News
Sunday, September 04, 2011
Country can’t afford Karachi unrest: PM* Gilani says law enforcement agencies instructed to take action on credible *intelligence g Advises opponents to desist from intimidating PPP with agitation
LAHORE: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Saturday said that the people of Sindh have stood up against land grabbers, extortionists and terrorists and they would not rest until these criminals were eliminated from the province.
The land grabbers in Karachi should vacate the state land worth trillions of rupees within a month, he said, during his visit to the residence of Hamid Mir, columnist and anchorperson, as a mark of respect to his father Prof Waris Mir, who was teacher of the prime minister at the Punjab University.
Gilani said, “People of the country in general and the people of Sindh in particular had stood up against the land grabbers, extortionists, and terrorists and they would not rest till these criminals were eliminated from the province as they had been keeping the urban life hostage.” The prime minister said that action across the board would be taken against those who had robbed the state’s wealth, adding that thousands of acres of land would be retrieved as it is stated in the revenue record of the government.
Gilani said that the federal government fully supported across the board operation in nine areas of Karachi, which was successfully underway.
He said that the law enforcement agencies were under instructions to take action on credible intelligence with a view to minimising collateral damage.
National wealth belongs to the people of Pakistan and not to the criminals and they would be made to pay every looted paisa, he added.
He also said that the PPP had a long experience of movements against dictators, therefore, others should desist from intimidating the party with agitational politics. Parties should discuss all the issues in parliament, which is the symbol of the people of Pakistan and democracy, he added.
The prime minister, while expressing his views about the question of new provinces, said that the people of southern Punjab felt that the issue of creation of more provinces had been launched to sabotage their movement.
He said that the PPP leadership believed in consensus and would take decisions of national importance on that basis as it had done in case of constitutional amendments, National Finance Commission Awards, Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan package, etc.
The prime minister said that peace in Karachi was critical for the economy of the country as the city was an economic hub.
“We cannot afford the law and order situation to go out of hand. We will succeed as it is the only option,” he added.
Gilani has asked the Punjab governor to set up Waris Mir Chair at the Punjab University while he visited the residence of Hamid Mir without protocol to avoid causing any inconvenience to the people. app
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk