ISLAMABAD: President Ghulam Ishaq Khan said his commitment to democracy and stability of Pakistan had made him take the “extreme step” of dissolving the national assembly on Monday.
Ishaq Khan, in his address to the nation over radio and television networks, listed corruption, center province confrontation, flouting of constitution, political horse trading, encroachment on provincial autonomy, disrespect of higher judiciary, and misuse of official machinery and resources as the fundamental causes for taking this step.
The president said he had taken the decision “after cool, dispassionate and careful consideration, with full sense of responsibility when all other efforts to correct the situation had failed to produce results despite a long and agonising wait”.
He said his decision was not against any individual, any group or any party. This was directed against unconstitutional, unlawful and undemocratic practices against the tendencies of opportunism, expediency and selfishness.
President Khan dissolved all the four provincial assemblies in Pakistan and appointed new governors in Sind, Punjab and Baluchistan.
Three caretaker chief ministers have been appointed in Punjab, Sind and the North West Frontier Province.
Mahmood Haroon took over as the new governor of Sindh and Jam Sadiq Ali, a former minister, was appointed interim chief minister. The mayor of Lahore, Mian Mohammad Azhar has been appointed governor of Punjab, Ghulam, and Haider Wyne is the new chief minister of the province.
In Quetta, capital of Baluchistan, another opposition run government, Mir Humayun Murni took charge as the governor.
The PPP government in the NWFP under chief minister Aftab Khan Sherrao was also dissolved by the governor, Amir Gulistan Janjua, He has appointed Mir Afzal Khan, an industrial magnate from NWFP’S Mardan district, as the new chief minister.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 17, 1990
