Incarcerated leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have accused the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of “violating” the Charter of Democracy (CoD). This political agreement was signed in 2006 by former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif.
In a joint statement issued from jail, senior PTI leaders, including Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Senator Ejaz Chaudhry, and Umar Sarfaraz Cheema, alleged that the two major political parties have “systematically dismantled” the democratic framework outlined in the CoD, as reported by The News.
They maintained that both parties took a “U-turn” and destroyed democracy, leaving it in shambles. “The lust for power was too big a temptation, and Imran Khan had become a major obstruction in that path. Democracy can only progress when there is civil supremacy,” they stated. They added that the 1973 Constitution clearly articulated this principle for the people of Pakistan, and both parties had committed to it in the CoD.
The PTI leadership asserted that the PML-N and PPP reneged on their promises and opted for a “regime change.” They remarked, “Today, we have a government which is proud to call itself a ‘hybrid regime’. The most vocal proponent of this regime is Khawaja Asif, the defence minister. We wonder where Nawaz Sharif is going to support it.”
They further stated that the Supreme Court has always been considered the custodian of the Constitution. “Both parties had committed to an independent judiciary in the CoD. Today, both the parties are responsible for undermining the independence of the judiciary through the 26th Amendment,” they added.
The PTI leaders also claimed that Benazir and Nawaz had agreed to an independent election commission in the CoD, alleging that the current ECP was involved in the manipulation of the February 8, 2024, elections. They maintained that the mandate of the people of Pakistan was “stolen” and given to the “Form-47 government.”
They concluded by suggesting that the PML-N supremo “must be feeling very embarrassed” as “Vote ko Izzat Do” (Respect the Vote) was his narrative, however, “the love for his daughter probably supersedes all his sane thoughts.”
