News
Thursday, July 05, 2012
Parliament mother of all institutions: Raja* PM says parliament has set jurisdictions of all institutions through legislation
* Government wants to appoint neutral CEC in consultation with opposition
PESHAWAR: Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said on Wednesday that parliament was the mother of all institutions as the country’s solidarity and destiny lied in accepting its sanctity and supremacy.
He expressed these views while presiding over a meeting of PPP parliamentarians from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) at the Governor’s House.
KP Governor Barrister Masud Kausar, Information and Broadcasting Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, Religious Affairs Minister Syed Khurshid Shah, Kashmir and Gilgit- Baltistan Affairs Minister Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo, Regulations and Services Minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, MNA Noor Alam Khan and Akhunzada Chattan were also present on the occasion.
Addressing the parliamentarians, the prime minister said that each state institution had its own limits which should be respected and honoured. It’s parliament, he continued, which had set jurisdictions of all institutions through legislation.
“If all institutions work in their constitutional ambit, the system will move forward and democracy will deliver with no possibility of institutional clash,” the prime minister said.
He also clarified that the government has no differences with any state institution, including judiciary, “which enjoys its reverence and respect at all levels”.
The prime minister said parliament was a forum which gave representation to 180 million population and its respect was mandatory by all state institutions as it legislates and amends constitution.
He said the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) believes in true essence of democracy as it was the only system in which all stakeholders get chance of decision-making.
“Our leaders, including Zulfkiar Ali Bhutto, and his illustrious daughter Benazir Bhutto had laid down their lives for democracy and rights of people,” the prime minister said. Raja said he was proud to be a worker of PPP that made a simple party activist the prime minister of Pakistan with a two-thirds majority.
He said that the PPP had a long history of matchless sacrifices and had always steered the country out of difficult challenges and would continue to serve masses with more dedication and commitment.
The prime minister said that restoration of the 1973 constitution through passage of 18th Amendment, NFC Award, giving identity to Pakhtuns, rehabilitation/resettlement of over 2.5 million internally displaced people (IDPs) of Malakand Division and granting provincial autonomy to federating units were major achievements of the present elected government.
The prime minister said he was aware of the fact that the biggest challenge of the present government was to meet energy shortfall. He said that had the electricity policy chalked out by Benazir Bhutto in 1994 not hampered, the country would have been self-sufficient in electricity generation. However, he added, the present government has added around 3,400MW of electricity in the system and taking emergency measures for reducing the duration of load shedding. He said that the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had bravely faced the challenges of terrorism and natural calamities with steadfastness and rendered sacrifices for the protection of their motherland.
The prime minister said Asif Ali Zardari was the “only president in the country’s history who has voluntarily returned his constitutional powers back to parliament”.
Raja said that he had invited opposition to develop consensus on appointment of chief election commissioner.
“We desire to appoint a neutral personality as chief election commissioner (CEC) whose credibility and impartiality is beyond any objection,” he added.
The prime minister said the government had no objection if opposition proposed a name of neutral and impartial person for the post of CEC. “Our intentions are very clear with regards to the appointment of CEC because elections are going to be held next year.” The meeting was also attended besides others by PPP KP President Senator Sardar Ali Khan, KP Assembly Speaker Kirmatullah Khan, Senior Minister Rahimdad Khan, provincial ministers, senators, MNAs, MPAs and leaders and workers of the PPP from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA.
Earlier, the prime minister, governor and participants of the meeting offered fateha for eternal peace of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto. online
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk