PPP to resist new centres of legislative power

Daily Times

The Pakistan People’s Party expressed its determination to resist, within the bounds of law and constitution, the emergence of new centres of legislative power other than parliament. It said lawmaking is the sacred responsibility of legislature, which will not be abandoned at any cost. This was expressed during a meeting of federal ministers and senior PPP leaders, co-chaired by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, at the Presidency on Tuesday. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, Commerce Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Deefence Minister Naveed Qamar, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Law Minister Farooq Naek, Religious Affairs Minister Syed Khursheed Shah, Information and Broadcasting Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, former health minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin, Water and Power Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Senator Mian Raza Rabbani, leader of the House in the Senate Jahangir Badr and Sardar Ali Khan attended the meeting. The president’s spokesman Senator Farhatullah Babar said the meeting discussed the current situation of the country with focus on preparation for elections, overcoming energy crisis and the legal challenges the government was faced with. He said the president called upon the party leadership to step up preparations for the upcoming elections, which the president emphasised, would be held on time in accordance with the constitutional and legal dictates and in consultation with coalition partners. He said the Election Commission of Pakistan had announced completion of electoral rolls that were on display, and advised the party leadership to ensure every MNA, MPA and ticket-holder thoroughly checked the voter lists so that no one was left out, and to report any discrepancy to the ECP for rectification. The president said the PPP believes in the people’s power and was never shy of reverting to the people for endorsement of its policies. He said the party believed in free, fair and transparent elections for which it was important that electoral rolls should be devoid of errors and no eligible voter was left out. The president said holding of next general elections on time by the present assemblies would be another important milestone in the nation's journey towards strengthening of democracy, and further strengthening of the political process. He also asked the party leaders to reach out to masses and address their problems. The spokesman said Water and Power Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar briefed the meeting on the energy situation in the country. He said in view of the critical nature of the power issue and the problems faced by the people, repair work of high-voltage pylons in Muzzaffargarh was done on war footing and the suspended power restored to the national grid. He said power generation would further improve with necessary financial resources being utilised for fuel and expected rise in water level in the dams. The meeting was informed about the progress with regards to implementation of the cabinet’s decision about zero duty on the import of solar panels. He said solar energy would significantly reduce pressure on the power sector. In addition to this, work on small dams in various parts of the country was also being done on priority basis. Law Minister Farooq H Naek also briefed the meeting about various legal challenges and the strategy adopted to confront the challenges. The meeting expressed satisfaction with the strategy. The meeting also reposed full confidence in the leadership of President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf.