PESHAWAR
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader and senior lawyer Moazzam Butt on Tuesday alleged that “scripted laws” were being enacted in the country while political leaders raising public issues were being jailed. Speaking at a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club (PPC), he said the country was also witnessing talk of introducing a presidential system and creating new administrative units in the name of new provinces.
Butt said people advocating new provinces should remember that such decisions were the constitutional domain of parliament and the Senate, and should not be treated as a matter for political statements.
He said the country’s political and constitutional history showed serious weaknesses in the system, citing the cases of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. He claimed that the complete investigations into their assassinations had never been made public. Referring to a Supreme Court opinion on the Bhutto case, Mr Butt said the former prime minister had not been provided a fair trial.
He also criticised the political situation, alleging that leaders who raised issues concerning the public were being imprisoned. He said the PTI founder, Imran Khan, was a “living example” of the trend. Butt said the justice system could not be expected to play an effective role against powerful interests and expressed doubts about the ability of federal and provincial governments to bring about meaningful improvement. He alleged that basic rights were not being fully enjoyed by citizens and said those wielding power had effectively become the holders of all authority.
