News
Monday, August 13, 2012
PPP to resist if Raja ousted* Gilani says removal of second PM will be tantamount to disintegrating Pakistan
* If judiciary is to take all decisions, it should take charge of executive itself
Staff Report
LAHORE: The Pakistan People’s Party would not remain silent and will resist judges’ decision if they tried to oust Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, his predecessor Yousaf Raza Gilani warned on Sunday.
Speaking at a press talk, the former premier said removal of PPP’s second prime minister by the judiciary would be tantamount to disintegration of the country and the judiciary will be responsible if that happened. He said sending an elected prime minister home was not a good tradition, and if the judiciary wanted to take all decisions then there was no need to hold elections in the country, and judiciary should itself take charge of the government. In comments directed at the judiciary, he said it was a time to correct the mistakes like ‘doctrine of necessity’, which disintegrated Pakistan in 1971.
Gilani suggested holding a train march from Lahore to Karachi in support of supremacy of parliament, and said he would personally make this proposition to the party leadership. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader said that in his opinion, judiciary was not a political party, and therefore it should not have any (political) agenda. He declared the PPP would not remain silent and will resist judges’ decision if they tried to oust Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf.
Gilani warned political parties against giving any third party chance to go against the democratic government and come into power undemocratically. He asked them to remain conscious of the situation. The former premier said he had taken oath to follow the constitution and that was the reason he did not write the letter to the Swiss authorities. He further stated that the decision of the judiciary to remove him from his office was against the constitution, but he accepted it for the sake of national interest. He said that PM Raja had a long association with the PPP as a good worker, and if the judiciary tried to oust him, the nation would not accept its decision and resist it.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk