ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Thursday said
that all the policy decisions would be taken by the Parliament because
it was accountable to the people and therefore the authority to
formulate national policies lay with the Parliament.
He was addressing the parliamentarians belonging to the coalition partners here at the Parliament.
President
of ANP Asfandyar Wali, Deputy Convener of MQM Dr. Farooq Sattar,
Leader of PML (Q) Riaz Hussain Pirzada, representatives of FATA
Parliamentary Group and Parliamentarians belonging to Coalition parties
were present.
The Prime Minister took them into confidence on
the decisions taken by the government after the gruesome incident on
Pakistani boarders by the NATO/ISAF forces.
He said that after
the attack by NATO forces, the Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC)
meeting was summoned on the same day that decided the suspension of the
NATO supplies and the vacation of Shamsi airbase by the USA within two
weeks.
The Prime Minister said that the Cabinet on the following
day endorsed the DCC decisions and so did the Parliamentary Committee
on the National Security.
He made it clear that the future rules
of engagements with the US/NATO would ensure national security,
sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan.
The Prime
Minister said that memo case was a conspiracy against the Parliament
because the Parliament consisted of President, Senate and the National
Assembly. Targeting the President means targeting the Parliament, the
Prime Minister asserted.
Gilani recalled that Nawaz Sharif,
while addressing the public meeting in Faisalabad, announced that he
would approach the Supreme Court if the government did not take decision
on memo issue within 10 days.
The Government took the decisions
within four days and referred the matter to the Parliamentary Committee
on National Security, he still went to the Supreme Court, the Prime
Minister stated.
About the health of the President, the Prime
Minister said that he spoke to the President today (Thursday) in which
the President said that he was feeling well and would fully recover
soon.
Meanwnile, the Prime Minister said on Thursday while
addressing on the floor of the NA informed the Parliamentarians that the
country’s borders would be secured at all costs. Therefore, the world
should respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Pakistan.
Moreover,
he informed that NATO and ISAF forces were aware about Pakistani posts
while after NATO’s aggression on 26 November, the Government of Pakistan
(GoP) took strong stance against the US and NATO and made it clear to
NATO and the US that such kind of strikes would not be tolerated.
The Prime Minister said that NATO attack was clear violation of United Nations’ charter.
The
GoP after Federal Cabinet meeting cut the supply line of NATO and ISAF
forces stationed in Afghanistan and further Shamsi Air Base has been
vacated from the US.
Pakistan has boycotted the Bonn Conference because of this attack, he added.
Committee
for National Security will decide the ties with United States and
defence of Pakistani borders will be ensured at any cost, Gilani
affirmed. Online
