Legislators must protect parliament’s dignity: Jamali
By Rafaqat Ali
ISLAMABAD, May 28: Protecting the dignity and honour of the Parliament is the collective responsibility of the elected representatives and there is a need for tolerance and accommodation to resolve contentious issues.
This was stated by Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali on Wednesday, while presiding over a cabinet meeting here.
An official announcement said that the Prime Minister briefed the cabinet members on the government’s efforts for the resolution of the situation “arising from the opposition’s stand” on the Legal Framework Order.
A cabinet source told Dawn that the prime minister had held a separate meeting with five ministers besides holding talks with Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, head of the PML-Q.
Commenting on the government’s efforts, official sources said that there had been no change in the government’s stated position on LFO, which still insisted that it had already become part of the Constitution and President Gen Pervez Musharraf would hold the office of the chief of the army staff as long as he wanted.
They reminded the opposition parties of their legislative role, saying they should keep in mind the example of the Punjab Assembly, which had passed a number of bills.
Another cabinet source said that there was a growing skepticism regarding the possibility of any breakthrough with the People’s Party Parliamentarians and the Pakistan Muslim League-N, adding that matters still remained unresolved with the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal.
Sources said that both the PPP and the PML-N, which were being guided by their leaders in exile, did not seem to be interested in preserving the edifice of democracy raised on the “debris of three-year-long military rule.”
The Prime Minister informed the cabinet that efforts were being made to resolve the issue in the best interest of the country and for the stability of the democratic system.
“Pakistan and its people must benefit from restoration of democracy, which will be possible only if every elected member contributed to the sustenance of the democratic order and translate it into growth and progress for the people,” the official statement quoted the prime minister as saying.
Referring to the developments in Pakistan-India relations, Prime Minister Jamali reiterated the resolve to make progress towards a dialogue but emphasized that the process should move forward in a structured manner.
“We will move step by step,” he said, and in that context referred to the nomination of Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India.
Pakistan, he said, was keen to achieve peace in the South Asian region and would “never be found wanting in efforts in that direction.”
He, however, declared that contentious issues, including the Kashmir issue, needed to be addressed meaningfully to achieve peace in the region.
The Prime Minister asked the Members of the cabinet to keep themselves available in the federal capital during the next few weeks in view of the forthcoming budget session.
The cabinet, he said, will be meeting every week in the next few weeks for discussions and decisions on important issues.
Later, the cabinet approved the draft a Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate recruitment of Pakistani workers in Malaysia.
The MoU is expected to be signed by the Malaysian Minister for Human Resources during a visit to Pakistan shortly.
The prime minister asked the ministry of labour to ensure transparency in its recruitment process.
The cabinet also approved an agreement between Pakistan and Turkey for mutual assistance between the customs administrations of the two countries.
Approval was also given to an agreement between Pakistan and the Kyrgyzystan for avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income. The Cabinet also approved a convention between Pakistan and Austria for the avoidance of double taxes with respect to taxes on income.
