Writing letter to Swiss government: Prime Minister says won't take 'anyone's' advice

Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Sunday said that he would not take advice from anybody about writing a letter to Swiss government, but would work in accordance with the Constitution. Talking to the media persons at State Guest House on Sunday afternoon, he said that inquiry into the Swiss bank issue should have been referred to the Parliament which was a body which could even re-write the Constitution.
He said that all over the world President or Prime Minister whosoever is executive head of the government, and Foreign Minister, enjoyed immunity as long as they were in power.
He said former military ruler Pervez Musharraf had no right or mandate to change the Constitution.
With reference to the Swiss Bank issue in which the prime minister has been asked to write a letter to Swiss authorities, Gilani said he would follow the Constitution, adding that he could not do so without the advice of Babar Awan.
"I will do whatever is according to the Constitution of the country which I follow," he said.
When asked about the possible date of the general elections, Prime Minister Gilani said the government was moving forward in a step-by-step manner with the first target being the Senate elections.
The next objective, he said was the presentation of budget in May this year, followed by consultations with coalition partners after which the decision would be taken on the date of general election.
The prime minister said on March 17 President Asif Ali Zardari would become the first democratically elected head of the state to address the joint session of the Parliament for the fifth consecutive occasion.
Furthermore, he too, was the longest serving prime minister of the country and would be presenting the record fifth budget, which would be one more feather in the cap of the present government, he said.
To a question about the appointment of Lt General Zaheer-ul-Islam as the new ISI DG, the prime minister said it had been made on merit, as the general was a competent person.
Asked how it would affect Pak-US relations, Gilani said the Parliament would soon debate new parameters of the relationship where inputs from all stakeholders would be considered.
On the Balochistan issue, the prime minister said that an All Parties Conference would be called after consulting all the stakeholders. In the meanwhile, he said he had instructed all law enforcement agencies to respect the mandate of the Balochistan government and extend their full support to it. According to reports, the total number of missing persons in the province is 49, he added.
On the Mehran Bank scandal, Gilani thought the issue should have been opened much earlier because few of the movers were still alive today.
Referring to the defeat of veteran PPP leader Aslam Gill in Senate elections, the prime minister said an inquiry had already been initiated and he could not jump to conclusions.
He added that PPP was the only party that did not indulge in horse-trading. He also mentioned his meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in which both were of the view that horse-trading and other malpractice be discouraged and parties should maintain 'high moral grounds'.
When asked what happened afterwards, the Prime Minister quipped 'Phir chiraghon kay gul ohr gaiey' (The light went out of the lamps).
Coming back to the Swiss Bank issue, the prime minister was of the opinion that a contempt notice should have been served on those who had given this immunity.
"The contempt should have been served on the previous parliament (2003-2008) as to why it gave immunity to the President. Had I been the Chief Justice of Pakistan, I would have referred the matter to the Parliament," he added.
"It is the only prerogative of the Parliament to re-write the constitution. Therefore, I am too small a person not to abide by the Parliament and the constitution," he added.
The prime minister said the present parliament had passed the 18th, 19th and 20th amendment bills. He said not a single member of the Parliament spoke against immunity to the President, asked to reopen the NRO issue or filed a dissenting note or any opposition member suggested re-election of the President who had been elected unanimously by the provincial assemblies and the national parliament.
Questioned on the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project and objections raised by the US, Prime Minister Gilani said funding arrangements had been made to install the pipeline on the Pakistani side while other formalities were under process. Meanwhile, talking to media persons outside the residence of State Minister for Minorities Akram Gill after condoling the death of his father said President Asif Ali Zardari would make history by addressing the joint session of the Parliament as an elected president for the fifth time on March 17.
He said Asif Zardari is the first democratically elected President under a democratic dispensation who would achieve this unique distinction in the 60-year history of the country.
The prime minister said chairman as well as deputy chairman of the Senate would take oath of their offices on March 12.
To a query, Yousuf Raza Gilani said the PPP government did manage to hold Senate elections and by-polls in the country despite bids by some elements to create hurdles in this regard.
About writing a letter to Swiss government, the prime minister said that he would not take advice from anybody but would work in accordance with the Constitution.
To a question, he said conspiracies had been hatched against democratically elected PPP governments in the past.
About the PML-N, he said it would have to face court proceedings for the first time in the Asghar Khan case.
Regarding a contempt of court case, the prime minister said the media was somehow complicating two cases. He said one case was of contempt of court in which he was being represented by Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan while the other was being heard somewhere else in which he had no counsel.
To a question, Gilani said the PPP government was serving the masses with utmost sincerity and the people were aware of it, and added no party other than PPP, could provide relief to the masses.
Earlier, Prime Minister Gilani condoled with the family of the late Tariq Masih Gill who passed away on March 1. The PM expressed deep grief and sorrow on the demise of Gill and remained with the family for some time.