Proposals for Constitutional Amendments to Serve the Public Interest

Proposals for Constitutional Amendments to Serve the Public Interest

1. Ban on Export of Raw and Unprocessed Minerals
   A constitutional amendment should immediately impose a ban on the export of raw and unprocessed minerals, precious minerals, gems, gemstones, and rare earth metals from Pakistan. This step will preserve the country’s natural resources for domestic value-added industries.
2. Capital Punishment for Acid Attack Offenders
   Those convicted of acid attacks, including accomplices, should face a public death sentence. The complete judicial process, including any mercy appeal to the President of Pakistan, should be concluded within 30 days, with courts working continuously, even during holidays, to ensure swift justice.
3. Death Penalty for Food and Medicine Adulteration
   Individuals involved in food adulteration—including items such as bottled water, beverages, dairy products, and the use of harmful chemicals—should be sentenced to death. This penalty also applies to the adulteration of all types of medicines. The legal proceedings should be concluded within 27 days, with the convicted parties publicly executed within three days of the final judgment.
4. Life Imprisonment for Unnecessary Cesarean Surgeries
   Medical professionals who conduct unnecessary cesarean surgeries should face life imprisonment. Legal proceedings must be completed within 15 days. In addition, medical regulatory bodies should develop strict, internationally-aligned guidelines for cesarean procedures and publish surgery statistics daily on their respective websites, including details of the doctors, hospitals, and clinics involved.
5. Punishment for Disrespecting Pakistan’s National Anthem
   A five-year rigorous imprisonment (RI) sentence should be imposed on any Pakistani or foreign national found disrespecting the national anthem of Pakistan.
6. Decentralization of Governance to Empower Regional Units
   The Constitution of Pakistan should be amended to convert all the civil divisions into independent administrative units or provinces with nomenclature of PK-1 onwards granting them maximum financial and administrative autonomy. Moreover, these units can be given be named as PK-1 onwards, which will also help minimise the menace of provincialism and regionalism. This model can draw inspiration from Switzerland’s federal structure, where cantons hold sovereignty in areas not explicitly reserved for the central government. Implementing this change in its true spirit would significantly reduce terrorism and lawlessness, which have escalated like a Frankenstein’s monster in Pakistan. Additionally, this “bottom-up” governance system would enable faster economic growth, helping to combat the exploding population and alleviate pressures on the health and education sectors.
   Conclusion
   These proposed amendments aim to bring about substantial improvements in minimising the increasing scrouge of terrorism and general lawlessness, governance, and economic development, ensuring a more secure and prosperous future for Pakistan.
   Syed Nayyar Uddin Ahmad
   +92 321 9402157
   Lahore
   October 14, 2024