HEARING the suo motu case regarding the allegations levelled by senior judges against spy agencies for meddling in juridical matters, Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa on Tuesday said “others” would stay powerful until Parliament strengthens itself. He also pointed out that “Interference can be from intelligence agencies, from your colleagues and from your family member,” adding that the court will show by conduct whether there is interference or not.
What the Chief Justice said is fact of life as strong parliaments are the cornerstone of democracy and essential for development as well as promotion of good governance. They represent people, pass laws and hold governments to account. Pakistan’s Constitution clearly envisages trichotomy of powers but unfortunately there remains a perennial tug of war for concentration of power and in the process one institution often interferes in the domain of others. Pakistan is a parliamentary democracy meaning thereby that the institution of Parliament representing the will of the nation is supreme but circumstances have made it the weakest pillar of the state. Apart from interference of the executive, its working, domain of responsibilities, powers and privileges are encroached upon frequently, which amounts to making mockery of the entire system. Law-making is the fundamental responsibility of Parliament but this too is undermined under the garb of interpretation of the law and the Constitution as, at times, a vivid impression was given that a certain law or a clause of the Constitution is being re-written by the judiciary. Collective wisdom has its own advantages but here decisions are made elsewhere and on occasions, Parliament is kept in the dark on important issues including deals and agreements with foreign countries and entities having bearing on sovereignty, security and economy of the country. It is, however, also a fact that the parliamentarians have to blame themselves for this sorry state of affairs as they do not accord Parliament the respect and importance that it deserves. The recurring quorum phenomenon, lack of depth in speeches, inability of the Ministers to come fully prepared to the house and infighting have caused serious dents to the reputation of the institution, affording opportunity to others to interfere in their domain. The worst aspect of the entire issue is that there seems to be no realization on the part of the parliamentarians to mend their ways and forge unity in their ranks.
