Senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders, currently imprisoned, have accused the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of violating the Charter of Democracy (CoD). In a strongly worded joint statement, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Dr. Yasmin Rashid, and others claimed the two parties “systematically dismantled” the democratic framework established in the 2006 agreement between Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif. They argued that the pursuit of power led to a U-turn on democratic commitments, leaving the system in ruins.
The PTI leaders alleged that the PML-N and PPP orchestrated a regime change, paving the way for a “hybrid regime” that openly disregards constitutional supremacy. They singled out Defence Minister Khawaja Asif as a vocal supporter of this setup and questioned Nawaz Sharif’s stance, given his past advocacy for democratic norms. “Democracy thrives only under civil supremacy, but today, we see the opposite,” the statement read.
Furthermore, the leaders accused both parties of undermining judicial independence through the 26th Amendment, despite their CoD pledge to uphold an independent judiciary. They also condemned the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for allegedly manipulating the February 8 general elections, calling the current government a “Form-47 regime” that stole public mandate.
The statement took a personal jab at Nawaz Sharif, suggesting his “Vote ko Izzat Do” slogan had been abandoned for familial interests. “The love for his daughter seems to override his principles,” they remarked. The PTI leaders urged reflection on whether Pakistan’s democracy can recover from what they termed as a betrayal by its oldest political forces.