Monday, March 19, 2012

Pakistan Govt ready for referendum in Balochistan

Daily Times

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Sunday the government was willing to take any initiative within the constitution, including holding a referendum in Balochistan, to determine the wish of people of the province.

Talking to reporters, the prime minister said the army was not conducting any operation in Balochistan. However, he added, the Frontier Constabulary (FC) was in the province on the provincial government’s request. Any provincial government can call the FC to maintain order and “the force’s presence in Balochistan is not an extraordinary step”, he said.

Expressing his commitment to resolve the Balochistan issue, Gilani said the government would act according to desires of Baloch people.

The prime minister said he had meetings with the army chief, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) director general and newly elected senators from Balochistan in order to devise a strategy to deal with the province’s problems.

To a query about the role of ISI in politics, Gilani said the agency was an important national institution but it should not be controversial. “As far as closure of the political wing of the ISI is concerned, I have not had a meeting with new ISI DG and, therefore, could not say any thing about it.”

The prime minister faces imprisonment for his failure to obey the Supreme Court’s order of writing a letter to Swiss authorities for re-opening of graft cases President Asif Ali Zardari.

He told reporters he would happily resign if this could help resolve the controversy, asking, “Will my resignation be enough? Because the new prime minister will also have to face the similar situation?”

He said the president enjoyed immunity under the constitution. Even the president himself could not remove the immunity that had been granted to him by parliament, the prime minister said.

He said the Supreme Court should refer the issue of immunity to parliament for its reconsideration.

About the future of Pak-US ties, Gilani said that it had been established since long that new rules of engagement were needed in relations with the US. He added parliament would decide on Pakistan’s new terms of relationship with Washington.

Commenting on the Most Favoured Nation for India, the prime minister said that Pakistan could not afford a war with India and it was taking decisions in the larger national interests. “When China, the US and rest of the world is establishing trade relations with India, why shouldn’t Pakistan do so?” he asked.

Gilani alleged that the Punjab government was against the formation of Saraiki province, but the federal government would strive to fulfil constitutional rights of the people of southern Punjab.

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