Pakistan must be included in Afghanistan talks: PM
Gilani expected large PTI rally; reiterates position on PML-N possible resignations.
LAHORE:
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani told reporters at his residence on Friday that any reconciliation process in Afghanistan which does not take Pakistan on board will not be accepted by his country.
When asked about the trilateral summit on Afghanistan, recently held in Turkey, Gilani said that Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar would brief the media on Saturday (today). He did, however, emphasise that Pakistan wanted a stable, prosperous, sovereign and peaceful Afghanistan.
“Pakistan has given sacrifices and is directly affected by Afghanistan so if whosoever tries to exclude it (Pakistan), we will not accept them,” the PM said. Gilani added that all stakeholders, including the military, political forces and the whole nation, are on same page in this regard.
Asked if it is possible for Afghanistan and Pakistan to jointly investigate the assassination of Burhanuddin Rabbani, president of the Afghan Peace Committee, Gilani said that Pakistan and Afghanistan have a joint mechanism already in place.
PM expected PTI rally
Gilani claimed he was not surprised by the large turnout for Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party in Lahore. He said the numbers were an indication of dissatisfaction with the Punjab government.
Gilani also said that Khan’s demands that politicians declare assets were misguided, as politicians submitted their papers before elections. The PM said that Khan was a good human being – but a newcomer to politics.
‘Go Zardari Go’ movement criticised
Gilani said that legal avenues are available to all those who have an issue with the president. Referring specifically to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s tactics, he said they were desperate to hold on to their power and remain the opposition party in the centre and the dominant party in Punjab. He reiterated his position that if the PML-N resigns en masse from Parliament, by-elections will be held.
Despite suffering from the flu, Gilani was forthright in his view that no members, even those from the PML-N, wanted to resign before the general election, which he said will be held in 2013.
Powering the future
Gilani also spoke about power solutions. Pakistan, he said, will receive 500MW from India, with the possibility of a further 1000 MW from Iran. Although agreements have been made, building pipelines will take some time, the PM added, before making a dig at opposition parties which had tried to topple the government on the load-shedding issue.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 5th, 2011.
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani told reporters at his residence on Friday that any reconciliation process in Afghanistan which does not take Pakistan on board will not be accepted by his country.
When asked about the trilateral summit on Afghanistan, recently held in Turkey, Gilani said that Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar would brief the media on Saturday (today). He did, however, emphasise that Pakistan wanted a stable, prosperous, sovereign and peaceful Afghanistan.
“Pakistan has given sacrifices and is directly affected by Afghanistan so if whosoever tries to exclude it (Pakistan), we will not accept them,” the PM said. Gilani added that all stakeholders, including the military, political forces and the whole nation, are on same page in this regard.
Asked if it is possible for Afghanistan and Pakistan to jointly investigate the assassination of Burhanuddin Rabbani, president of the Afghan Peace Committee, Gilani said that Pakistan and Afghanistan have a joint mechanism already in place.
PM expected PTI rally
Gilani claimed he was not surprised by the large turnout for Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party in Lahore. He said the numbers were an indication of dissatisfaction with the Punjab government.
Gilani also said that Khan’s demands that politicians declare assets were misguided, as politicians submitted their papers before elections. The PM said that Khan was a good human being – but a newcomer to politics.
‘Go Zardari Go’ movement criticised
Gilani said that legal avenues are available to all those who have an issue with the president. Referring specifically to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s tactics, he said they were desperate to hold on to their power and remain the opposition party in the centre and the dominant party in Punjab. He reiterated his position that if the PML-N resigns en masse from Parliament, by-elections will be held.
Despite suffering from the flu, Gilani was forthright in his view that no members, even those from the PML-N, wanted to resign before the general election, which he said will be held in 2013.
Powering the future
Gilani also spoke about power solutions. Pakistan, he said, will receive 500MW from India, with the possibility of a further 1000 MW from Iran. Although agreements have been made, building pipelines will take some time, the PM added, before making a dig at opposition parties which had tried to topple the government on the load-shedding issue.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 5th, 2011.