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WEEKLY
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| Govt to implement CoD, not to table NRO in NA: PM |
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Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Assures repeal of 17th Amendment, 58-2(b)
By Asim Yasin
ISLAMABAD: Just a day after the government’s decision not to table the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) in the National Assembly (NA), Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani pledged to fulfill the promises of the implementation of the Charter of Democracy (CoD) and to transfer powers from the Presidency to the PM House by repealing the 17th Amendment as well as Article 58-2(b) of the Constitution.
Addressing the NA on the eve of November 3, when a dictator had imposed emergency besides detaining the judges and gagging the media, the prime minister, wearing a black ribbon on his left arm, declared November 3 as the ‘day for democracy’ and said that he had asked the chairman of the parliamentary committee to work on a fast track for repealing the 17th Amendment and to implement the Charter of Democracy.
“We will also fulfill the promise of introducing an accountability law envisioned in the CoD,” he added.The members from both sides of the aisle thumped desks to show solidarity with the prime minister.
The speech that was described as the ‘government agenda’ for the coming days in which the prime minister pledged to bring good governance and sought cooperation of the opposition for resolving the real problems of the people.
On the government’s move to bow before the will of the people for not bringing the controversial NRO in the NA, he said the government has adopted a policy of political reconciliation, therefore, keeping in view the sense of the House, it has been decided not to table the NRO in the NA.
He said that the government did not make the NRO a point of ego but respected the views of the majority of the House members in this regard. “Before coming to the House, I had talked to Mian Nawaz Sharif and told him that the PPP in its meeting would make a decision on the NRO and the party in its meeting endorsed my decision,” he said.
He said now the government wanted the court to decide about the NRO and whatever decision is given the government will accept it. The prime minister also thanked the coalition partners for their guidance on the NRO issue. Condemning the action of 3rd November 2007, the prime minister said the PPP never accepted emergency and the PCO imposed by a dictator and rendered matchless sacrifices, along with other parties, for the restoration of democracy.
He said Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and a large number of political workers laid down their lives for this purpose and he himself led a long march in Lahore to protect the rights of the people, the media and the judiciary.
He said as a result of this struggle, the country achieved the goal of democracy but it will remain fragile until we get united to strengthen state institutions, something indispensable for a strong democratic system.
The prime minister assured the House that a special cabinet meeting would be convened shortly to discuss the problems being faced by the people and devise a workable strategy to overcome these with an objective to address the grievances of the common man.
He said special meetings have also been convened to resolve the issue of paddy price, gas load shedding and other problems confronting the common man.He said the government will launch an austerity drive to divert national resources towards socio-economic development of the people.
The prime minister said that focus of the government would be on real issues and sought the cooperation of parliament to move forward. MNAs from the opposition came to the prime minister immediately after he ended his speech to express their appreciation of his speech.
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briefs...
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ISSN 1563-9479 
