ISLAMABAD, Jan 12: Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani said on Monday that parliament would be empowered and it would take all important decisions.

Responding to speeches made by opposition legislators in the National Assembly, he said that parliament must be made a sovereign institution. He said all decisions would be taken at this forum. This was not a rubber stamp house, but an elected parliament, he added.

The opposition legislators assured their full support to Mr Gilani and urged him to exercise his executive authority to take decisions with full confidence.

The prime minister urged the opposition to act with a sense of caution and responsibility because democracy had been achieved after many sacrifices and the system should not be derailed.

He denied having differences with President Asif Ali Zardari and said there was no misunderstanding between him and the president.

He praised the house for unanimously adopting a resolution to condemn the Israeli brutalities in Gaza and said the government was making arrangements to send immediate medical and food assistance for the affected people of Palestine.

About Leader of Opposition Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan’s demand for a special debate on oil price, power shortage and other issues of public importance, the prime minister said these could be raised and discussed through call-attention notices and adjournment motions.

Clarifying his statement made in Karachi earlier in the day about reinstatement of deposed chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, Mr Gilani said he had stated that PML-N’s decision to participate in the lawyers’ long march was its internal affair.

“We stand by our commitment of independence of judiciary and have given many sacrifices for this cause. I myself led party protests against the imposition of emergency and sacking of judges and remained locked in a police station for three days,” he said.

Later, the house resumed debate on the presidential address. Legislators called for greater provincial autonomy and revisiting of the 17th Amendment as promised by President Zardari in his address to a joint session of parliament.

ANP’s Pervez Khan said the only way to make Pakistan a strong country was to give complete autonomy to the provinces. “The government has to take practical steps. Only extending apology to the people of Balochistan will not work. We have to give them their rights,” he said.

Ayaz Amir of the PML-N criticised the government for conferring national awards on US officials and termed it an insult to the people of Pakistan. “Instead of taking American dictates on war on terror, we should assert sovereignty of Pakistan and national autonomy,” he said.Dr Attiya Anytullah of the PML-Q criticised President Zardari for what she called making tall promises for protection of women’s rights and rewarding with a minister’s post a senator who had publicly announced that killing women for honour was a tribal custom.

Advocate M. Usman said the country’s problem would aggravate if the Baloch people were not give their rights.

MQM’s Salahudding MQM said the government should try to defeat extremism through education.