Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Sunday that the government had completed 45 months and would go on to complete its five-year term, and reiterated that the government respected all institutions, however, parliament was the supreme institution of the country.
“It’s an honour for the present government that it has completed its 45 months and it will complete the five-year term given to it by the people of Pakistan,” he said in his address to the 100th meeting of the federal cabinet held here at Sindh Governor’s House. According to an official handout, Gilani said this was the first federal cabinet of a democratically elected government that had held 100 meetings in 45 months, and today it had completed “the century”. He said the elected government had been following the principles of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and was taking all decisions in consultation with elected representatives. Gilani said it was the best way to pay homage to Quaid-i-Azam that the democratic government had completed 45 months in power. He said the elected parliament was performing its job and was taking all decisions through mutual consultations.
The prime minister said the democratic government had ensured the media freedom and independence of the judiciary. He said there was no political prisoner in the country today. He said the government had due reverence for the independence of the judiciary and gave respect to its decisions by accepting them with an open heart.
“It is to the credit of this democratic government that it took the decision to constitute the National Finance Commission, passed the 18th Constitutional Amendment and restored the 1973 Constitution in its original form, unanimously through parliament,” said Gilani. He said the government organised an All-Parties Conference twice to have consultation on national issues and even invited those politicians that had no representation in parliament.
He said President Asif Ali Zardari, who surrendered his powers to parliament, also addressed the joint session of parliament three times, which was another record in parliamentary history as none of his predecessors had fulfilled this constitutional requirement. Referring to foreign policy, Gilani said that in line with the principles of Quaid-i-Azam, the democratic government adopted the policy to have relations with all countries, including Pakistan’s neighbours, with honour and dignity. “The government has a very clear policy on the Kashmir issue and wants to resolve it in accordance with the aspirations of the people of Kashmir,” he said. Appreciating the contribution of Pakistan Army in defending the country, the prime minister said the armed forces had made enormous sacrifices to defend the frontiers. He vowed that the sovereignty, integrity and solidarity of the country would be protected at all costs and assured.
The prime minister said Quaid-i-Azam envisaged making his vision about democracy the future constitution of Pakistan and wanted to show it to the world.
He quoted Quaid-i-Azam as saying on on December 14, 1946: “Democracy is in the blood of Musalmans, who look upon complete equality of manhood (mankind) and believe in fraternity, equality and liberty.”
Gilani also constituted a task force under the finance minister to resolve the problems of the national institutions such as Pakistan International Airlines, Pakistan Electric Power Company, Pakistan Steel Mills and Pakistan Railways.
He announced that 2012 would be the year of Balochistan and assured that the people of the restive province would get their fundamental rights. The members of the federal cabinet appreciated Gilani’s decision to hold a cabinet meeting in Karachi on the 135th birth anniversary of Quaid-i-Azam.
Later, he told reporters during his visit to Quaid-i-Azam’s mausoleum that parliament was the supreme institution in the country as envisioned by Quaid-i-Azam and it was a representative body of the people. “The parliamentary form of government is the best way for accountability. Quaid-i-Azam did not want a presidential form of government, rather he desired a parliamentary system,” he said.
He said that in 1956, when the first constitution was passed, his father was also a member of the National Assembly, and the whole cabinet of that time visited the mausoleum of Quaid-i-Azam barefooted to pay homage to the great leader. All those leaders participated in the Pakistan Movement, he added.
He said the present government came to the Quaid’s mausoleum to pay homage to him following that tradition.
