Governor Punjab, Sardar Abdul Latif Khan Khosa, on Monday said that PPP was promoting the politics of reconciliation and would hold fair and transparent polls on completion of the constitutional period of five years. He was talking to journalists here in Governor's House. Governor, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Barrister Masood Kausar was also present on the occasion.
The governor Punjab said that the President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari is committed to the politics of reconciliation and running the government with the collective vision. He said that consecutive general elections will help strengthen democratic institutions. He congratulated the PPP leadership on winning overwhelming majority in the elections of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and said that the PML-N has also showed better performance. He said that elections have been conducted in free, fair and transparent manner and assured that whenever the Kashmiris will get the right of plebiscite they would vote in favour of Pakistan.
To a question, he said that he had never issued inflammatory statements and soon after taking oath as Governor Punjab, he first visited to Jatti Omra, where he met PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif. He said that in the Charter of Democracy signed between Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and Mian Nawaz Sharif it was decided to bury the politics of vendetta and strengthening of democracy. "I during my visit assured PML-N leadership in this regard," said Khosa.
Abdul Latif Khan Khosa said that on Sunday June 26, he under the obligation of the Article 131 of the constitution, phoned to Chief Minister to bring the matter of irregularities in the elections of Azad Jammu Kashmir polls in his notice. Similarly, he said that the matter of Rana Sanaullah; he utilised his constitutional right, because it was a matter of the collective responsibility of the provincial cabinet. The matter, he said, was cognisant as my predecessor was also killed after such kind of threat. "The matter is a step towards good governance and should not used as confrontation," he added.
He said that situation would be normalised soon, saying the current polarisation was created in the perspective of AJK polls. To another question, he said that the government has constituted a commission to investigate the kidnapping and killing of Islamabad-based journalist Saleem Shehzad. He said that under Commission of Inquiries 1956 Act, the constitution of the commission was the prerogative of the federal government. However, he said that the sentence of subject to the approval of the Chief Justice was written on the notification.
He said that consultation with the Chief Justice was carried avoid effects on the routine rostrum of the judiciary. The commission, he said, will review all aspects of the incident including from where, the victim was kidnapped and where and why he was killed. He said that all stakeholders including a representative of the journalist community has also been included in the judicial commission. He particularly mentioned the Commission on flood and death threats to former chief justice, Lahore High Court (LHC) Khawaja Mohammad Sharif.