The prime minister said that in order to ensure fair, free and transparent elections, a chief election commissioner would be appointed through consensus, adding that the 20th Amendment in the Constitution would be introduced in parliament after taking all the political parties into confidence.
“The government will tackle the national issues in consultation with opposition parties, even if they are not inclined to hold talks with us,” the PM said. “In politics bridges are made and no hurdles are created. We want free and transparent elections. The members of the Election Commission were appointed through consensus, and now the chief election commissioner will also be appointed through mutual consultations.”
On mass deaths due to spurious drugs in Lahore, the prime minister said the drug control authority was under the federal government and while the other three provinces had agreed to set up such an authority, the Punjab was opposing the idea. He expressed his deep concern over the mass deaths and sympathised with the heirs of the deceased.
The prime minister said the budget would be presented in May and President Asif Ali Zardari would be the first president in the country’s history to address parliament for the fifth time. He said that the time of Article 58-2(b) was over and the prime minister would now decide when to hold elections. He said that after the passage of the fifth budget, electoral activities would start and if political parties wanted, the government could take a decision in this regard keeping in mind the exigencies of the situation.
Talking about Pakistan’s foreign policy, the prime minister said relations with the US would be established purely with Pakistan’s interests in mind. “Wee cut off the Nato supply line, got the Shamsi Airbase vacated and even boycotted the Bonn Conference. The US has now fully realised that there is no dictator in Pakistan now who will yield to all demands on the basis of one phone call. The Americans know there is democracy in Pakistan and elected representatives are handling things, which is why the US is not exerting any pressure. They must be feeling disappointed but we have to honour the popular mandate and the decision of parliament,” the prime minister said.
About his participation in the WEF at Davos, PM Gilani said experts agreed that the economy of Pakistan was gaining strength day by day. He said that the world’s financial institutions did not paint a negative portrait of Pakistan, which was considered a country following the correct economic direction.
About differences with the armed forces, he said that his meeting with the COAS and DG ISI was to discuss Afghanistan. “There is no need to repeat what I said about the army before my departure to Davos. Action has been taken against the secretary defence and the situation is now crystal clear. Any decision about the extension to DG ISI will be taken at an appropriate time,” PM Gilani added.
PM Gilani said he wanted to move beyond a series of statements that had almost cost him his government. He refused to talk about his earlier statements about the responses of the army and intelligence chief in the Memogate case before the Supreme Court. “I do not want to revisit the matter. We acted against those responsible,” he said, referring to former defence secretary Naeem Khalid Lodhi, who the premier sacked after the Inter-Services Public Relations issued a strongly-worded rejoinder to Gilani’s statement in China. About the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) and its recommendations on the resumption of Nato supplies, the prime minister said he had not received the recommendations yet. “The people will decide what Pakistan’s relations with the US should be,” he said, adding that the committee’s recommendations would be presented before parliament through the Speaker National Assembly.
The prime minister said he had passed orders for action against Khurram Rasool after receiving a report from the Intelligence Bureau and also directed that the Interior Ministry hold an inquiry against him. He said he had already taken action against Khurram Rasool and now the matter was sub judice and the court would pass its judgment.
The prime minister said Dr Asim Hussain’s premature disclosure of an increase in petroleum prices was unwarranted. The tariff is to be decided by Ogra and not the minister, PM Gilani said.
He said action against Dr Shakeel Afridi would be taken under the Pakistani law. He said that by-polls would be held according to the Election Commission’s schedule.
He said economic indicators suggested that the prices of essential commodities were falling and that there had been an increase in foreign remittances, exports and foreign exchange reserves. The prime minister said that through the WEF conference, he had been able to present a positive identity of Pakistan and wooed foreign investors to invest in the country.
