Amending constitution

Article 62 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan lays down certain conditions which an aspiring member of parliament has to meet before he can contest elections. Among other things, the Constitution stipulates that he or she should “bear good character, should be righteous, non-profligate and honest”. Obviously, such a person would never think of slapping a polling agent. Neither would such a person have unexplained wealth like luxury houses in the UK or France, or huge deposits in Swiss bank accounts.

I, therefore, propose that the Constitution be amended to make such people eligible to become members of our assemblies. Before a person can become a member of parliament, he or she should have committed at least one murder, should be known as a gangster whose mere presence in a locality sends its residents running for cover, who should have a fake degree or a degree from a non-existent college or university, who should have property worth millions in foreign countries, and who should have been filmed slapping government employees.

Shakir Lakhani
Karachi
Printed in The News, March 8, 2012

0 comments