ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Friday stunned reporters by saying that it was a compliment for him if some people dubbed him “weak” or a “dummy prime minister”.
“I respect the views of PML-N leader (Ahsan Iqbal). I will take his views as a compliment … as an advice,” the prime minister said. The other day, PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal had claimed that Gilani was more weak than former prime minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali.
Talking to reporters after attending the concluding ceremony of an international conference on energy conservation, the prime minister said the first half of his party’s five-year term had passed facing challenges. “During the remaining half, we will focus on provision of relief to the masses,” he added.
Gilani did not give a definitive reply when asked why the government did not take parliament into confidence before the initiation of the third round of the Pak-US dialogue. “We have taken the federal cabinet onboard over the strategic dialogue and will now take parliament into confidence,” he said.
Asked to comment on the Charter of Pakistan proposed by PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, Gilani said the government would comment only when the proposal was shared with him. “We have already implemented nearly 80 percent of the Charter of Democracy,” he added.
Gilani said Muslim Leaguers would only ponder for the good of the government. “Most of the leaguers are either my kith or kin,” he added.
The prime minister also dodged questions regarding skyrocketing prices and offered no comments when asked about the recent report by Transparency International which named Pakistan as the 34th most corrupt country.
