A group of retired civil servants, diplomats and military generals has called for equal treatment of all provinces and warned against any constitutional amendments imposed against the wishes of the people, saying Pakistan’s unity and future were at risk amid a deepening political and economic crisis.
In a statement shared with local newspaper Dawn on Saturday, the Roedad Khan Club, comprising retired but influential government officials, stressed that constitutional rule must be restored in practice rather than maintained as a facade.
The statement was signed by former air chief Air Chief Marshal (retired) Abbas Khattak, former bureaucrat Shakil Durrani and former diplomats Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, Humayun Qazi and Asif Durrani.
The group said the military should return to its primary responsibility of defending the country and uphold its oath of allegiance and the instructions of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
The statement comes amid renewed debate over restructuring Pakistan’s provincial system, following proposals by senior government figures for the creation of new provinces. These proposals have faced opposition from political quarters concerned that changes to provincial boundaries could undermine provincial autonomy and disturb the existing balance of power.
The Roedad Khan Club also criticised what it described as hybrid governance, arguing that a system in which elected civilian institutions operate alongside an unelected centre of power deepens political resentment and weakens constitutional rule.
Calling for political reconciliation and stability, the group demanded the restoration of the people’s electoral mandate in the last general elections.
It also proposed holding fresh elections, with all national and regional political parties and their chosen leaders allowed to participate, describing this as the first step towards national reconciliation, revival and prosperity.
The group warned that Pakistan’s unity and future could be jeopardised if constitutional principles and the public mandate were not respected.
