Assuring the nation that there is no threat to the country, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Saturday that the government was in the process of identifying the stakeholders who would be taken on board before summoning the All Parties Conference (APC) on Balochistan.
Talking to journalists at the Prime Minister’s House, Gilani said, “We are in the process to identify the stakeholders who would be taken on board. The Baloch are pro-Pakistan and nationalists. First we will address the issue of mutilated bodies in the province, then we will consult them (Baloch) at the APC or whatever other forum they wanted to discuss and resolve the issue.”
The prime minister said a committee had been constituted to contact the country’s political leadership to convene the APC on the issue. Gilani said he would meet the Balochistan governor and chief minister “very soon” to discuss ways to engage all the stakeholders in the consultations. The prime minister said the benefits of the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan Package could not trickle down effectively to the masses because of fragile law and order situation in the province. He said it was the government’s duty to remove the grievances of Baloch people. On a question that the US was interfering in Pakistan’s affairs, Gilani said it (US) had already clarified that the Congress resolution had nothing to do with the US administration’s policy, therefore the resolution should not be given much importance.
He said that Pakistan’s defence was strong and there was no threat to the country. The prime minister said that he was scheduled to receive the Shalimar Express at Multan Railway Station, but cancelled his visit to avoid allegations of influencing the by-polls being contested by his son.
To a question on extending the services of the chiefs of the Pakistan Air Force and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the prime minister said, “It is a continuing process and only time will determine it.” He said the government had taken short-term, mid-term and long-term measures to overcome the energy crisis. “We want to materialise the MoU with Qatar to overcome energy shortage as soon as possible”, he added.
On Afghanistan, Gilani said the whole world was convinced that military option was not a solution to the problem. “It requires reconciliation; that’s why we have appealed to all the stakeholders to make the peace process in Afghanistan a success. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has asked us to use our good offices in resolving the issue,” he said, adding, “We don’t want to interfere in Afghanistan … we want a stronger Afghanistan. It is in the interest of Pakistan.”
To a question, Gilani said the government was bound to comply with the recommendations of the Defence Coordination Committee (DCC), which had asked the government to get Shamsi airbase vacated from the US and suspend NATO supply routes. He said Pakistan wanted good relations with the US based on mutual respect.
To a question on summoning the joint session of the parliament, the prime minister said it would be summoned after the Senate elections so that the ‘new comers’ could discuss the recommendations of the parliamentary committee on national security vis-à-vis new terms of engagement with the US and NATO. To a question that the government wanted to bring new laws to curb media freedom, Gilani said, “We are not Musharraf.” He also dispelled the impression that passage of 20th Amendment was the outcome of a deal.
No threat to Pakistan, assures prime minister
