PM advises President to end governor rule in Punjab

PM advises President to end governor rule in Punjab

Wednesday, 11 Mar, 2009 | 11:26 PM PST |

The PM's statements are fuelling speculation that a deal is close at hand - APP/File photo.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Gilani on Tuesday evening advised President Asif Ali Zardari to end governor’s rule in Punjab at the earliest in order to allow the majority parliamentary group to select a new leader of the house by fresh elections.

Speaking at a dinner that he hosted in honour of incoming and outgoing senators at PM house moments after a meeting with the Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Ashfaq Parvaiz Kayani, the Prime Minister said, ‘We will rise up to the occasion to resolve our issues without unnecessarily [destabilising] the power seat if we fail to deliver.’

Reports of an understanding between the PPP and PML-Q over formation of government in Punjab and a consensus on the Senate Chairman’s election were already in the air when he spoke to the lawmakers, according to sources.

Mr. Gilani said that the government wants to resolve all issues according to the charter of democracy (CoD) signed by slain PPP leader Benazir Bhutto and Mian Nawaz Sharif.

Prime Minister said that majority of the Senators were elected unopposed for the first time in the country’s history.

‘I am speaking to you at a time when the country is on the crossroads,’ the under pressure Premier asserted.

He said that all issues could be resolved through charter of democracy, adding the government would implement it in letter and spirit.

Premier Gilani said, ‘President will be coming tomorrow and I have summoned governor Punjab (Salman Taseer) to the federal capital to discuss the issue and I will advise the president to lift governor’s rule as we do not want to prolong governor rule anymore’.

‘It is right of whichever party has the majority to form its government’ the Prime Minister remarked, adding ‘We want to take the vision of our slain leader Benazir Bhutto along.

The Prime Minister said, ‘There are three parties the PPP, PML (Nawaz) and PML-Q in the order of majority in Punjab and whosoever of the two should sit together and decide and we will respect their decision’.

‘I will request the president also to let the house ascertain its leader’ he said.

He reiterated PPP government’s allegiance with the Charter of Democracy which he said Benazir Bhutto had signed along with Nawaz Sharif and pledged to respect and implement the same in letter and spirit.

Turning to the judiciary’s issue, the prime minister said ‘We will talk to legal experts as nothing is insolvable’. He said ‘For every wrong there is remedy and every one of us should join hands to resolve the issues.’

Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said ‘We have no right to sit on power seats if we are unable to deliver, adding these are musical chairs in which we are seated today and someone else will be occupying them tomorrow.’

He said ‘We will build and strengthen our institutions for next generation, the generation of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.’ He further stated, ‘This seat (power seat) belongs to Benazir Bhutto and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto which we are occupying today and if we are unable to deliver we loose the right to occupy it’.

The Prime Minister spoke glowingly about the national economy which according to him was growing despite the fact that all the European countries, Saudi Arabia and others were under tremendous pressures.

‘The IMF and other international monetary institutions had reported Pakistan’s economy as on the positive side’ he said.

He also mentioned the many challenges that the country was faced with including the challenge of extremism and terrorism with which the nation can confront only through politically and economically strong Pakistan.

He also referred to the impending meeting of Friends of Pakistan in Japan which was keen to help Pakistan make economically strong provided we make it politically stable country.

‘Only condition for the world support is that we show to the world that we are politically strong and stable country’, he said.

He also made a mention of incoming Kerry-Lugar bill which will give Pakistan 15 billion dollar assistance over next ten years.

While three sitting senators belonging to Jamaat Islami boycotted the dinner to protest what they termed massive arrests of political workers and lawyers representatives across the country, almost all other sitting and newly elected senators apart from the ministers attended.