LAHORE, March 2: Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi pledged on Sunday that the PML-Q government would set new precedents in politics by promoting tolerance and devoting more time on people’s welfare.

Speaking at a meeting arranged in memory of late Hameed Nizami, founder of daily Nawa-i-Waqt, the chief minister assured that democratic process would be strengthened and the government’s opponents would not be victimized.

He praised President Gen Pervez Musharraf for holding the elections and transferring power to the elected representatives according to his commitment. He said practical steps would be taken for the welfare of the poor.

Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz said the government wanted to clear its loans instead of adding to its burden to regain economic sovereignty. He hoped that the government’s policies would lead the country to economic stability.

PML-N leader Akram Zaki said on the occasion the policy of confrontation should be shunned and the democratic process should be strengthened through talks with the army. He proposed that steps should be taken to enhance the authority of parliament.

On the Iraq crisis, the former secretary-general foreign affairs said Pakistan would have to follow a balanced policy, which should neither favour the US favour nor be against it.

He suggested that the powers of the UN Security Council should be enhanced to prevent any country from taking unilateral decisions.

Referring to the civil-military conflict in the country since the creation of Pakistan, he said the country’s relations with India had played a key role in establishing supremacy of the army over the democratic institutions.

He said the army had to allocate more funds for defence to respond to India’s threats. An institution, which was strengthened by higher budgetary allocations, would certainly be in a dominating position, he added.

PPP MNA Aitzaz Ahsan regretted that during the past 55 years the armed forces had not accepted the supremacy of the civilian institutions. He said the democratic process could not take roots in the country.

He said his party would extend full support to the prime minister, if he would establish state’s superiority over the army. According to Justice Dr Javed Iqbal (retired), the Quaid-i-Azam had envisioned a parliamentary system for Pakistan in which all powers rested with the prime minister and president worked only as a symbol of national unity.

He proposed that the political parties should not involve themselves in confrontation with the army to force Gen Pervez Musharraf to take off his military uniform. The matter should be settled through talks, he suggested.

MMA leader Liaquat Baloch reiterated that Gen Musharraf was not competent to amend the constitution and the LFO could not be made a part of the basic law, unless approved by parliament.

He warned that the LFO could be a death warrant both for Gen Musharraf and parliament in case it was not put before law-makers for approval. He ended his speech by saying that the US had no right to attack Iraq.

PAT chairman Dr Tahirul Qadri, while giving vent to his feelings about the impending war, said war against the so-called terrorism had been started to weaken Islamic countries.