Session 9 - The power of legislators

Assemblies hold a key position in the structure of any democratic government, they fulfil a number of complex roles, but above all, assemblies consist of representatives of the population and are essentially elected to uphold the regime. Pakistan has a bicameral structure of government consisting of the National Assembly, Senate and President. Assemblies also have the power to make laws; but how successful has the Pakistani national assembly been in legislating? Laws can be debated upon openly in an assembly’s sessions. The main problem in Pakistan is that legislators fail to recognize the importance of their decisions and its impacts on the country and the individuals living in it. An example of this can be the 8^th amendment of the constitution passed by the parliament under general Zia-ul-Haq’s regime. It made Pakistan’s system of government a semi-presidential system from a parliamentary democratic system. The implications of this amendment were seen later on as well when President Ghulam Ishaq Khan dissolved the nation assembly a number of times when Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif were prime ministers, unrest uncertainty was spread throughout the country.

Similarly, the 2^nd amendment of the constitution which declares Ahmadis to be non-Muslims has also had an impact on Pakistan. It has led to a rise in the divide between different sects of Muslims; where many argue that shia’as be also declared non-Muslims.

What our legislators fail to realise is their power to make or break; their decisions have a rippling effect on the daily lives of Pakistanis. They should realise that they are responsible for the laws they pass, and not abuse their positions of power. It is because of these reasons only that many have lost confidence in the parliament. The government needs to understand the relation between the people and the parliament, and the need for representation and leadership in today’s difficult times.