Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has written a letter to the heads of all political parties seeking support for the new “Protection of Pakistan Ordinance 2013”, which aims at stringent punishment for terrorism and gives enhanced powers to the courts and law enforcement agencies.
In his letter on Saturday Mr. Sharif said his government was elected to the Parliament with the hope to end the extended regime of terror unleashed since the adoption of post 9/11 policies. Decades of dictatorial regime and misgovernance resulted in the complete erosion of state writ and authority, he said. Apart from the remote areas, safe havens in urban centers and towns were a cause of serious concern. Coupled with the failure of law enforcement agencies responsible for internal security and prosecution of crime, due to a variety of reasons, the life and property of the people is in grave danger, he pointed out.
He said the new ordinance has been promulgated to give a strong message to organised crime and anti-state elements and to reaffirm the will and determination of the state and the people of Pakistan to eliminate all challenges to sovereignty and integrity of this country. He called on all parties to read it and support the government in its passage as law in Parliament in due course with the same spirit and determination that they exhibited during the recent All Parties Conference.
Mr. Sharif expressed concern that the organised mafia is roaming free due to a legal vacuum created by constant tampering with different legislations over an extended period of time. He said the socio-economic fabric of society as well as the age old value system binding this nation was in danger of disintegration.
He said it was in this context and with a view to the potential events in post 2014 Afghanistan that the federal government considered it imperative to put in place a legal mechanism for intervention to protect the right and liberty of the common man as well as the sovereignty and integrity of the state of Pakistan. A team of legal and security experts have worked diligently to ensure that the new law is in complete consonance with the constitution of Pakistan, he added while seeking support.
