Constitution provides for trichotomy of power: PM
Gilani warns that confrontation between institutions will be dangerous.
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Wednesday said the democratic system in Pakistan was strengthened due to politics of reconciliation and consensus building pursued by the PPP government and its coalition partners.
Speaking at a dinner at the residence of Senate Deputy Chairman Sabir Baloch, the prime minister said the process is continuing for smooth transfer of power in the future through elections and it is the right of the people to elect their leaders.
Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, Adviser to Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik, Minister for Religious Affairs Khurshid Shah, Senator Mushahid Hussain, former senator Waseem Sajjad, Taj Muhammad Jamali and parliamentarians attended the dinner. According to the Constitution, the prime minister can only be removed from his office through a no-confidence motion and the president can be removed through impeachment, he said.
He said it goes to the credit of the PPP government and its allies that Parliament unanimously passed the 18th, 19th and 20th constitutional amendments.
“We restored the 1973 Constitution to its original form, announced the 7th National Finance Commission Award (NFC) and gave provincial autonomy to end the sense of deprivation in the provinces,” he added.
He said all political governments including that of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto and Muhammad Khan Junejo were removed on typical charges of corruption.
It is unfortunate that no democratic government in Pakistan was allowed to complete its five-year constitutional term and because of this the institutions continued to weaken, he said, while in India democracy continued to take roots and its institutions became strong and vibrant.
The prime minister said he has talked to the UN human rights body and said that Pakistan wanted to have observers during its next general elections to make the whole electoral process free, fair and transparent. “If elections are not held in a free and fair manner, then it will be dangerous for the country.”
The premier said that when former dictator Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf put Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry behind bars, civil society and others protested against this action. Gilani said he himself took part in the protests and for that he spent five days in jail. “We believe in democracy, Constitution and rule of law,” he stressed.
He recalled that he had restored Chief Justice Chaudhry with delay at six in the morning as he was taking advice from his legal advisers.
He said if he had removed Abdul Hameed Dogar as chief justice in the way Pervez Musharraf removed Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry then there would not have been any difference between him and the dictator.
He said the Constitution provides for trichotomy of power and if all institutions work in their domain then there would be no problem, but if there is a confrontation then it would be dangerous for the country. “There is no chance for mistake. Everybody knows the prime minister is not aggressive. And I have learnt from experience in jail where I spent five years for providing jobs to people.”
Published in The Express Tribune, June 7th, 2012.
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Wednesday said the democratic system in Pakistan was strengthened due to politics of reconciliation and consensus building pursued by the PPP government and its coalition partners.
Speaking at a dinner at the residence of Senate Deputy Chairman Sabir Baloch, the prime minister said the process is continuing for smooth transfer of power in the future through elections and it is the right of the people to elect their leaders.
Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, Adviser to Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik, Minister for Religious Affairs Khurshid Shah, Senator Mushahid Hussain, former senator Waseem Sajjad, Taj Muhammad Jamali and parliamentarians attended the dinner. According to the Constitution, the prime minister can only be removed from his office through a no-confidence motion and the president can be removed through impeachment, he said.
He said it goes to the credit of the PPP government and its allies that Parliament unanimously passed the 18th, 19th and 20th constitutional amendments.
“We restored the 1973 Constitution to its original form, announced the 7th National Finance Commission Award (NFC) and gave provincial autonomy to end the sense of deprivation in the provinces,” he added.
He said all political governments including that of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto and Muhammad Khan Junejo were removed on typical charges of corruption.
It is unfortunate that no democratic government in Pakistan was allowed to complete its five-year constitutional term and because of this the institutions continued to weaken, he said, while in India democracy continued to take roots and its institutions became strong and vibrant.
The prime minister said he has talked to the UN human rights body and said that Pakistan wanted to have observers during its next general elections to make the whole electoral process free, fair and transparent. “If elections are not held in a free and fair manner, then it will be dangerous for the country.”
The premier said that when former dictator Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf put Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry behind bars, civil society and others protested against this action. Gilani said he himself took part in the protests and for that he spent five days in jail. “We believe in democracy, Constitution and rule of law,” he stressed.
He recalled that he had restored Chief Justice Chaudhry with delay at six in the morning as he was taking advice from his legal advisers.
He said if he had removed Abdul Hameed Dogar as chief justice in the way Pervez Musharraf removed Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry then there would not have been any difference between him and the dictator.
He said the Constitution provides for trichotomy of power and if all institutions work in their domain then there would be no problem, but if there is a confrontation then it would be dangerous for the country. “There is no chance for mistake. Everybody knows the prime minister is not aggressive. And I have learnt from experience in jail where I spent five years for providing jobs to people.”
Published in The Express Tribune, June 7th, 2012.