ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has said that judiciary “is independent”, and the government fully respects its orders, decisions and judgments, according to official documents exclusively made available to Business Recorder. The Prime Minister had expressed these views six days ago, in a meeting in Karachi, before the announcement of the short order by the Supreme Court on Friday on the ‘Memo’ written by a US citizen Mansoor Ijaz to Admiral Mike Mullen, purportedly on the advice of Pakistan’s former ambassador to USA Hussain Haqqani.
The Prime Minister had also paid glowing tributes to the valiant armed forces of Pakistan, which rendered invaluable sacrifices for the defence of the country, particularly in the war against terror.
Presiding over a meeting of the federal cabinet, the Prime Minister recapitulated the state of affairs and the challenges vis-a-vis the actions undertaken during the last 45 months of his being in office. He also highlighted the importance of December 25 in the national perspective, with special reference to the birth anniversary of the Quaid-e-Azam.
The members of the cabinet paid glowing tributes to the Father of the Nation for his statesmanship, quest for excellence, being always at the top, keeping public service as a sacred trust, never giving up even against heavy odds and finally carving an independent sovereign state of Pakistan on the world map.
During the cabinet meeting, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan had tendered her resignation in tears, which was turned down by the Prime Minister.
The episode of her resignation is missing from the minutes of federal cabinet as the Cabinet Secretary, Nargis Sethi, sitting very near to her, did not include that part of the proceedings in the minutes.
The Prime Minister said:
“Today the whole nation is celebrating the 135th Birth Anniversary of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah. We are really thankful to Almighty Allah who blessed this nation a great leader on 25th December 1876 who won us freedom and thus 25th December brings with it a new fervor, new aspirations and a message for improved struggle. This day also calls for self-realisation, self-assessment, self-accountability and understanding for the issues of national importance and a message of determination to resolve them under the guidance of the golden principles laid down for us by the great leader.”
The Prime Minister said that in certain cases it is history which makes the people. However, in very rare cases there are certain individuals who determine the course of history, and in fact make history. The emergence of Pakistan as a distinct entity on the world map is no doubt a great achievement of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who envisaged Pakistan as a progressive democratic welfare state, wherein the people should live with complete unity and harmony. He said that the present elected government is making all-out efforts to translate the vision of the Quaid-e-Azam into reality.
According to the documents, the Prime Minister, recapitulating the performance of the cabinet, said that the cabinet had held 100 meetings, deliberated upon 891 different issues of vital national importance, 1101 decisions had been taken and the rate of implementation of these decisions was over 81 percent. The Prime Minister informed his cabinet colleagues that the cabinet had held its meetings in Lahore, Quetta, Gwadar and Peshawar, which was also symbolic of the national harmony and integration.
The Prime Minister referred to the sacrifices made by the nation to fulfil the democratic guidelines of the Quaid and said that the leaders, no less than Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto, and thousands of workers laid down their lives for the survival of the democratic norms in the country. The Prime Minister said that the government had buried the tradition of revenge once and for all and was following the motto of mutual reconciliation, once exercised by Benazir Bhutto. He said that there was no political prisoner in the country, no politician was harassed under the garb of accountability and that the government was proceeding along with its coalition partners, with a sense of perseverance, patience and tolerance.
He said that the NEC Award, the 18th Constitutional Amendment, and above all, the restoration of the 1973 Constitution in its original form were the big achievements of the present government for which the government and the Parliament deserved due applause and appreciation. He said that media “is free” and that the “Parliament is sovereign”. Attendance of the Prime Minister in person in almost every sitting of the National Assembly was reflective of the respect which the government accords to the Parliament, he had said.
The Prime Minister said that holding All Party Conferences (APC) indicated the government’s sincerity for mutual consultation and national reconciliation. The President had addressed the Parliament three times and he had transferred all his constitutional powers to the Parliament. It was for the respect of the provincial autonomy that the government initiated the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan, which started yielding its results.
The Prime Minister paid glowing tributes to the valiant armed forces of Pakistan, which have rendered invaluable sacrifices for the defence of the country, particularly in the war against terror. Highlighting the salient features of the foreign policy, the Prime Minister had reiterated the resolve of the nation to proceed with dignity and honour in the field of foreign relations and committed to continuing to support the people of Kashmir to get their rights guaranteed to them under the UN resolutions. He also reiterated the government’s firm resolve for the survival of democracy, national integrity and struggle for the rights of the people.
Prominent members of the cabinet, including those representing various party affiliations in the coalition government and those representing backward provinces and regions, also joined the Prime Minister in paying tributes to the Father of the Nation and vowed to carry on the mission of the Quaid to make Pakistan a progressive democratic Islamic state.
After detailed discussion on the vision of Quaid-e-Azam, the cabinet expressed satisfaction over its performance under the leadership of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and resolved that: (i) 2012 will be observed as ‘Year of Balochistan’ to ensure its development and to bring the people of Balochistan at par with those of the other provinces; (ii) a dedicated Task Force will be instituted to improve the efficiency of the energy sector, Pakistan Railways, Pakistan International Airlines and Pakistan Steel Mills; (iii) all the institutions of the state shall function within the parameters of Constitution and Law; and (iv) Federal Ministers will showcase the achievements of their respective Ministries. —MUSHTAQ GHUMMAN
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