Top Stories

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani Thursday said that Nato’s invitation for Chicago moot was not conditioned to opening up of transit route for the alliance’s supplies to Afghanistan.

Talking to media on the World Telecom and IT Society Day, the Prime Minister said that Pakistan had received an unconditional invitation. “The issue of reopening of Nato supplies through Pakistan was still under negotiations,” he said while answering different questions in this regard.

“Accepting the invitation, President Asif Ali Zardari would visit US to take part in the conference on Afghanistan,” he added.

He said the Defence Committee of the Cabinet and the Federal Cabinet had also endorsed this invitation. According to the Prime Minister, the relevant Ministries would stay engaged with their US counterparts for implementation of the Parliament's recommendations.

“If US authorities are not giving information, why should we do so? We have given direction to concern ministry that is negotiating with US authorities to conclude talks aimed at restoration of NATO supplies”, Gillani said.

Answering a different question, the Prime Minister said he was misread in his statement about someone leaving the country.

“A foreign TV journalist had asked me a question referring to impressions of Pakistan being a failed state. That I had answered in so many words that Pakistan was a successful country and only those who consider it as a failed one should better leave it,” he explained.

Asked that when he would step down in the wake of his conviction in the contempt of court case, Gilani said, no competent authority has sought my resignation. “Only those who do not like my face as Prime Minister require me to step down,” he added.

He said certain political parties were trying to step in the shoes of the judges and were trying to assume the role of implementer of the apex court’s verdict. “The Constitution of Pakistan clearly prescribes the mechanism for the implementation of the apex court verdicts,” he added. Therefore, Nawaz League has nothing to do with Supreme Court’s decisions, notwithstanding, the party’s thinking that it was their duty to do so.

To a query on appointment of Chief Election Commission, the prime minister said that when he contacted the opposition leader in this regard, he refused to accept me as prime minister now they accepted the committee to finalize the issue and let the committee decide.

Gilani said he would follow the Constitution added that parliamentary committee headed by Syed Khurshid Shah would now oversee the issue.

To another question on Waziristan operation, he said its army and concerned forces decision when to start the operation to eliminate the terrorists.

“Army could take measures against foreign militants on its own” he added.

Gilnai said Siraiki province was aspiration of 40 million people of south Punjab that should come true.

“We are moving in right direction to establish Siraiki province for betterment of the people but some people want me to be quit before it come into existence” Gilani added.

When he asked why government was failed to overcome power crisis, the primier joked that he wants to impress the nation.

“No government would ever want to be unpopular in the public, its people who like us and like our policies therefore they vote us into power again and again” Gilani said.

Earlier, addressing a ceremony in connection with “World Telecommunication & Information Society Day”, the Prime minister said that IT and telecommunication sector was boosting in the country and it has made life of a common man easier.

<<Go back