Opposition trying to sabotage Senate polls: Gilani

Govt will not let any force disrupt democratic setup, says PM Yousaf Raza Gilani.

LAHORE:

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Sunday said his government’s opponents are “trying to sabotage senate elections” due to be held in March next year.

“The government will not let any force disrupt the democratic setup nor will we let the Punjab government be toppled,” he said, while talking to a group of female party members of the provincial and national assemblies.

Prime Minister Gilani said that first President Asif Ali Zardari was being targeted and now him. “This is being done to harm the democratic process. But our opponents have to face embarrassment as a result of our unity,” he said.

He said that when the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was a part of the Punjab government, he had asked Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to resolve issues pertaining to the release of funds to PPP members of the provincial assembly but the chief minister did not respond positively.

In an obvious reference to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief, the prime minister stated, “Those who considered themselves the most popular leaders were soundly defeated in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections.”

He said that opponents should not consider his government’s policy of reconciliation as its weakness. “The PPP will rule in the future as well. We respect all state institutions and it is only fair the parliament is also given due respect,” he said.

“Our opponents do not have a vision for the future nor a solid programme. They do not want to see us succeeding. March is not too far away, they will go through sleepless nights,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 11^th, 2011.