ISLAMABAD:The experts at a panel discussion on Thursday underlined the need to create political awareness among the masses to ensure people-centric legislation.
These views emerged during a session titled ‘Impacts of Political Environment on Legislation Processes’ held at the Institute of Policy Studies, here Thursday.
The session was addressed by Imran Shafique, advocate, high court and former special prosecutor NAB, Khalid Rahman, chairman, IPS, and Farzana Yaqoob, CEO and founding member, Mantaq.
“Although policy making in Pakistan is seemingly based on national interest, one cannot find a forum or place where national interest is studied, analyzed, debated, and determined,” Imran Shafique argued while highlighting the dichotomy in the system.
He maintained that the Constitution of Pakistan was the reflection of the people’s will and aspirations, and it did not permit personal-specific legislation or legislation against the Qur’an and Sunnah and established institutions like Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) and Federal Shariat Court (FSC) to ensure compliance.
He said that the lobbying done by politicians, person-specific legislation, the influence of political interest of non-political entities (both national and international), and personal dispositions of legislators were some of the elements of the political environment that undermined the relevance of public interest in lawmaking.
In the concluding remarks, Khalid Rahman maintained that while the country may ascend and descend in certain aspects at times, it must be kept in view that Pakistan’s journey toward a sustained political environment, strong legislation, and development was ongoing.
At the end of the session, IPS inked a memorandum of understanding with Mantaq to explore the areas of cooperation in research and publication projects and to conduct capacity-building activities.
The document was signed by Naufil Shahrukh, GM Operations, IPS, and Farzana Yaqoob, The Chief Executive Officer, Mantaq.