Protest in assembly was opposition’s ‘democratic right’: Gilani

Says headway on Seraiki province expected soon; energy crisis needs planning.


June 05, 2011

MULTAN:


Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Saturday that his party would uphold democratic norms and traditions during the presentation of the budget 2011-12 by the Punjab government.


To a question on the opposition’s attitude during the presentation of the federal budget in parliament on Friday, the prime minister said “it was their democratic right.”

He was speaking to reporters after inaugurating the newly-constructed Multan city railway station and a four-kilometre-long ring road here.

Gilani said Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto had rendered innumerable sacrifices for the revival of democracy and the party would not let these go to waste.

Seraiki province

Earlier, Gilani said the issue of Seraiki province was being considered by the manifesto committee of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and headway was expected very soon.

He was talking to the reporters after addressing a public meeting at Jalalpur Pirwala, an underdeveloped Tehsil of Multan district. The premier said President Asif Ali Zardari, after consulting him, had formed a manifesto committee which was considering the matter.

Other parties are also in favour of the Seraiki province, he added.

He added that PPP’s political rivals should serve the people instead of misleading them.

Gilani said his government is the first elected government, after Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s, which has presented the fourth budget. He added that the enormity of challenges faced by the country is such that no single political party can resolve it.

Electricity woes

Gilani said the present government has added 2,000 megawatts of power to the national grid so far and promised to increase power generation by 30 per cent by the end of the five-year term.

He said it was Benazir Bhutto who predicted in 1994 that the country would face an energy crisis and opted for agreements with independent power producers.

The prime minister said the PPP-led government had launched the Thar coal project, started work on Diamer- Bhasha dam and finalised an agreement with Iran to address the energy issue.

Gilani said the country would have simply bought electricity had it been a financial issue but, he added, planning is also needed.



Published in The Express Tribune, June 5th, 2011.

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