Prime Minister Gilani treats Opposition with contemptuous mirth

Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has insisted that there is no clash between judiciary and Parliament. "Some forces want a miracle to take place but we shall not allow it to happen. It is a trichotomy of power [judiciary, executive and Parliament]. We respect and implement Supreme Court's decisions. It is the Supreme Court's job to interpret [the law and constitution] and we respect the decision of the apex court.
Supreme Court's interpretations of legal intricacies have upheld the honour of the parliament. Transfers and postings in bureaucracy is the sole prerogative of the executive. We have accepted the decisions of the apex court on NRO, NICL and PCO judges," the Prime Minister said while addressing the National Assembly on Monday.
The Prime Minister said the government did not dispute the Supreme Court's decision with regard to former Establishment Secretary Sohail Ahmed. He added: "We have now appointed Sohail Ahmed as Secretary Narcotics Control Division." He said the senior most judge Justice Javed Iqbal has himself acknowledged that the government has implemented apex court's decisions. While hinting the Opposition, the Prime Minister said: "Some forces want to amplify the non-issues. Nobody can surpass us in the areas of tolerance and humility. We have tolerated the criticism of media and opposition with an open heart."
The Prime Minister raised some questions about the events that led to the suspension and arrest of SP Faisalabad in the Lower House of the Parliament. "The [accountability] court gave its decision on Saturday and acquitted Benazir Bhutto. I want to know who had filed a case against her," he asked.
He said the provincial government expelled the officers unceremoniously and the federal government accepted its decision. According to him, government servants are part and parcel of state machinery and they deserve due promotions. He said bureaucracy could stage a revolt elsewhere but not in Pakistan and the court has come up with a clear interpretation of the law that administration is competent to make postings and transfers.
Responding to Prime Minister's speech, Sardar Mehtab Ahmed of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) said that the opposition played its role in strengthening democracy. He said that Opposition helped the government pull the country out of crises on different occasions. He said the entire nation knows that the government never wanted to restore judges, but it had been done due to the struggle of lawyers and the PML-N.
He said country's economy is in dire straits for the last three years. He said now competent and honest officers are joining the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. "This government is losing honest and competent officers and appointing incompetent people," he said.
"Today, there is a serious energy crisis in the country. This crisis is hurting the economy badly. Pakistani investors are shifting their investment to Bangladesh and other countries," according to him. He said the government has failed to stop targeted killings in Karachi and Balochistan and protect the sovereignty of Pakistan. The government failed to implement the recommendations of a joint-sitting of the Parliament. According to him, the government has not implemented the Supreme Court decisions on NRO, NAB and Swiss cases.