Opposition invited to frame polls code of conduct

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Monday invited the opposition for a dialogue to frame code of conduct for holding free, fair and transparent elections.
After State Minister for Finance Omar Ayub Khan wound up the debate on budget 2007-08, the Prime Minister invited leaders of all the opposition parties to sit with the government to frame rules of the game for general elections.
"I appeal parliamentary leaders of all the opposition parties to sit together to chalk out a code of conduct for coming pollings and let the people decide who wins the elections," Shaukat Aziz said in response to PML President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain's request.
Shujaat had requested the Prime Minister to invite the opposition for evolving a strategy for next general elections. However, the opposition said it was ready to sit with the government but it has lost its credibility of holding dialogue.
The government, PM maintained, always wanted to resolve all the issues through dialogue and have welcomed the constructive criticism by the opposition benches.
Showing no flexibility in reduction of defence budget, the Prime Minister said the government would never compromise on country's defence and all resources would be utilised to make Pakistan unconquerable.
He told the National Assembly that the government would never roll back its nuclear programme rather take it further.
Prime Minister Shaukat came hard on the opposition parties and said they should work for the betterment of the country in the parliament instead of dying to meet visiting US diplomats.
Earlier, winding up the almost 58 hours debate on federal budget, Omar Ayub Khan said the government would accommodate 51 recommendations forwarded by the upper house of the Parliament.
He termed the budget an historic budget and lambasted the opposition for an undue criticism. Omar said Pakistan's debt was 100 percent to GDP ratio back in 1998-99 that now has decreased to almost 53 percent to the GDP ratio. He also ruled out any possibility of reduction in the defence budget.
State Minister for Finance painted a very rosy picture of country's economy and said a record development budget worth Rs 520 billion was announced by the present government.
Taking part in the debate, PML President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain also made a request to the opposition parties to devise a code of conduct for holding free, fair and transparent elections.
He criticised the opposition parties who met US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher in the Election Commission office. He ruled out any possibility of manipulation in newly compiled computerised voters' lists and said anybody could insert his name before the next general elections take place.
About the parliamentary committee on Balochistan, PML President said the report of the Mushahid Hussain's sub-committee has been finalised but the report of the other sub-committee headed by Senator Wasim Sajjad is left incomplete due to opposition's boycott.