October 26, 2007	Friday	Shawwal 13, 1428

ISLAMABAD, Oct 25: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said the government will encourage political activities under a proper security plan to protect the lives of party leaders and people.

In an interview to Al Jazeera television, he said: “In essence the government encourages movement of people and their interaction with politicians, so that they can get their message across.”

Because of security considerations, the government was coming up with a code of conduct so that law-enforcing agencies could play their role, he added.

The government would consult every party on the code of conduct, he said. “It is in everybody’s interest to maintain security. It is in everybody’s interest to conduct political activity peacefully. We will have a lot of political events. Especially, political meetings where thousands of people come but it has to be done in a way where people can be checked.” Incidents like what happened in Karachi must not take place again, he said.

The prime minister said the bomb attacks in Karachi on Oct 18 were a despicable event. “The damage done is colossal. We have condemned these incidents and we have started investigations and we are going to get to the bottom of this and the culprits will be brought to book,” he said

Mr Aziz said the government had taken comprehensive security measures when PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto arrived in Karachi.

“But when you are going on the street openly with lots of people coming in and out of the procession, it becomes much more challenging,” he said.

About free movement of politicians in the country, Mr Aziz said all stakeholders should cooperate with each other.

“If the government and intelligence personnel tell anybody, it does not just have to be Ms Bhutto, anybody including ourselves that look sir if you go today there is a risk, you have to adjust your programme and route, and your exposure to the public will be done in a following way. We have to rely on our security people,” he said.

About his relationship with President Gen Pervez Musharraf, Mr Aziz said the common thread between the two of them was that they had no personal agenda.

“We want Pakistan to grow, develop and prosper. We believe in transparency and good governance and we believe in improving the lot of people. We work very closely together. We have a close partnership and that has helped Pakistan’s progress.”

—APP