LAHORE, Oct 6: Former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is not happy with the Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf’s government because of its inability to stop the arrest of his son on premises of the Supreme Court and for changing his team of bureaucrats.

Talking to newsmen at his residence here on Saturday, he expressed annoyance over the ‘unceremonious’ removal of members of his team (bureaucrats).

“There is no point in my stay at the presidency if my party’s government fails to stop the arrest of my son, Ali Musa, from the red zone. Neither PPP’s parliamentarian Hamid Saeed Kazmi nor PML-N’s Anjum Aqeel was arrested from the red zone. Why only my son,” wondered Mr Gilani, who is vice chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party.

“Similarly, I was not expecting that my team (of bureaucrats) will be removed from their posts in such an unceremonious manner. They were not even offered a cup of tea. Had it been the PML-N government, the treatment meted out to them would have made sense,” he said.

The former premier said although he left the presidency without conveying his decision to President Zardari, he had no differences with the PPP co-chairman. However, his tone and body language suggested otherwise.

“The government’s apparent helplessness over the arrest of my son forced me to leave the presidency,” he said, regretting that no PPP leader had condemned Ali Musa Gilani’s arrest (at the hands of the Anti-Narcotics Force).

Ali Musa is on bail in the ephedrine case.

Asked whether Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf was taking dictates from the establishment to remove his team, Mr Gilani said: “I followed the spirit of the PPP during my tenure as prime minister. I think the present set-up lacks this.”

About reports that the ANF wanted to investigate him in the ephedrine case as well, the former prime minister said: “I welcome it. But if ANF does so it means Makhdoom Shahabuddin and Ali Musa are innocent.”

Clarifying his statement on the Bangladesh-model government, he said: “I had referred to the judiciary and not the presidency when I said decisions are being taken somewhere else and parliament is worthless. Decisions of the judiciary are accepted but not of parliament’s. The National Assembly speaker’s decision in my case was not accepted.”

He said parliament should have protested when the speaker’s decisions were not accepted as its dignity was lowered because of this. “Now it’s too late for parliament to protest over dual nationality.”

Mr Gilani said he had told his party that there should be no compromise on the president’s immunity in writing a letter to the Swiss authorities regarding reopening of graft cases against President Zardari.

“Without interpreting the president’s immunity, writing the letter amounts to treason. The Supreme Court will have to interpret Article 248 of the Constitution,” he said.

The former premier claimed he sacrificed his position but did not compromise on sanctity of the Constitution. “My party is proud of me for that. Even Bilawal Bhutto had asked me not to allow trial of Benazir Bhutto,” he added.