News
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Raja lands in the ‘battlefield’* PPP leader receives 211 votes, PML-N’s Abbasi 89 votes
* Fazl withdraws candidacy
* Raja vows to hold fair polls
* Promises reconciliation, supremacy of parliament
By Tanveer Ahmed
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) Raja Pervez Ashraf was elected new prime minister by securing majority in the Lower House of parliament on Friday at a time when executive-judiciary relations are at their lowest ebb after the toppling of Yousaf Raza Gilani’s government on contempt of court charges a few days ago.
Raja Pervez Ashraf, a unanimously agreed candidate of the PPP and its coalition partners, received 211 votes while the PML-N’s Sardar Mehtab Abbasi received 89 votes.
Two other PPP candidates, Qamar Zaman Kaira and Makhdoom Shahabuddin, withdrew their nomination papers before session of the assembly. JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman also withdrew his candidacy just before the voting and decided to remain impartial in the election process by not casting his vote.
Fazl, speaking on a point of order before the election of premier, said that considering the political situation of the country he wanted both the opposition and the government to have an agreement on the candidate for the premier’s office.
“That is why I had filed my nomination papers,” he said, and regretted that his move did not succeed.
The House was divided into two lobbies for the voting with the right side specified to cast votes in favour of Raja Pervez Ashraf and the left side for the members to cast vote in favour of Sardar Mehtab Abbasi.
As the speaker announced election results declaring victory for Raja Pervez Ashraf, the House echoed with the slogans of “Jiye Bhutto” by the visitors present in the galleries.
Ashraf was brought to the chair of prime minister in the House by his colleagues who also shook hands and congratulated him.
Soon after his election, Ashraf spelled out his priorities to resolve major issues facing the country.
The prime minister vowed to hold free and fair elections and sought the opposition’s support for carrying on with the democratic process.
“I appeal to the opposition to back the government for holding elections as both government and opposition can tackle issues amicably.”
He also offered opposition to sit with the government to resolve the major issues confronting the nation, saying that talks were the only way to tackle problems.
He also invited the opposition to work with the government for the approval of accountability law, pending in parliament, for its earlier implementation, saying that a powerful accountability mechanism is catalyst for good governance.
The prime minister also vowed to follow the policy of reconciliation which, he said, had been envisioned by former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
“The country can’t afford confrontation at this critical moment of the history,” he added.
“We will not allow any confrontation between different pillars of the state as failures of individuals should not burden the institutions,” said the prime minister.
He also declared to uphold supremacy of parliament, saying that he would not let anyone usurp powers of parliament given to it by the people of the Pakistan.
The prime minister also promised to address issues plaguing Balochistan.
“We will redress injustices done with the Baloch and would talk to the Baloch leadership to find out an amicable solutions to the issue,” he said.
The prime minister also talked about religious extremism in the country and said that this menace had brought a bad name to the country and Islam.
He also asked militants to lay down their weapons and become active in the mainstream politics of the country.
On external front, he said, “We would like to have good relations with neigbouring countries.”
He also paid tribute to his predecessor, Yousaf Raza Gilani, for “contributing immensely for upholding parliamentary traditions supreme”.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk