Pakistan is facing a serious threat and the nation needs unity at this critical juncture to uphold national sovereignty and dignity, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Wednesday. Speaking in the Senate, Gilani said state institutions should not be weakened as harmony among them was vital to strengthen the country.
“The country is under a serious threat and we should not provide any opportunity to anyone who could expose our weaknesses,” the prime minister said, adding that Pakistan was standing at crossroads and the situation called for resolve and commitment to stand by state institutions and defend the country. Speaking on the issue of Osama bin Laden, the prime minister said the army chief had called him at 2am to tell him about US choppers in Abbottabad.
Gilani said in the morning he received calls from US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, adding that a meeting was held at the Presidency on the same day in which the president, the prime minister and the army chief were present. Gilani said the Foreign Office statement was approved in that meeting, adding that it was wrong to say that the government did not react immediately.
The prime minister said no hue and cry should be raised on bin Laden’s killing as he was not a Pakistani citizen. Gilani said Al Qaeda was involved in heinous crimes which subsequently led to the killings of 30,000 innocent Pakistanis and 5,000 soldiers, adding that if no one remained safe in the country, the economy too would crumble. Gilani said it was not a time for political point-scoring but showing unity to devise a comprehensive strategy to protect the country.
“It is a norm all over the world that when any issue pertaining to foreign policy arises, all political parties and the nation unite and face the challenge,” he said. Referring to the opposition and government parties, he said there could be a disagreement on methodology but one should not doubt sincerity of others. He said impression that Pakistan was an isolated country needed to be dispelled, adding that he had spoken to the French president and other dignitaries who conceded that Pakistan’s sacrifices in the war against terrorism was more than any other country and the same impression existed in Brussels, which too admitted that Pakistan’s contribution in the war on terror surpassed those of all NATO countries.
Gilani said the government had decided to convene an in-camera session of parliament on Friday in which parliamentarians would be briefed about the situation, adding that a meeting of the Defence Coordination Committee had also been convened later this month to review the situation. On the problems regarding the country’s development, Gilani said the government had adopted a policy to develop all parts of the country across the board. “No discrimination is being made with any part of the country regarding socio-economic development and all members either from opposition or the government are being given equal funds,” he said.
