December 20, 2006	Wednesday	Ziqa'ad 28, 1427

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LAHORE, Dec 19: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said here on Tuesday the legislation enacted so far by parliament was strictly in conformity with the Islamic tenets and no law would be made in the future as well, which was repugnant to the provisions of the great religion.

“Nobody is allowed to introduce any law against the spirit of the Quran and Sunnah”, said the prime minister, ostensibly defending the recent women’s rights law passed by the bicameral legislature, which religious parties rejected as un-Islamic .

Mr Aziz was addressing the participants in a ceremony after he laid the foundation stone of PINA House in Jauhar Town.

Governor Khalid Maqbool, Chief Ministers Pervaiz Elahi and Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani, Tourism Minister Nilofer Bakhtiar, various provincial ministers and legislators were also present.

Putting aside his written speech, the prime minister delivered an extempore address, touching a number of subjects being discussed at various forums these days.

He said the government had already passed a law on women’s rights and many more enactments were on the anvil. To ensure that the future legislation was also molded in the Islamic pattern, the government was holding consultations with religious leaders, he pointed out.

Mr Aziz vehemently rejected allegations that it was Islam that was promoting terrorism or militancy, and said Islam was a religion of peace and tolerance. If some people had a ‘negative thinking’, it was their personal approach, having nothing to do with Islam, the prime minister emphasised, adding that such elements should be ‘taken care of’.

He said Muslims would follow their own religion and the minorities were free to practice their own faiths. He said minorities in Pakistan enjoyed all rights.

Pakistan, the prime minister said, did not want its culture westernised. Instead, he said, people would like to follow their own culture, which had very distinct characteristics.

Referring to steps taken by the present government to enhance women’s role in all spheres of life, the premier said their quota in the federal services had been doubled to 10 per cent and some women were holding key positions in various departments. He cited the example of the governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, who was a woman.

Mr Aziz said the younger generation was the real asset to the country and the government was trying to equip them with the best possible education to enable them to play their role in the national uplift and deal with the challenges facing the country. Along with education, he said, the government also wanted to impart the younger generation various skills so that they could serve their country better.

He said the government attached great importance to the education sector and it could be gauged from the fact that it had already decided to raise budgetary allocations for the sector to four per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

In an obvious reference to the defence capability of Pakistan, the prime minister said any country having bad intentions about it would be given a matching reply.

He exhorted the people to adhere to the “unity, faith and discipline” motto given by the Quaid-i-Azam to step up the pace of progress.

Later, talking briefly to reporters the prime minister said the government was in contact with various parties to improve the political atmosphere in the country.

He reiterated that the PML and its coalition partners would contest the next election together on the basis of their performance. He said the government had launched many development projects and taken so many initiatives in various fields that it could expect a very positive response from the electorate in the next elections.

Mr Altaf Hasan Qureshi, Secretary-General of the Pakistan Institute of National Affairs (PINA) and Dr Ijaz Hasan Qureshi, Secretary-General of the Karvan-i-Ilm Foundation, highlighted the services of their respective organisations. They said a large number of poor students from across the country were being given adequate financial assistance to enable them to complete their studies.

PINA House would serve as the focalpoint for such activities.

The prime minister, who has already given Rs30 million for the project, announced another Rs10 million on Tuesday. He also announced Rs10,000 for every student present at the ceremony.

Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi announced a grant of Rs2.5 million.

Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim announced Rs2.5 million each for the two organisations.

Mujibur Rehman Shami, Editor, daily Pakistan, appreciated the past performance of the two organizations and hoped that they would play a still better role in the future.