“There is an evolution going on. Be it judiciary, media, parliament or others, the institutions are in the process of evolution and are strengthening. We cannot criticize anyone, because it is their right. If anyone does something to strengthen their institution, they have the right, they should do it, but it should be within the ambit of Constitution”, the Prime Minister responded when asked if the 18 Amendment has stopped the path of unjust intervention from any quarter.
He said after the February 18, 2008 elections, the political parties showed maturity and coalition governments were formed in the center as well as provinces through political reconciliation.
The Prime Minister referring to the resignation of former President General Pervez Musharraf said it was the dialogue which led to the resignation of a President (Musharraf). “It never happened in the history of Pakistan,” he remarked.
The Prime Minister said it was said that parliament is a rubber stamp. “Now I want to question, is it a rubber stamp”, he remarked.
About the implementation of 18th Amendment, Gilani said he has already talked with PML(N) leader Mian Nawaz Sharif and JUI(F) leader Maulana Fazalur Rehman and asked them to give their representation so that implementation of the 18th Amendment can be started immediately.
The Prime Minister further said that “keeping in view our reconciliatory politics, we will try to tackle all issues. Insha Allah we will emerge as a nation and we are determined to implement it (the 18th Amendment).
About trust deficit among the provinces on various issues like energy, the Prime Minister said, the government intends to move and settle all issues in accordance with the Constitution.
He rejected the assumption of trust deficit and said, “we have moved forward to such an extent that we trust each other.
Prime Minister Gilani said changing the name of NWFP to Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa through the 18th Amendment was in line with the wishes of the majority in the province as well as the resolutions adopted by the provincial assembly.
He, however, stressed that respecting the wishes of majority does not mean that the government was not in favour of the people of Hazara, adding, the government was fully cognizant of the sense of deprivation of the people of Hazara and would address their grievances by taking the provincial government on board
About holding of elections within political parties, the Prime Minister said, the political parties act, which is still in place, provides for holding of such elections, adding, if there was any need of improvement in the act, it can be done through political consultations.
Prime Minister Gilani, however, rejected the assumption of any political dictatorship and mentioned that President Asif Ali Zardari transferred power to the Prime Minister and parliament at a ceremony in the presence of the Opposition leaders, Speaker National Assembly, Chairman Senate and others, which is unprecedented.
I do not see any evidence of political dictatorship in the country”, he remarked.
To a question, the Prime Minister said Pakistan Peoples Party has always been fighting and struggling for the rights of people, independence of judiciary and provincial autonomy, adding, PPP leader Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed lost her life for the rights of people.
He said the country has never witnessed the kind of political stability that it currently has, adding, it was due to this political stability and harmony that the whole leadership including the chief ministers of four provinces sat together at a three-day energy conference to find solution of power shortage in the country.
The Prime Minister said the focus of his government was on political stability, which is vital for economic stability.
To a question, he said, the country was reaping the fruits of IPPs concept, given by Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed in 1994, adding, “if the IPPs were not brought into country at that time, today we would have been living in stone age.”
The Prime Minister was critical of the failure and neglect of General Musharraf, who did not give any policy to tackle the emerging energy crisis and said his government is now focussing on short term, medium term and long-term strategies to deal the problem.
All sources of power generation including hydel, coal, nuclear and solar are being focussed to address the energy issue, he said and mentioned that the present government which inherited the problem alongwith a Rs 400 billion circular debt has cleared the debt during the last two years including the latest Rs. 116 billion announced the other day.
The Prime Minister said the government had also initiated village electrification programmes and electricity was provided to thousands of villages and cities.
To a question about the UN probe of killing of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed, he said, the National Assembly and all the four Provincial Assemblies passed resolutions asking the United Nations to probe the killing of Benazir Bhutto.
The killing of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was a colossal loss as she was not only the leader of the PPP and Pakistan but a leader of international stature, the prime minister said.
After a suicide attack on PPP rally in Karachi, Mohtarma wrote letters to the government to provide her security, the prime minister said, adding, it was the responsibility of the government to provide her fool-proof security.
The Prime Minister said that today he had constituted a fact finding committee to probe the hosing of the crime scene soon after the suicide and gun attack on Benazir Bhutto on Dec 27, 2007.
A three-member high powered committee headed by Cabinet Secretary will submit its report to him within seven days, the prime minister said.
About the war on terror, he said, it is our own war as protection to life and property is responsibility of the government.
“The government got united the whole nation against the war on terror and the successful military operations in Swat, Malakand and South Waziristan have a lot of success stories where the strong hideouts of terrorists were destroyed and they are now on the run and hitting the settled areas,” the prime minister said.
He said the successful return of 2.5 million Internally Displaced Persons to their hometown in Swat and Malakand was appreciated by the world which is unprecedented in the world history.
Gilani said there is a strong realization and consensus in the world that Pakistan has given a lot of sacrifices in the war against terror both physically and economically.
“The world wanted to help us, the Friends of Democratic Pakistan have assured us to resolve the issue of rehabilitation of the IDPs,” he said.
But, the prime minister added, “we should concentrate on our own resources as we don’t need aid, we need trade and access to foreign markets to improve our economy and resolve the problems of our people.”
About the energy crisis, he said, besides short term measures, the government is also devising long term plans to resolve energy crisis of the country to improve the economy.
The Prime Minister said that after the energy conference, gas conference will soon be held to resolve this issue also.
The Prime Minister said, “I appeal to the nation to show patience as the entire world is recognizing our sacrifices and efforts and all the issues including the energy crisis will be resolved through the policy of reconciliation.”
About nuclear programme and its security, the prime minister said Pakistan has a better image and the world has appreciated our nuclear programme and its security.
He said the US President Barack Obama in the recently held nuclear security conference gave a categorical statement about our nuclear safety.
About Pakistan-India relations, the prime minister said, “We are persuading India to sit on the table and resolve our issues through dialogue.”
About any meeting with Indian Prime Minister at the upcoming SAARC summit in Bhutan, he said, at the moment nothing is planned and I can’t say any thing about it.
To a question about main achievements of his government, the prime minister said, the policy of reconciliation and passage of 18th Amendment are the big achievements of the government and all political forces.
He said Pakistan has emerged as a nation and there is political maturity in the country.
About any message to the youth, the prime minister said, the entire nation is united and the whole leadership wanted to put the country on the road to progress and our youth should have trust in their leadership.
“No imported people would come to resolve our problems, we would have to resolve our problems by ourselves,” the prime minister concluded.
About any message to the youth, the prime minister said, the entire nation is united and the whole leadership wanted to put the country on the road to progress and our youth should have trust in their leadership.
“No imported people would come to resolve our problems, we would have to resolve our problems by ourselves,” the prime minister concluded.
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