LAHORE, May 16 Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Sunday that people wanted Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf to justify the promulgation of the controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) and wondered why courts were not summoning him.

“Why isn't the creator of the NRO being summoned? He should be made to appear before courts and explain his position.”

The prime minister said that the federal Law Minister (Babar Awan) would appear before the court to explain the government's position on the NRO. He was summoned by the Supreme Court on May 25 to apprise it about steps the government has taken to implement its verdict nullifying the NRO and ask him to reopen the Swiss cases involving President Asif Ali Zardari. About the NRO, Mr Gilani said it was the international community which had forced Gen (retd) Musharraf to introduce a national reconciliation policy and the late Benazir Bhutto had been instrumental behind the move.

He said Ms Bhutto had convinced the international community that Pakistan could no longer be run by a military dictator and there was a need for a democratic set-up in the country. She told them that Pakistan could handle issues like war on terror in a better way only under a democratic set-up, he said.

He said Ms Bhutto had also persuaded Nawaz Sharif to return to the country and take part in elections. Mr Gilani was talking to members of the Lahore Press Club governing body headed by Sarmad Bashir.

Mr Gilani said the PPP government was pursuing the national reconciliation policy which Ms Bhutto had initiated.

Taking pride in achievements of his government, he said it had finalised the NFC Award, announced the Aghaz-i-Huqooq-i-Balochistan package and allowed the Swat operation against terrorists. Above all it gave the 18th Amendment.

He said the government had “very good relations” with the establishment for the first time in the history of the PPP, adding that “establishment and the political leadership are on the same page”.

The prime minister said he had been frequently meeting the president, the chief of the army staff and the chief justice of Pakistan for better coordination on various national issues, including security.

Objecting to reports carried by a section of the media regarding the election of Jamshed Dasti in the Saturday by-poll, Mr Gilani said he had been unfairly accused of running the election campaign of Mr Dasti. He said it was a decision of the PPP to award the party ticket to Mr Dasti and courts had also allowed him to contest the election.