Swiss letter impasse: Gilani offers to resign, but says it will not help
Says court should refer the president’s immunity to parliament.
LAHORE:
A defiant premier has said that he is willing to resign, if it helps.
But, in the same breath, he added that his resignation will not resolve the issue of president’s immunity and that the matter should be referred to Parliament.
“The president cannot revoke his own immunity unless Parliament amends the Constitution,” Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said while talking to a select-group of journalists at his residence on Sunday.
“My suggestion to the (apex) court is that the issue of immunity should be referred to Parliament like the issue of the appointment of judges was referred to Parliament [and resolved] in the form of 19th Amendment,” the premier said.
Court appearance
Gilani said neither he, nor his lawyer Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, will appear before the Supreme Court on the March 21 hearing of the National Reconciliation Order (NRO) implementation case since, the premier said, he believed it is not related to him.
The court had earlier asked the premier directly to write a letter to Swiss authorities, and submit a report regarding the implementation of the NRO judgment by March 21.
Gilani said the March 21 hearing is related to the NRO implementation case, to which he is not a party, and that his counsel is arguing before the court in the contempt case.
The premier refused to share his party’s contingency strategy in the event that he is convicted in the contempt case.
“I have restored the Constitution and strengthened the judiciary … if it punishes me, what can I do,” Gilani said. “It is a simple issue. I can do nothing before the judiciary,” he said.
The prime minister added that there were repercussions of the premier being repeatedly called to the court – a negative impact on the economy, the stock exchange, and that the international community, which is monitoring this case, has also expressed its concerns.
The judiciary is aware of the impact but everyone should respect the law, he said.
ISI, Balochistan and energy
On the abolition of the political cell in the country’s premier intelligence agency, Gilani said the Inter-Services Intelligence is an important institution and we should protect it instead of targeting it.
He said he has not yet met the newly-appointed ISI chief, Lt-Gen Zaheerul Islam, and will receive a briefing on it when he does.
He said he will also hold a press conference soon on the implementation of the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan package and resolutions in this regard.
The premier said his government has resolved half of the outstanding circular debt so far while the remaining will be dealt with in the upcoming budget.
Foreign Policy
Pakistan has not demanded an apology from United States over the Salala check post attack as a precondition for resumption of bilateral ties, the premier said.
Parliament will approve new terms of engagement with the United States and resumption of Nato supply route in a joint session scheduled for March 20, he said.
Recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security will be discussed in that session, the premier said, adding that this will be the first time that foreign policy is devised in Parliament.
He refused to comment on the recommendations but added that US is not the only country affected by blockade on Nato supply routes.
“Forty-seven countries are part of the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf), the Nato-led mission in Afghanistan, including 27 countries of the European Union,” he added.
Talking about trade expansion with India, the premier said that Most-Favoured Nation status simply means non-discrimination in trade, and that he has asked authorities concerned to change the misleading terminology.
The premier also hit out at the opposition PML-N, saying it is the biggest hurdle in the formation of a new province in Southern Punjab – whether that is the Seraiki or the Bahawalpur province.
The PML-N has not allowed passing a resolution in the provincial assembly in this regard, he said.
(Read: The prime minister and the SC)
Published in The Express Tribune, March 19th, 2012.
A defiant premier has said that he is willing to resign, if it helps.
But, in the same breath, he added that his resignation will not resolve the issue of president’s immunity and that the matter should be referred to Parliament.
“The president cannot revoke his own immunity unless Parliament amends the Constitution,” Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said while talking to a select-group of journalists at his residence on Sunday.
“My suggestion to the (apex) court is that the issue of immunity should be referred to Parliament like the issue of the appointment of judges was referred to Parliament [and resolved] in the form of 19th Amendment,” the premier said.
Court appearance
Gilani said neither he, nor his lawyer Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, will appear before the Supreme Court on the March 21 hearing of the National Reconciliation Order (NRO) implementation case since, the premier said, he believed it is not related to him.
The court had earlier asked the premier directly to write a letter to Swiss authorities, and submit a report regarding the implementation of the NRO judgment by March 21.
Gilani said the March 21 hearing is related to the NRO implementation case, to which he is not a party, and that his counsel is arguing before the court in the contempt case.
The premier refused to share his party’s contingency strategy in the event that he is convicted in the contempt case.
“I have restored the Constitution and strengthened the judiciary … if it punishes me, what can I do,” Gilani said. “It is a simple issue. I can do nothing before the judiciary,” he said.
The prime minister added that there were repercussions of the premier being repeatedly called to the court – a negative impact on the economy, the stock exchange, and that the international community, which is monitoring this case, has also expressed its concerns.
The judiciary is aware of the impact but everyone should respect the law, he said.
ISI, Balochistan and energy
On the abolition of the political cell in the country’s premier intelligence agency, Gilani said the Inter-Services Intelligence is an important institution and we should protect it instead of targeting it.
He said he has not yet met the newly-appointed ISI chief, Lt-Gen Zaheerul Islam, and will receive a briefing on it when he does.
He said he will also hold a press conference soon on the implementation of the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan package and resolutions in this regard.
The premier said his government has resolved half of the outstanding circular debt so far while the remaining will be dealt with in the upcoming budget.
Foreign Policy
Pakistan has not demanded an apology from United States over the Salala check post attack as a precondition for resumption of bilateral ties, the premier said.
Parliament will approve new terms of engagement with the United States and resumption of Nato supply route in a joint session scheduled for March 20, he said.
Recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security will be discussed in that session, the premier said, adding that this will be the first time that foreign policy is devised in Parliament.
He refused to comment on the recommendations but added that US is not the only country affected by blockade on Nato supply routes.
“Forty-seven countries are part of the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf), the Nato-led mission in Afghanistan, including 27 countries of the European Union,” he added.
Talking about trade expansion with India, the premier said that Most-Favoured Nation status simply means non-discrimination in trade, and that he has asked authorities concerned to change the misleading terminology.
The premier also hit out at the opposition PML-N, saying it is the biggest hurdle in the formation of a new province in Southern Punjab – whether that is the Seraiki or the Bahawalpur province.
The PML-N has not allowed passing a resolution in the provincial assembly in this regard, he said.
(Read: The prime minister and the SC)
Published in The Express Tribune, March 19th, 2012.