News
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Govt has good relations with establishment, army* PM says army, ISI in favour of democracy
* Government has no confrontation with judiciary
* No deal behind delay in hearing of NRO implementation case
* Dispels impression drone attacks being conducted with govt’s consent
LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said the government has good relations with the establishment and the army, adding that the army and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) were in favour of democracy, a private TV channel reported on Tuesday.
Speaking with a panel of journalists at the Prime Minister’s House in Islamabad, the prime minister said that the government would complete its tenure, adding that those who wished the government to dissolve before its time would be disappointed. He said that the government had no confrontation with the judiciary, adding that the extension give by the apex court for writing a letter to the Swiss government against President Asif Ali Zardari was not the outcome of any deal. He said that the government respected the judiciary. He said that reinstating Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry during the tenure of former president Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf was a great risk, but “I delivered the pledge made with the nation”, the channel added.
Gilani disclosed that the former president wanted to dissolve the current assemblies, but he could not succeed as he could not muster any support from any quarter. The Pakistan People’s Party’s parliamentary committee and its coalition partners had decided for impeachment of Musharraf, he went on to say.
Gilani said that he had not received the final list of the National Reconciliation Order (NRO) beneficiaries. He added that out of the 32 articles of the Charter of Democracy (CoD), 27 articles had been implemented. He also said that all the state departments were working within their constitutional limits.
NRO deal: Gilani said the time allowed by the Supreme Court until October 13 regarding the implementation of its verdict on the NRO case was not the outcome of any deal.
Ruling out the possibility of imposition of martial law in the country, the prime minister said no one supported martial law in the country. “We are taking difficult decisions for improvement in the economy of the country,” he added.
He held that criticism was the right of the opposition. “We are facing it with a broad mind,” he said, adding that the size of cabinet was also going to be reduced.
Drones: He dispelled the impression that drone attacks were being conducted with the consent of the government, adding that the government has always opposed these attacks and had adopted the stance that they leaving a negative impact, he added.
“We have raised this issue with the United States on several occasions,” he maintained. daily times monitor/online
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk