Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said he did not require permission from the opposition leader to enter the National Assembly because he was a unanimously elected prime minister and a member of parliament.
He was talking to a lawyers’ delegation at the Punjab Governor’s House on Saturday. Gilani said the finality of the contempt case had yet to come and the case was still sub judice, adding, “We will appeal, challenging the conviction and it is well known that proceedings under the appeal are considered the continuity of the original case. The PPP leadership did not raise the question regarding the Mehran Bank scandal since the matter is still sub judice.”
The prime minister said he would uphold the supremacy of the constitution come what may, because the PPP had restored the constitution and could not violate it. “The president of Pakistan enjoys immunity under Article 248,” he said, adding that how could he write a letter to Swiss authorities for opening cases against an elected president. “I followed the advice not to write a letter (to Swiss authorities) as the constitution provides immunity to the president,” he said.
He said he, as the prime minister, had the legacy of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto. “We respect our institutions including the judiciary, because under instructions of BB, we led a campaign for restoration of the judiciary,” he maintained. The prime minister said though cases were registered against him in anti-terrorist courts, he was strictly following the law of the land and the constitution. Gilani said Nawaz Sharif was desperate because after losing popularity, as bye-election in Multan proved, his apprehensions were well founded. “Nawaz also has apprehensions that the PPP is going to present a people-friendly budget for the fifth time as well as PPP’s focus on creation of a Seraiki province,” he asserted.
He said, “Under the Charter of Democracy (CoD), the PPP favoured a third time prime minister only for Nawaz Sharif. Had we not favoured this, Nawaz would have been irrelevant in national politics.” Referring to the NRO, the prime minister said the first NRO was under which Nawaz went into an exile after an agreement that he would not take part in politics for 10 years. “First, Nawaz vociferously denied the existence of the agreement but later confessed that it was not 10 years but five,” Gilani added. Gilani mentioned that he was the longest serving prime minister and the president had addressed the joint session of parliament for the fifth time which was unprecedented in the history of Pakistan.
“It is a matter of pride that at present there is no political prisoner in the country and the media is free,” he said.
PM says needs no permission to enter parliament
