Independent media, judiciary, parliament fruits of democracy: Raja
11 July, 2012
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Tuesday said independent media, judiciary and parliament are the fruits of democracy.
"It's a matter of great pride that Pakistan has an independent judiciary, an independent media, and a democratically elected parliament, and the basic rights of the middle-class people are the dividends of democracy," the PM said while addressing the APP regularisation certificate distribution ceremony at the Prime Minister's Secretariat.
The PM said the coalition government, led by the Pakistan People's Party, had strong roots in the masses, adding that the party was taking effective steps for the progress, prosperity and welfare of the people.
He said that when there was no democracy, there was no independent judiciary and an independent media.
He said the dictators had damaged the freedom and independence of judiciary and democracy.
He said the coalition partners, with the support of the masses, had been carrying forward the mission and philosophy of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto, and empowering the people, especially those belonging to the middle and lower-middle classes, as they were the real strength of the democratic process.
Referring to the regularisation of contractual employees, the PM said that all workers had been regularised without any political discrimination.
He said the credit goes to the PPP for taking practical steps for the reinstatement of politically sacked employees and regularisation of contractual employees without any discrimination.
Raja urged the opposition to come forward and discuss things with the government to reach consensus on different issues so that the country could further progress.
He said it was the credit of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto that he gave the right of vote to the common man, which was the base of the democratic system in the country.
He said despite difficult circumstances, the PPP-led coalition government raised the salaries of government employees by 150 percent in the last four years.
Referring to war on terror, the PM said Pakistan had been playing an important role in this regard. He paid tribute to the sacrifices of the Pakistan Army for ensuring peace and security in the troubled areas, like Swat. He also saluted the sacrifices of the army, especially in the Gayari Sector. He said all the achievements were due to the democratic system, as all political forces in the government were on the same page.
Referring to the policy of reconciliation adopted by the present government in the guidelines of Benazir Bhutto, the PM said that the selection of Justice (r) Fakhruddin G Ibrahim as a consensus candidate for the slot of the chief election commissioner indicated that consensus could be developed with sincerity and dedication.
Meanwhile, talking to Senator Suriya Amiruddin and MNA Natasha Daultana, the PM said that consensus on the name of CEC amply manifested the government's commitment to electing the next parliament according to the people's choice, by holding free, fair and transparent elections.
The parliamentarians congratulated him on the unanimous selection of Justice (r) Fakhruddin and termed it a positive omen for democratic dispensation, as the selection was made both by the government and the opposition with complete consensus.
They also apprised the PM of various development projects in their respective constituencies.
Raja Ashraf asked the parliamentarians to focus on the completion of ongoing projects in their constituencies.
End.
|
