LAHORE, Oct 14: No decision has been taken so far whether the oath from the elected members of the national and provincial assemblies would be taken under the PCO or the Constitution.
This was stated by the federal information minister Nisar Memon while talking to newsmen after inaugurating the two-day workshop on media development at a hotel here on Monday. He said that the government was giving serious consideration to the question and a decision would be taken soon.
Replying to a question he said that the president would be relinquishing his office of the chief executive as soon as the new prime minister and his government takes over. However, he would continue to hold the office of the president and the chief of army staff for the next five years.
Referring to the results of the elections he said that the international community should have no apprehensions from the success of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal candidates in the elections. They were not fundamentalists nor bigots. They are true Muslims and responsible persons. Some of them have been the members of previous assemblies. The international community should have no fears whatsoever. It is our internal matter, he added.
He said that some of the MMA leaders like Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Maulana Fazlur Rahman had already issued responsible statements. They understand their role and were fully aware of their responsibilities. He said that no political party or group had been able to muster a two-thirds majority of the elected members of the National Assembly and as such none was in a position to amend the Constitution.
The minister said that as elected members they had every right to discuss the government’s foreign policy and could oppose it if they liked. They would realise the ground realities and facts of the situation when they would take over their new responsibilities in the government. He defended the present government’s foreign policy which, he said, had helped improve the image of the country in the international comity of nations. The new government would have all powers to review the foreign policy.
As regards the national security council proposed in the LFO amendments to the Constitution he said that it would be just an advisory body and not supreme like the Parliament. Only the parliament is the supreme authority, he said. In fact the people of the country were supreme and the parliament was their elected institution.
Replying to a question about the European Union team’s criticism of the recent assembly elections, the minister said that he had given them more briefing about the elections in an effort to dispel their doubts, if any.
