Lashing out at the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leadership, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said that ‘forces’ are trying to stop him from presenting the fifth “friendly” budget in June.
The upcoming budget will be historical, and seal the PML-N’s fate, which is why the party is afraid of it, the premier said while talking to a delegation of Lahore Press Club at the Governor House.
Despite the fact that the Punjab government is running on a stay order, the federal government has never demanded that Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif is ousted from office, Gilani said.
He added that he respected Shahbaz and has never said that he does not accept him as the chief minister.
Gilani said the Sharifs are also facing court proceedings in Mehran Bank scandal, and should therefore avoid issuing irresponsible statements.
After the last by-poll in Multan, won by the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), the Sharifs are afraid that southern Punjab will slip from their hands if the PPP establishes it as a separate province, Gilani added.
“Why were they silent when Pervez Musharraf held a fake referendum,” Gilani said, indirectly referring to the judiciary.
The stakeholders were silent when the dictator forcibly established his government with a simple majority after the 2002 election and did not hold a session of the National Assembly for several months, he added.
“We are called on but no one has called the perpetrator of the National Reconciliation Ordinance,” he added.
Gilani said he did not require any permission from the opposition leader to enter the National Assembly because he was a unanimously elected prime minister and a member of parliament, according to a statement from the PM’s media office.
The prime minister said he would uphold the supremacy of the Constitution, “come what may.”
Gilani said that Nawaz was “desperate after losing popularity,” citing the recent by-elections in Multan.
“Under the Charter of Democracy, the PPP favoured a third term for prime minister only for Nawaz. Had we not favoured this, he would have been irrelevant in national politics,” the premier said.
Referring to the NRO, the prime minister said the first NRO was the one under which Nawaz was sent into exile with an agreement that he would not take part in politics for 10 years.
“First, Nawaz vociferously denied the existence of the agreement but later confessed that it was not for 10 years but five years,” Gilani added.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 29th, 2012.
COMMENTS (25)
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@faraz: Well the majority of grass root supporters of ppp don't have access to web, ppp is still biggest party of the land, you see that time and time again whenever a by-election is held, don't just leave out the poor class, ppp is the truly a federal party spanning the whole country. nawaz is leading an exposed party with hyppocracy written all over their faces. imran khan has shown his sympathies with taliban and religious right wing nuts. altaf hussain has proved that they are expanding fast across the board. so the choice of people in next election will show the true picture. democracy is the only soultion please let the events take their course and don't give up on this vital phase of our political history, respect the majority rule.
@ali gilani: Right to govern? Well, right! They have the right to govern till this nation is bankrupt. You wanna know public opinion about PPP, count the number of comments in favor. BTW, it would be good if you describe the meanings of 'they are doing as best as they can'. I bet you meant 'they are making as best as they can' ;-)
shame on you PM
Sorry prime minister we do not need such friendly budgets we have been witnessing there friends since last so many years
Corrupted Politicians... Pakistan Leaders come in the politics for the purpose of maximum earn money so they are doing right according to their point of view and if we ask any thay have justification because they are corrupted people ever in the history.... And Our nation is trapped in the worries of rottee, kaprah our makaan...... People are dying on the road and leaders are enjoying ammunity... In the form of budget each Government try to find out the corrupt way to deceive people but these politican what they will take when they will die?????
presenting the fifth “friendly” budge
Friendly, but to who?
@I. Ahmed: why forget about nawaz, read the whole article morons. ppp has the right to govern, they are doing as best as they can, their allies are respectable parties supporting the prime minister. so a majority of lawmakers are standing with ppp, then who the @#$% are you to tell us forget nawaz, wait till the announcement of budget.
AT least gilani didn't tell lies,NAWAZ did,a person who lied to public about his DEAL should not be allowed to hold public office,
Fool Pakistanis once shame on you, fool us twice it's not gonna happen. Start packing your bags mr Gilani you and Zardari because you will be kicked out in next elections humiliated and message to Americans don't support these poodles in the disguise of democracy if you don't want to see the irk of Pakistani people. If democracy is so important to you first go set up democracy in Bahrain and UAE. People of Pakistan are not stupid.
hahahaha... Friendly budget, Mr. Prime, you have a good sense of humor.
Elite class friendly budget
PPP knows its not going to return to National Assembly as the leader of the house so they are giving a budget which will be a killer for the next govt.
The nation will surely come to know you're a true democrat and a great prime minister. Bhutto was also falsely convicted but he stands exonerated in the annals of history. The agents of doom cannot defeat what you stand for!
Much amused (but sick of) this Noora-Kushti. "Hey look! don't expose me otherwise I will expose you". This is the story of the last 4+ years. Sad & disgusting.
Entire nation is afraid of the budget, Mr Prime Convicted Minister.
Forget about Nawaz, why the 2nd and 3rd and 4th budgets were not friendly? If PPP government can only come up with friendly budgets before election then we should have elections after every two years, at least poor people of Pakistan will have some respite!