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| August 24, 2003 | Sunday | Jumadi-us-Sani 25 |
Govt trying to end deadlock: PM
ISLAMABAD, Aug 23: Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali has expressed the confidence that his government will complete its tenure.
In an interview to Urdu News Jeddah, the Prime Minister regretted that the opposition parties for the last several months were engaged in a prolonged controversy over the Legal Framework Order.
He said that the PML-Q and the coalition partners were striving to resolve the political deadlock over the LFO through dialogue and consensus.
Urging elected representatives to devote their energies towards resolving the problems confronting the people, he said that they should avoid entering into political squabbles for attaining narrow political ends.
Referring to relations between Pakistan and India, Jamali said: “We responded positively to Prime Minister Vajpayee’s offer of friendship. ... I am happy to note that some of the steps announced by me have already seen fruition. These include exchange of High Commissioners and resumption of Lahore-Delhi Bus Service.”
“We will be hosting Civil Aviation talks to resume Samjhota Express. There is a need to tone down the rhetoric and return to the dialogue table so that we can settle all issues, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir through dialogue,” he added.
“Unfortunately,” the Prime Minister said, “we have been unable to resolve key issues bilaterally. These are Kashmir, Sir Creek and Siachen.
“The two issues of importance, sharing of waters and the border dispute in the Rann of Kutch, were resolved through third party good offices.”
“We have no problem in pursuing the bilateral course provided there is a willingness on the part of India to enter into a serious and sustained dialogue process. In case we are unable to resolve issues bilaterally, we should not hesitate from pursuing another established mechanism of dispute settlement,” he added.
The prime minister said: “We do not believe in attaching pre-conditions for talks with India. Once talks are held, we can discuss all outstanding issues between the two countries including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir.”
Referring to the involvement of the American Federal Bureau of Investigation in Pakistan, Mr Jamali said: “This is not true. FBI has not been given a free hand throughout. Pakistani authorities and FBI are, however, working together on countering international terrorism.”
On the issue of sending troops to Iraq, the prime minister said the government was in close contact with the Untied Nations, Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Arab League for consultations.
However, a final decision in the matter would be taken after national consensus, he added.
Denying that the government had been tough with the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal or any other opposition party, he said: “My government believes in the resolution of national and constitutional issues through dialogue.”
“The opposition parties must realize that parliamentary democracy has been restored in Pakistan after a gap of several years and they must take advantage of this opportunity to work for consolidating the supremacy of law and parliamentary democracy in the country instead of wasting their energies on meaningless controversies.”
He said that both MMA and the ARD had been threatening to launch public agitation against the government since long.
“They have held a number of public meetings but they have failed to muster public support. On the contrary, my government has been engaged in a dialogue with the opposition parties including MMA and the ARD for resolving constitutional issues such as the LFO through consensus.”
The Prime Minister said the governments at centre and in provinces were functioning smoothly since their induction and there is not a single incident of any coalition partner withdrawing form the coalition.
“I firmly believe in the principle of collective consensus in resolving national issues. Therefore I am fully confident that my government will complete its tenure and we would be able to achieve our goal of building Pakistan into a prosperous Islamic moderate democratic state,” he added.
Dispelling reports suggesting a possible rift between him and the president, he said: “Such rumours are being circulated by those elements who do not want the elected government to function smoothly.
“I have a very cordial and harmonious relationship with the President.
“We have had a number of meetings in the last few days to discuss significant issues of national interest. I have personally benefited a great deal from the experience of the President in handling issues of vital concern to Pakistan,” he added.—APP
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