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Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Politics is a day-to-day affair: PMMQM, JUI can return to govt
* Gilani says PPP is in contact with all political parties in order to expand federal cabinet
* Govt will deliver on economic frontISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Tuesday that return of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) to the federal government cannot be ruled out.
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is in contact with the JUI-F and MQM among all the political parties to expand the size of the federal cabinet, said the prime minister while talking to reporters in Islamabad after the launching ceremony of a book titled “Pakistan – Unique Origins; Unique Destiny?”, authored by former federal minister Javed Jabbar.
To a question about inclusion of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) in the government, Gilani remarked that nothing was definite in politics which, he said, was a day-to-day affair.
In reply to another question, he said that the recent statement of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani on Balochistan was continuation of the government’s efforts to implement the package of “Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan”.
The government was interacting with the political leadership in Balochistan, said the premier, adding that the provincial government had invited Baloch leaders for talks. Gilani stressed that the government would deliver on the economic front.
He said it was upto parliament to take up the issue of creation of a Saraiki province. “President Asif Ali Zardari gave a statement that a PPP committee would consider to make ‘creation of new provinces’ a part of the party’s manifesto,” he added. In reply to a media query about his recent visit to Afghanistan, Gilani, while calling his visit as “historic” and “unprecedented”, said he would invite Afghan President Hamid Karzai to visit Pakistan to follow up on the decisions made in their last meeting.
He said that Pakistan’s relations with its neighbouring country were based on the premise that “it wants a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan”. Gilani, responding to another question, maintained that the government had already made public its “clear-cut” policy over the drone attacks issue.
Earlier, the prime minister, while addressing the book launching ceremony at the National Library, said that a steady and unwavering commitment to a representative, free and fair political process alone guaranteed accountability, transparency and stability in Pakistan. The government, said Gilani, was completely open and subject to scrutiny and debate in the provincial assemblies and parliament.
He averred that his government had taken all decisions, policies and actions in a consultative and democratic manner during the last three years.
“I personally regularly attend sessions of the National Assembly to demonstrate the sincerity of the commitment on part of both President Asif Ali Zardari and myself as prime minister, to the sanctity and supremacy of democracy, the constitution and parliament as expressions of the will of the people,” he added.
Speaking about the book, Gilani said it was a rich tribute to the unique genesis of the country. He said through its extensive research and analysis, the book reproduces very pertinent observations made by Quaid-e-Azam about the authenticity of Pakistani nationalism and about the grave dangers the country faced instantly upon its creation.
National Book Foundation Managing Director Mazharul Islam, Harris Khalique, Musharraf Zaidi and Shabana Arif also spoke at the ceremony. daily times monitor/app
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk