News
Friday, January 06, 2012
PPP core committee decides on carving out new provincesGovt not to write letter to Swiss authorities
* Meeting stresses federation’s reply in memo case serves as president’s
* Federation has implemented NRO verdict; president enjoys immunity under constitution
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: The core committee of Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) on Thursday endorsed the government’s decision not to write a letter to Swiss authorities to reopen cases against President Asif Ali Zardari, who enjoys immunity under the constitution.
In the meeting at the Presidency, the committee decided to go for carving out of new administrative units, including a Saraiki province in southern Punjab, by taking on board all its political partners, and vowed to introduce appropriate legislation in parliament shortly. The renewed debate on the creation of new provinces has picked up in the recent days, and also came up strongly in the core committee meeting.
Chaired by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, the meeting decided to table required legislation in parliament shortly to create new provinces. A consultative process with coalition partners in parliament on the issue would initiated. Briefing about the meeting, Spokesperson to the President Farhatullah Babar said that as a part of the consultative process, the president held a meeting with the Awami National Party chief.
According to sources, the meeting was of the view that the federation had already implemented the NRO verdict and since the president enjoyed immunity under the constitution, the government should not write any letter to Swiss authorities. The party leaders were of the view that there is no need for anyone to interpret Article 248 of the constitution as the clause was clear and self-explanatory. Moreover, the committee members also decided in principle that the federation’s response in memo case should be taken as that of the president’s, and there was no need for the president to respond to memo commission, the sources added.
They further said that during deliberation on the contempt notices issued to party leaders by the apex court, the core committee noted that court verdicts are always a public property and everyone has the right to critricise them. The meeting also decided to hold by-elections for all the vacant seats in the assemblies. The cabinet decision to support a private member’s bill that seeks to make it mandatory for all the public servants to declare and make public the details of their assets in the same manner as the parliamentarians do. It was noted that in the past such initiatives were thwarted on flimsy grounds, and the committee decided to push through the proposed legislation with political determination.
Babar said that the core committee meeting rejected the proposal mooted by some political circles for the setting up of military courts as undemocratic, uncalled for and undermining the civil and democratic institutions. The party will resist any such move, the meeting resolved. In view of rising political temperature triggered by public meeting of opposition parties, the core committee decided to mobilise people and hold rallies and public meetings at the divisional levels throughout the country, to be addressed by the senior leadership of the party, including the prime minister. It also asked PPP KPK president, Senator Sardar Ali, to make preparation for a public jalsa in the tribal areas.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk