Govt committed to its political, constitutional obligations: PM Ashraf
24 January, 2013
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said on Wednesday the government was committed to its political and constitutional obligations and believed in strengthening the institutions in their own domain. "With the collective wisdom of federal as well as provincial governments, democracy is gaining strength in the country," he told chief ministers and members of the Council of Common Interests (CCI), in his opening remarks at the council's 11 meeting held after the 18th Constitutional Amendment. Raja Ashraf said the nation was approaching general elections within a couple of months and reiterated that the government was committed to holding free, fair and transparent elections in accordance with the provisions of the constitution. "This will enable the people of Pakistan to exercise their free will to elect a government of their choice for the next tenure," he said. He mentioned that the policy of reconciliation had been introduced by the Pakistan People's Party with an aim to steer the country out of crisis. "We do not believe in the politics of victimisation and the proof of this reality is that there are no political prisoners in the country." The prime minister said that political parties had always been taken on board on almost all the national issues on internal as well as external fronts. He said the spirit of democracy has been maintained throughout the tenure of the current government. Raja Ashraf said the government gives respect to all democratic forces and mentioned the amicable solution of the issue of Dr Tahirul Qadri's long march as an example. He said the government took a "lot of care" of the participants of the long march and engaged them in a peaceful dialogue. He said the government condemned the loss of precious lives in Quetta on January 10. The decision to impose Governor's Rule in Balochistan was also based on consensus and taken after consultation with all the stakeholders, he added. In view of the deteriorating security situation, Article 234 of the constitution was invoked and Governor's Rule was declared in Balochistan, he added. The prime minister said the CCI is a symbol of federalism and has strengthened the confidence of all the federating units. "It has always been the desire of the government to settle all debatable issues through CCI," he added. "We are committed to Charter of Democracy and have implemented most of its points," he said. He recalled that the council in its earlier meetings discussed pivotal issues of national importance and took decisions with consensus through active participation of federating units. The prime minister said most of the council's decisions had been implemented and quite a few are in various phases of implementation. End.
|
