ISLAMABAD, 16 July — President Pervez Musharraf has re-emphasized that all the proposed amendments in the constitutional package are open to discussion and debate. He was talking to a delegation of constitutional experts and intellectuals who called on him in Islamabad yesterday as part of interaction on the proposed amendments with people from all walks of life.
Musharraf said we are open and flexible and will be guided by wisdom and counsel of all sections of the society. He said there are areas, which need review, and those areas will definitely be reviewed. He said the entire exercise is intended to generate a healthy discussion. He said the government is noting every suggestion with an open mind.
The president said once they have heard all opinion, the National Security Council and the Cabinet will sit in a joint session and finalize the proposed amendments through a process of discussion and debate.
Musharraf reiterated the commitment of the government as well his own personal commitment to the holding of an absolutely free and fair elections in October. He said he would welcome all international observers who would like to monitor the polls to come and witness the transparency of the elections.
The government has proposed in the constitutional package that the federal, provincial and local governments would each be allocated at least one buoyant tax. This is proposed so that it will become their main and secure source of income to make them financially more self-reliant.
The proposals say that the objective of this is to ensure that the country moves from the present centralized fiscal structure, where some of the provinces depend for up to 83 percent of their revenues on transfers from the federal government, to a situation where they are able to meet at least 40 percent of their requirement from their own revenue sources.
In order to achieve this objective, among others, it is proposed in the package: First, the federal, provincial and local governments may each be allocated at least one buoyant tax; and two, the federal divisible pools may comprise largely of one of the most buoyant taxes for distribution amongst all three orders of government in a way that each of them has stake in its collection and the widening of its tax base.
The second proposed package envisages seven top-ranking Pakistan armed forces offices to be constitutionalized with the president to make appointment on them in his discretion.
The package, released Sunday, said that the president to appoint, in his discretion, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, the chief of the Army Staff, the chief of the Naval Staff, the chief of the Air Staff, the vice chief of the Army Staff, the vice chief of the Naval Staff, the vice chief of the Air Staff. For all practical reasons, the tenure of the holders of these military chiefs has not been fixed, though presently the appointment on services chiefs and CJCSC are made for three years.
In the existing constitution, only the CJCSC, and three service chiefs are the constitutional offices of the Pakistan armed forces with the president as supreme commander of the armed forces. The president enjoyed the discretion of making appointments on CJCSC and three services chiefs until 1997 when through 13th Amendment this discretion was taken away.
