Islamabad: Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani said Thursday
conspiracies are being hatched to topple the democratically elected
government.
“I want to make it clear that there are intrigues
and conspiracies going on and the conspiracy is to pack up the elected
government. I want to tell them that whether we are in government or
opposition or among the people, we will fight for the rights of the
people of Pakistan,” he said at a ceremony held with regard to birth
anniversary of founder of Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
“I
want to make it clear that there are intrigues and conspiracies going
on and the conspiracy is to pack up the elected government. I want to
tell them that whether we are in government or opposition or among the
people, we will fight for the rights of the people of Pakistan,” Gilani
said
The Prime Minister said that the Pakistan Army was an organized institution and would respect the constitution.
The
prime minister said no army in the world could fight a war without the
backing of the masses, adding that the nation would have to decide if it
wanted democracy or dictatorship.
“Army could not counter any
foreign aggression and menace of terrorism without the support of
people,” he underlined. “They are being paid from the state exchequer,
people’s revenues and taxes,” he said.
“We have the highest
regard and respect for the army of Pakistan because they have stood up
against terrorism, extremists. We have given the whole country ownership
by PM taking responsibility for all military actions in country, united
country, held APC.”
“If any individual thinks they are not under the government, they are mistaken,” he said.
Gilani
said he is the first PM after Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto who has spent maximum
period during premiership. “If the incumbent leadership was declared
corrupt then from where the alternative leadership would be imported,”
he said.
“Allegations of treason were leveled against the leadership which led to dismemberment of Pakistan,” he stated.
“Democracy
could not stay stable in the country if under -19 team was brought, he
cautioned. Dictatorship had ambushed democracy repeatedly,” he remarked.
He said efforts were underway to declare the sitting leadership
corrupt. “People had grown conscious and if we would term people wrong
then it would be an insult to the vision of the people,” he added.
“All
the institutions were subordinate to constitution,” he said, adding
when constitution was given to the country for the first time in 1956
the then leadership had visited mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam, barefooted
and offered ‘Nawafil’ of gratitude and paid tribute to father of nation,
he remarked.
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto gave consensus constitution to
the nation in 1973 and dictators mutilated it twice later, he said,
adding the PM is chief executive of the country in parliamentary system
of democracy and all the stakeholders including PM were subordinate to
parliament.
“If we are not respected and if I can’t guarantee
the rights of the people of Pakistan then I have no right to be the PM
of Pakistan,” Gilani said
He said people have to decide whether they want “elected people or a dictatorship”
Addressing the National Assembly, Gilani said that if he cannot protect rights of people, he cannot sit in parliament
“Any
government institution has to be routed through answerable to
parliament. All the institutions of the country are answerable to
parliament and nobody is above the law,” he said.
“Without
making anyone target of criticism, I would like to make the point that
joint session of parliament was held to discuss how Osama bin Laden
lived in this country for six years. I formed a commission”.
“Now
they are asking how visas were given. We want to ask which visa did
Osama used to come (to Pakistan). How he entered Pakistan? That was the
cause for which parliament passed a resolution, why the security was not
taken care of,” he said. Online
