Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Sunday said that President Asif Ali Zardari will return to Pakistan on the advice of doctors. In an interview to BBC Urdu service here, he said the United States has vacated the Shamsi air base within the time limit given to it and now the air base is under the control of Pakistani forces.
To a question about Saraiki province, the Prime Minister said that it was an important matter which can not be left for the next parliament. "The government will approach the present assembly for creation of the Saraiki province," he added.
To another question about his statement in which the Prime Minister had said that he would resign but will not write a letter to the Swiss government on the issue of NRO, Gilani said he never said this and his statement was presented in a wrong way. When asked why the killers of Benazir Bhutto were not punished, he said, "I only want to tell you this, if you see that in high profile cases, it takes time. And you have seen other cases of murder in the country, about which nothing has come up yet. This matter is sub judice, and we should wait for results."
On the memo issue, Gilani said that the people of Pakistan believe in realities instead of rumours and a person who was involved in conspiracies in the past should not be believed.
Gilani said that the Nato attack was an insult to the sacrifices of Pakistan, whose 35,000 people lost their lives in the war on terror. He said Pakistan was continuing with the policy of 3D - dialogue, development and deterrence - to tackle the issue of militancy.
To a question, he said a peaceful and stable Afghanistan was in the interest of Pakistan.
AFP adds: President Asif Ali Zardari has not suffered a stroke nor offered to resign, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told the BBC following rumours the President would step down.
"There was no stroke," Gilani said. "He is improving and he is now out of ICU and he has been shifted to his room and I think he will take rest for about two weeks," he said.
Zardari has a long-standing heart condition and was admitted to the American Hospital in Dubai. Medics say there is no lasting damage from a transient ischemic attack, but that it is an indicator of a possible stroke in the future.
Gilani also said he had talked with Zardari.
"He sounded very well. I did talk to him, and he has been talking to other cabinet ministers as well, to his son, to everybody," he said, adding that the president had been exhausted but was improving. Prime minister denied Zardari had written a letter of resignation. "Why should he write?" Gilani told the BBC. "He has the backing and support of the entire parliament."
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