MQI terms 20th Amendment as another NRO

Commenting on the passage of the 20th Constitutional Amendment, Dr Raheeq Ahmad Abbasi, Secretary General of Minhaj-ul-Quran International, has said that the parliamentary parties have got together in order to secure their interests and perpetuate their rule in future as well. He said that the political parties bargained over positions in next National Assembly by using the back-door channel. He said that for those who appeared to have their daggers drawn against one another such a grand bargain bespoke of the fact that politics of power won over principles.

Dr Raheeq Abbasi said that these parties have made sure that caretaker setups are formed to protect their interests paving the way for the entry of political elite back into the corridors of power in the name of elections. He warned that nothing drastic would change with the same lot of people at the helms of affairs with the result that the situation would continue to deteriorate and institutions would further collapse.

Dr Abbasi said that the people of Pakistan would continue to face the most difficult of challenges as the ruling elite was concerned with their own survival and had little to do with the people. He termed the 20th amendment as another NRO meant to protect a select group of privileged elite. He said that without changing the electoral system, no change would come about.