News
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Zardari qualified to become next prime minister
* Kaira says if Gilani, Raja can become prime ministers, why can’t Zardari
* No bar can be imposed on political activities of president
Staff Report
LAHORE: Federal Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira has said that the country had democracy because the Presidency was housing a political president, not a conspirator.
Addressing luncheon hosted for the editors, columnists and senior journalists from print and electronic media, he said that no bar could be imposed on political activities of President Asif Zardari as he is an elected president. Kaira said President Zardari always use the Presidency for political reconciliation, and not for hatching conspiracies or evolving conflicts. He said that in the past, the Presidency had been used to attack democratically elected governments. He added that parliament would be incomplete without the head of state that was a part of it.
Kaira said that the president was in the Presidency to stop conspiracies. He said if Yousaf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervez Ashraf could become prime minister then why could not Asif Ali Zardari be the premier of the country while he had the complete authority to do so. The minister also said that while the people are the strength of political parties, all parties were forming alliances against the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). Weak institutions, according to the minister, disintegrate society, rob people of their mandate and weaken ties between the state and the public.
The information minister said that if anybody thinks that keeping Nawaz Sharif out of the election process would be a national service then he is living in a fool’s paradise. He said separating Nawaz from politics is a wrong thinking. Dispelling the impression that elections could be postponed, the information minister said there is no possibility of delay in elections. Regarding the formation of a caretaker setup in the country, the information minister said the caretaker setup would be announced after consultation with the opposition to ensure fair elections under an independent ECP.
He said the caretaker prime minister would be a consensus candidate of the government and the opposition. Dispelling the impression that the president could influence the upcoming general election, Kaira said President Asif Ali Zardari had already surrendered all his powers to parliament. Kaira said the caretaker government would hold general elections in collaboration with the ECP.
Earlier, speaking on the occasion, Daily Times Editor Rashed Rahman said that the decision in the Asghar Khan case had come 16 years late and this late decision would not be very effective. He said that army must realise that it should play its due role only, and that this would be beneficial not only for them but also for the country. He said that the country’s existence mainly depends not only on democracy but also on the civil-military relationship. Rahman said that the present government has a comparatively good track record as it had no political prisoners and has not resorted to political victimisation as was done by previous regimes.
Rashed Rahman said if Nawaz Sharif is talking like a statesman now it is the result of 10-year exile. He said that political rivalry should not reach a point where a third force takes benefit of the situation. Observing that freedoms have been granted and attained, he said now the nation is getting familiar with these freedoms. He said that terrorism is the main problem of the country these days, but as it is said that establishment has stopped patronising it, the menace would certainly be eliminated soon.Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk