procedure for appointment of judges to the [...]

Information Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mian Iftikhar Hussain said that Altaf Hussain committed treason by issuing statement in favour of martial law and he should be sentenced under Article 6. In a media briefing in Peshawar, he said that that the MQM was actually the biggest follower of feudalism. He said that conspiracy was being hatched [...]

The existential threat comes from disowning the democratic structure, giving up on it and looking yet again for another instant messiah in face of tremendous adversity and hopelessness. We were wrong in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1990s when the elected governments were overthrown. And if we continue with our mindless obsession with artificial [...]

Pakistan may have lost a talented fiction writer when Fatima Bhutto went into journalism. Clearly, she is adept at spinning a tale, fudging facts and re-defining reality in a manner that is the exclusive domain of talented story tellers. Throw in her photogenic looks and her propensity to endear herself with the security establishment and she [...]

Objective and constructive criticism is the cornerstone of secular liberal democracies. In that regard, those who have disagree with the current Pakistani president’s trip to the UK have the right to express their protest at what they perceive is wrong. At a time when Pakistan is facing unprecedented challenges, common sense dictates that [...]

  I got a kick out of reading the news about Justice Khalil Ramday's comments regarding constitutional amendments petition being heard in the Supreme Court these days. His remarks sounded not just funny but hollow as well. He said, "the courts accorded temporary endorsement to martial law rule, while parliament provided permanent protection [...]

My Response to Ijazul Haq's article published in daily News today (July 04). http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=248786 This is with reference to Ijazul Haq’s article “What has ‘freely’ changed?” (July 3). Mr Haq seems to be living in the 70s, as he seems unable to understand the meaning and importance of a simple word [...]

Source: Daily Express, 22nd June 2010

In the last few days, it is really refreshing to see Nawaz Sharif's bold stance on various issues including the 18th amendment and also on the Ahmadi massacre in Lahore. We provide below excerpts from some news reports from national and international press in appreciation of Nawaz Sharif. According to daily Dawn: "Pakistan Muslim League-N [...]

As the recession hit; the jobless rates soared to 10% and more, banks at the brink of failing, stock exchange plummeted, and economy was left paralyzed. All this happened in United States, which sparked a global recession, bringing down Europe and Asia along with it. This global recession was worst on developing nations, as they feared to face [...]

It is sometimes frustrating and at other times disappointing that the honorable judges of supreme court of Pakistan know exactly what they are supposed to do, however either intentionally or unintentionally they don't do the right things. Yesterday at one point, CJ tried to be appreciative of the 18th amendment and the Parliament to correct an [...]

One of the questions that CJ and some other judges keep asking from the petitioner's counsels is:  Does  parliament have a say in judicial appointments in other countries? Mr. Akram Shaikh in his arguments tried to mislead the court and tried to divert the question to the appointments in UK by the judicial commission which has no [...]

It is very difficult to build something but it is very easy to destruct it. In our Islamic history, we find that the age of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.W) was 40 when he started spreading Islam. He was teased and tortured and it was hardest time for the Truth but he continued to build the infrastructure of Peace. He was compelled to live out of [...]

Akram Sheikh said it was deplorable that the proceedings before the parliamentary committee considering the names would not be secret, saying that any aspirant not approved by the committee would be stigmatised for ever for such posts in future. In a country where the people like Abdul Hameed Dogar have reached to the Supreme Court of Pakistan [...]

At least “My Lord” in his full majesty allowed Mr. Raza Rabbani to present his arguments in this case, though he will have to wait for his turn. On the arguments being presented by Mr. Akram Shaikh , let me tell you a little anecdote.  When I was a student in the college, Nawaz Sharif the then Chief Minister of Punjab , put a ban on [...]

It is indeed the most interesting case in the supreme court where Judges are deciding their own cause and boosting about their credentials. I am prepared to give them some leeway on that as this is first time in the history of Pakistan that the majority of honorable judges have something to boost about. It was amusing to read the comment from [...]

Source: Pakistan and Future It was not the prettiest day at Supreme Court yesterday and it was not today either.  As I wrote yesterday that for me the most important reason for CJ to opt out from the bench was absence of Aitzaz Ahsan from this “important” constitutional case. The case is not “important” on its own merit , in fact as I [...]

Source Economic and political weekly (With thanks to reader Hussain Bux Mallah for providing a link to this article) With the passing of the 18th constitutional amendment in April 2010, democratic Pakistan’s journey for political stability came within leaping distance of its destination, just as the chasm that needed to be crossed became [...]

(بحوالہ روزنامہ ” جنگ”) = وزیر اعظم نے اعلی بیوروکریسی کی ترقی کے لیئے مسودہ تیار کرالیا – (ایک خبر) سپریم کورٹ نے اسے مسترد کرنے کے لیئے بڑا بینچ تشکیل دے دیا - = قوم نفاذ قانون میں ناکام [...]