Conspiracies underway because we talk of new provinces: Gilani

In a charged speech to Pakistan People’s Party workers in Multan, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Sunday said some quarters were conspiring against the government over its decision to form new provinces, but the party would give the people of Seraiki belt their own province and assembly.
“Conspiracy is going on as to why we are forming new provinces. We will give Seraiki province to the people of this area. People will have their own province and their own assembly. Some elements are saying how will the PPP create provinces, but people have risen up and they want their rights,” Gilani said while addressing a cake-cutting ceremony in connection with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s 84th birth anniversary. He said some elements said that “we are politicking on the Seraiki province issue and are not serious about it; I want to ask them, should we launch a movement for the purpose or adopt the constitutional way?” He said the government was moving forward on the issue in accordance with the constitution. Gilani said the constitution would be protected and institutions would be respected. He said during the past four years, several conspiracies were hatched against the government, but all were foiled with the masses’ support. Gilani said the PPP was a party of the federation and national security would be put at stake if PPP was broken. “The PPP is the name of a movement and ideology,” he said. “Bhutto gave honour to the people, saying people were the fountainhead of power. Bhutto accorded recognition to everybody by giving them the right to exercise their vote.” “We promise that all the pledges made by Bhutto will be fulfilled,” he said. “We restored the constitution and judiciary. We gave autonomy to small provinces. Some people say the PPP does not respect the judiciary; we honour the judiciary as well as the constitution,” he added. The prime minister said the government would control the gas and electricity crises in the coming months.
Gilani reiterated the commitment to accomplish the mission of martyred PPP leaders for the empowerment of the people. He said the PPP was a federal party having popular support of the people, including peasants, farmers, workers and other poor segments of the society in all four provinces besides AJK, FATA and Gilgit-Baltistan. “It was this popularity that paved the way for party’s victory with comfortable majority in recent AJK elections,” he added.