Observer Report
Islamabad
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday said that the government has no intentions of abolishing the 18th amendment.
Talking to media in the parliament on Monday, he said that there is need to see how much it has been implemented.
The foreign minister said that no one is denying the importance and usefulness of the 18th Amendment and the government has no intention of repealing it.
FM Qureshi said that the provinces instead of looking towards the federal government should devise their own system, adding that the provinces will have to sit down with the central government and review the whole process. Meanwhile, Senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League-N Ahsan Iqbal has said that the 18th amendment came about as a result of national consensus and any attempt to meddle with it will result in further controversy.
Ahsan Iqbal asked that the amendment was passed unanimously by all parties, so what is the intention behind disturbing it, especially in this time of distress for the country?
Ahsan said that the government’s priority should be to overcome the coronavirus pandemic, not set its sight on the 18th amendment.
He accused the government of spreading political hatred instead of reaching out to provincial governments and working together. He advised the government to reinstate local governments to help fight the virus effectively instead of encroaching on the 18th amendment.
