ISLAMABAD: In fresh government moves to counter terrorism, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani unveiled urgent national consultative plans in the National Assembly on Friday and warned militants their designs against Pakistan could materialise ‘over our dead bodies’.

Amid deep concerns at home and abroad over Taliban advances in a part of the North West Frontier Province this week, he sounded agreeable to PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif’s proposal for a national conference, suggested formulation of a new security policy and said the government could review its policy if the militants violated their peace deal with the provincial government.

The prime minister’s strongly worded response in a brief speech to the lower house, which prolonged its session for a further debate on the national situation, was followed by a stern warning to the militants also from army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani against misusing a military operations pause allowed to let the peal deal work. 

Mr Gilani said the nation must remain reassured that the government and the military would not allow any force to harm Pakistan and that the country’s defence and nuclear assets were in ‘safe hands’.

‘We can defend the country and, God-willing, will do it,’ he said and added: ‘If some element casts an evil eye on Pakistan, then it will be on our dead bodies.’

The prime minister’s speech came at the end of several days of a debate on President Asif Ali Zardari’s address to a March 28 joint sitting of the National Assembly and the Senate, which was wound up by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Babar Awan, who clarified that the system to be set up in Malakand under the Sharia Nizam-i-Adl Regulation 2009 would remain subordinate to the Supreme Court and judicial officers to function as ‘Qazis’ there would be appointed by the provincial government – ‘there will be no private Qazis’.

Mr Gilani said former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had talked to him overnight over telephone and also faxed a letter suggesting a national conference of all stakeholders to consider the present threat from terrorism and extremism and that PML-Q leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain had also called him proposing a meeting with him with a delegation.

He did not disclose details of the PML-N leader’s proposal, but seemed agreeable to it by saying the government wanted to take all stakeholders into confidence and remove reservations like those of its ally Muttahida Qaumi Movement about the Swat peace deal. 

While announcing that the present National Assembly session, which began on April 9, would continue rather than be prorogued on Friday after the debate on the presidential address, the prime minister proposed that the house debate the recent report of a joint parliamentary committee on national security to help formulate a new national policy to counter terrorism.

He said he would take that policy for approval to a cabinet meeting to be attended also by provincial chief ministers and added that he wanted President Zardari to carry that policy with him when he visits the United States early next month.

The prime minister said his government had agreed to the Swat peace deal and the Sharia regulation in deference to the wishes of the Awami National Party-led NWFP provincial coalition government but added that ‘we can review the policy’ if the militants did not honour the peace agreement.

‘We are an elected government, not puppets,’ he said and added: ‘If they will challenge (the government authority), we will react.’

Calling the country’s armed forces ‘extremely professional’ and ‘the best in the world’, he said they were under civilian control and would assist the elected federal and provincial governments when asked for it.

Mr Awan, in a lucid speech earlier, repudiated Tehrik-i-Nifaz Shariat-i-Mohammadi (TNSM) chief Sufi Muhammad’s claim – without naming him – that Pakistan’s superior courts and political system were un-Islamic by citing the Islamic provisions of the constitution under which the courts and parliament function and naming several noted religious scholars who had signed the constitution at the time of its adoption by the National Assembly in 1973.

‘Whoever is a traitor to this constitution is a traitor to the state of Pakistan,’ he said and, in reference to the TNSM chief’s outbursts and objectionable activities of the Taliban militants, pointed out that the constitution protected personal laws of all Islamic sects as well as of non-Muslim minorities.

The minister, speaking for the PPP-led coalition government, called upon all political forces in the country to rise above their parties and avoid engaging in a blame game to meet the present challenges and predicted that the leaderships of the PPP and PML-N, despite their recent political confrontation over the Punjab affairs, would be ‘seen sitting together in the coming days’.

In trying to dispel fears about investment in Pakistan, he said Pakistani investors had realised in the post 9/11 situation that their own country was the safest place for their capital.

He said the present government, despite ‘a lot of turbulence’ during the 14 months of its existence, had $12 billion foreign exchange reserves and over $20 billion investment pledges.

The minister said the government had moved fast in response to the president’s call for implementing the Charter of Democracy signed by the PPP and PML-N leaders in 2006 by having a resolution passed by the present session to authorise Speaker Fehmida Mirza to set up a parliament committee for propose the necessary constitutional amendments and added that this roadmap would be implemented before the next presidential address to parliament.

Before him, several members from both the opposition and ruling coalition voiced concern about the Taliban activities, with PML-N’s Ayaz Amir wondering what could happen if the militants got control of the Karakoram Highway after their recent advance from Swat to Buner district.

His party colleague Sheikh Waqas Akram, in a sentimental speech, said the killings of Pakistani soldiers, police and civilians by the militants had made it ‘our war’ although he cited failure of the present system to provide quick justice as a factor that strengthened the Taliban ranks.

The house was adjourned until 4pm on Monday after passing the government-moved motion of thanks to the president for his March 28 address.