18 January 2004	Sunday	25 Ziqa'ad 1424

LAHORE, Jan 17: Senator SM Zafar has said that the Opposition should have not protested against the President's address to the Parliament when both the houses had passed the 17th constitutional amendment with a two-third majority.

Talking to newsmen on his arrival from Islamabad at the award distribution ceremony of his Human Rights Society of Pakistan at a hotel here on Saturday, he said Opposition's protest against President's address amounted to the negation of the supremacy of Parliament, which had allowed the amendment.

He said the opposition would be given enough time and it would have an ample opportunity to criticize President's address when the parliament would start its debate on it. Now it was not proper and not in good taste for the opposition to protest.

Commenting upon the address, the Senator said that the president had identified the main problems and weaknesses of the nation, particularly when he had referred to the Quaid-I-Azam's speech in which he had pointed out that corruption and nepotism were the two main social evils, which should be eradicated by launching a crusade against them.

He said that the President, while referring to the Kashmir issue in his address, had made a categorical statement that no settlement would be made against the wishes and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.