Paying tributes to the armed forces, the prime minister said the brave soldiers of the Pakistan Air Force courageously eliminated the terrorists who attacked its installations at the Minhas Airbase in Kamra in the wee hours of Thursday. Addressing office-bearers and workers of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) from Rawalpindi Division at an Iftar-dinner at the Prime Minister House, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said this was a manifestation of the fact that Pakistan was a brave nation, which could face any challenges confronting it. He said pessimism is a curse and Pakistan would hopefully come out of all crises with wisdom as well as the support of the people. He said the nation was proud of its valiant armed forces.

The prime minister said the country would go ahead with holding free, fair and transparent elections. “When there is a strong parliamentary democracy, it strengthens the institutions and the system,” he added.

Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said the PPP would prove its force through the ballot and not by mudslinging or conspiracies against others. He said the party would not be influenced by any kind of propaganda; the people of Pakistan have always expressed their confidence in the PPP whenever free and fair elections were held in the country, the prime minister claimed.

He urged the PPP leaders and workers to maintain unity, harmony and love in their ranks and close liaison with the people at the grassroots level. “We do not claim that we have fulfilled all the promises made with the people,” he said, but expressed satisfaction that the PPP-led coalition government had restored the 1973 Constitution to its original form, passed the 18th Amendment with consensus and given autonomy to Gilgit-Baltistan.