Don’t elect corrupt people, advises prime minister

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Thursday asked the people not to elect corrupt and dishonest politicians in elections, saying they were the most important filter against corruption.
Responding to questions at an Iftar dinner he hosted for journalists at the Prime Minister’s House, Gilani said, “I have been witnessing a debate against the corrupt since I entered the political arena back in 1980s. Since then, many dictatorial regimes came into power in the name of uprooting the corrupt but later joined hands with the corrupt politicians and stayed in power for almost a decade but the matter remains unresolved.”
He said the government was answerable to the people as well as parliament and all ministers and he himself was present to answer the questions put forth by the parliamentarians during the question hour of both the houses. Gilani said the PPP government had set a precedent by appointing the leader of the opposition the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). “I am the first prime minister who went to the AGP office himself and asked the accountant general to start accountability from the PM’s Secretariat. We don’t want to exempt the PM from accountability like some other countries. Moreover, I have directed the authorities concerned to present the accountability law with consensus,” he said.
Asked whether or not the US citizen Warren Weinstein had been recovered, Gilani said he could only confirm that after receiving information from the relevant law enforcement authorities. Asked if the establishment was behind the law and order in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilani said the success of the establishment might not be in killing the innocent. Asked why the PPP government had scrapped its plan of creating Saraiki province, Gilani said he could not ignore the aspirations of the people of the area and the new province could be named South Punjab.
“If some people don’t like the word Saraiki, we can give another name to the new province,” he said, and quoted the saying, “A rose by any other name would also smell as sweet.” Asked if the government wanted its government to be dislodged due to law and order incidents across country, the prime minister said no government wanted to be dislodged due to law and order in the country.
“Yes, there is a debate in the media for some time for calling the army in Karachi. If the provincial government deems it fit, they can call the army for assistance while the federal government may assist the provincial government. Law and order situation is not a new phenomenon for the Karachiites and I have been witnessing bodies in Karachi since 1985,” he said, adding that the Sindh cabinet had decided for an across-the-board operation in nine areas identified by the law enforcement agencies without any political consideration.
Asked whether MQM chief Altaf Hussain had demanded the prime minister’s resignation, Gilani said, “He (Altaf) is our favorite and he can say anything.” Asked why a controversial person was appointed the auditor general of Pakistan, Gilani defended the appointment of Buland Akhtar Rana, saying that the only fault with Rana was that he hailed from Multan. Asked why the PPP government was defying all court orders just to save two sons – Abdul Qadir Gilani and Moonis Elahi, Gilani said Qadir was not only his son but was also a member of the provincial assembly.