The economy does not thrive when constitutional supremacy is challenged and political uncertainty prevails
A combined photo of PTI leaders Yasmin Rashid, Omar Cheema, Ejaz Chaudhry, Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed and Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
Five incarcerated senior leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have called on opposition leaders to engage Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in negotiations on a “Pakistan Charter”, it was reported on Thursday.
On June 14, the Federal Minister of Information, Attaullah Tarar, invited the opposition to sign an Economy Charter while defending the federal budget in the National Assembly (AN).
In a letter dated June 17 addressed to opposition leaders Mahmood Achakzai, Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and PTI President Gohar Ali Khan’s lawyer, PTI leaders Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, Ejaz Chaudhry and Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed – currently incarcerated in Kot Lakhpat jail – proposed a framework to ensure the constitutional supremacy, political stability and respect for electoral mandate and institutional balance beyond the Economy Charter proposed by the government.
The letter said Pakistan was at a “critical crossroads”, highlighting the government’s offer of an economic charter to address the country’s challenges.
“While economic reform and political continuity are undoubtedly essential, it is important to ask a more fundamental question: Can economic stability be achieved in the absence of political stability and constitutional certainty? the letter asked, adding that “history, experience and common sense suggest otherwise.”
He noted that the economy did not thrive when constitutional supremacy was challenged, political uncertainty reigned and public confidence in institutions was weakened.
Senior PTI leaders stressed that investment, growth and prosperity were ultimately the product of trust in the rule of law, respect for the democratic mandate and predictable governance.
The signatories argued that Pakistan’s challenges were fundamentally constitutional and political in nature, rather than solely economic. They argued that efforts to solve economic problems without addressing these “fundamental” concerns would fail to produce the desired result.
The leaders therefore called on the opposition to encourage the Prime Minister to expand the national dialogue beyond the Economic Charter and work towards a Comprehensive Pakistan Charter.
According to the letter, the proposed charter should seek consensus among political parties, state institutions and other stakeholders on key principles, including: unconditional supremacy of the Constitution, respect for the electoral mandate and the will of the people, an end to political engineering in all its forms, strict adherence by all institutions to their constitutional roles and limits, general accountability without discrimination and protection of fundamental national policies, including the implementation of the National Action Plan and long-term economic frameworks. term, regardless of changes in government.
The quintet, citing international examples, argued that political stability preceded economic well-being and not the other way around.
“If the Prime Minister is truly committed to putting Pakistan on the path to national recovery, this is an opportunity to demonstrate statesmanship by launching an inclusive national dialogue on a Pakistan Charter,” the letter said, adding: “Such an initiative would address the root causes of instability rather than its symptoms.”
The letter concluded with a call for a serious, transparent and results-oriented discussion on the proposal between the government and the opposition.
“Pakistan deserves a consensus that transcends governments,” the PTI leaders wrote, adding that the country needed “not another temporary arrangement but a lasting national compact.”
