Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Friday urged people to elect “right representatives” in the next elections, and help strengthen democratic institutions for the betterment of Pakistan.
Speaking at Pakistan Zindabad Show organised at the Pakistan-China Friendship Centre by PTV on the occasion of Pakistan Day, Gilani said people should elected those representatives in the next elections who really wanted to serve Pakistan.
He said new parties were in the run, but old faces had joined them. “It is old wine in the new bottles and people cannot be befooled,” he added.
The prime minister said that people should elect those who were doing “politics of principles”, as after the elections they will have to wait for five years. He said that if elections were held three to four times, then no dictator would have the courage to usurp the rights of the people.
He said, “We want the supremacy of the constitution and all institutions should strengthen and work within their domain.”
“There should be a vibrant civil society, independent judiciary. We want to give more freedom to the media.” He said that people started to make predictions about the fall of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government since the day democracy was restored in the country. The government has completed its four years, but because of the “speed-brakes” it wasted its energies which could have been spent for the welfare of the people, he said.
He said the government restored the constitution to its original form in line with the vision of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. He said politicians had given the first unanimous constitution of 1956 and then they walked barefooted to the mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam in Karachi, which at that time was the capital of Pakistan.
It was their way to pay homage to the founding father, he added. He said Quaid-e-Azam wanted parliamentary democracy in the country and a dictator abrogated the first constitution of Pakistan just after two years in 1958.
Elect the right people, PM advises nation
