AS an ordinary citizen, I am amazed at the hype created with regard to the passage of the 26th Constitutional Amendment. Looking at the development with a bit of historical perspective suggests it was always on the cards.

The conduct of the higher judiciary during the last 15 years is something to look at. The Supreme Court, which is an appellate forum, mostly heard political cases. Where should ordinary people go in such a scenario for the redressal of their grievances? A quick review of proceedings from 2009 to 2013 and then from 2016 to 2023 would bear testimony to this narr-ative. Concentration of power breeds such practices.

Now, after the amendment, we may encounter some problems initially, but with the passage of time, things will get ironed out. The old system clearly failed, and there is no harm in trying a new system to see if it works.

There appears to be an unwanted hue and cry in the national media, with only a handful of lawyers being given the opp-ortunity to air their opinions. One gets to hear and read the same rhetoric by not more than six to eight lawyers across the country.

It is time for us to be more realistic, and have the courage to admit that the old system simply did not work, and we need to give the new system a fair chance.

Basit Alavi
Karachi

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2024