News
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Parliament can defend itself against any attack* President urges detractors not to malign parliament and democracy
* Says govt will complete five-year tenure
* Says no one asked questions about qualifications of parliamentarians when there was a law requiring them to possess bachelor’s degreeStaff report
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday called for protecting democracy and democratic institutions, adding that the elected assemblies and the government would complete their five-year mandated tenure regardless of what the opponents are saying and doing.
He said that when the party went into elections it had promised the voters to launch a series of programmes meant to alleviate poverty in the country. “We are determined to complete our mandated period to fulfill the promises made to the poor,” he added.
The president said that the government was pursuing a comprehensive programme of politico-economic emancipation and empowerment of women as per the cherished dream of former premier Benazir Bhutto, who fought for this cause throughout her life. The president was addressing the balloting and cheque distribution ceremony held under the Waseela-e-Haq programme of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) at the President’s House.
Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar quoted the president as saying that the people were the ultimate repository of power and the people alone had the right to elect their representatives and bring them to the parliament and the assemblies.
Referring to a condition for parliamentarians to posses a bachelor’s degree, the president urged detractors not to malign the parliament and democracy, adding that the parliament was indeed capable of defending itself.
He said that the parliament asserted itself when it democratised the constitution and gave the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa their true identity.
The president said that government initiatives such as the BISP, the distribution of state land among the women living in areas around 32 small and medium dams, and the offering of 12 percent stock shares to workers in state-run enterprises through the Benazir Employees Stock Option Scheme would help banish poverty from the country. The spokesman said that the president congratulated members of the National Assembly for having passed the legislation providing for the setting up of the BISP and hence inscribing the name of Benazir Bhutto into law that is meant for the uplift of the poor. The spokesperson said that the president termed it a tribute to the slain leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and recognition by the Parliament of what Benazir Bhutto has done for the poor and downtrodden of the country. The president while congratulating the BISP chairperson and her team said that the BISP was the flagship programme of the government to provide relief to the under-privileged and poor people of the country and added that “we all are very proud the way the programme has progressed into a comprehensive social safety net”.
The president said that BISP programme reflects the feelings Benazir Bhutto had for the poor and vulnerable sections of society.
Later the president pressed the computer button to select 3,000 beneficiaries through a random computerised draw. He also distributed cheques among the few previously ballot-selected women beneficiaries from different parts of the country.
BISP Chairperson Farzana Raja while speaking on the occasion said that 70 percent of the surveys of Benazir Score cards have been completed in Balochistan under the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan package.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk