Underlining the need for adopting a collective wisdom on the Balochistan issue, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Monday said he was ready to convene sessions of both Houses of parliament separately or jointly and even the all-parties conference to discuss and resolve the issue. Speaking in the Senate after the passage of the 20th Amendment Bill, he said the Balochistan issue was the number one priority of his government, added that the rights of Baloch people should be given to them. He congratulated the nation, parliamentarians and the political leadership of the country for adopting the 20th Amendment. “After the fall of Dhaka, it was the 1973 constitution which kept the country intact,” he added. He said a dictator defaced the 1973 constitution and the world wondered whether there was presidential or parliamentary form of government in Pakistan. He said the present parliament also rectified past mistakes. Boasting about the amendments made in the constitution which, he said, resolved the issue of appointing a caretaker set up in the country, the prime minister recalled the time when Pakistan used to “import” caretaker prime ministers and they were issued national identity cards after their arrival in Pakistan. He promised on his own and on the leader of the opposition’s behalf that they would resolve the issue of appointing a caretaker prime minister mutually and would not let the issue go to parliamentary committee, let alone the Election Commission.
SENATE PASSES DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE BILL: The House also passed “The Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill, 2012” to give protection to people affected by domestic violence. All the members supported the bill moved by Nilofer Bakhtiar. The legislation is ICT-specific, but the mover hoped that the provinces would also adopt it as a role model. JI senators including Prof. Khurshid introduced in the House “The Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2012 which sought amendments in Articles 9 and 10 of the constitution which relate to security, life and liberty of a person.
