ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira on Friday said the policy of reconciliation strengthened the federation and the country was put back on track of prosperity and progress.

Speaking at the launch of a book on the four and a half years performance of the government, titled “Reconciliation, Reforms, Revival 4 Years of Democratic Government (2008-2012), here at the Prime Minister Secretariat, he said the PPP government got a “bleeding Pakistan” when it came into power.

He mentioned the ailing economy, the situation in Malakand, Swat and tribal areas as the issues tackled by the government.

Referring to the war on terror and the situation in Swat and Malakand, Kaira said Shaheed Benazir Bhutto in her last address at Rawalpindi expressed apprehensions about these issues.

He said the basic issue was whether Pakistan would continue to remain strong and powerful or not.

He said Shaheed Benazir Bhutto sacrificed her life for a strong democracy and to fight the mindset and the martyrdom of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto had caused the fear of Balkanisation.

He said at this difficult moment, President Asif Ali Zardari called upon the aggrieved nation to turn the pain into a passion of rebuilding a democratic Pakistan and democracy was declared the best revenge.

Today democracy was a reality and was flourishing, he noted.

Enumerating achievements of the government, he said an equitable system of resource distribution was achieved and the long standing demands of provinces were fulfilled by a durable provincial autonomy.

The rights of suppressed identities were restored and the mistrust between centre and province was turned into a sense of collectivity, he added.

He said consensus based decision making created confidence in the democratic system.

The Minister said the government introduced key reforms focusing on constitutional, fiscal, administrative, institutional and social dimensions of democratic governance.