| |
PPP has no veiled contact with Musharraf: Gilani
No proposal to grant him immunity
Islamabad—The ruling Pakistan People’s Party has not
established any back channel contacts with President and it is up to
the embattled President to decide about stepping down, Prime
Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said.
He was expressing his views in an interview with Indian journalist
Karan Thapar for the interviewer’s programme. Gilani said,
“Actually, we both – Mr Nawaz Sharif and myself have suffered a lot.
Even (PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari had been behind bars for
eight years. I have been behind bars for five years. I’m not bitter
at all.”
Dismissing media reports that the PPP had initiated back channel
contacts with Musharraf for an arrangement whereby the President
would be allowed to complete his term in exchange for giving up some
of his powers, Gilani said he personally had no problems working
with Musharraf if this was “according to the constitution of
Pakistan”.
Asked if he personally hoped Musharraf would step down on his own,
Gilani said: “I personally feel that I can only follow the
constitution. For leaving the post, it’s his (Musharraf’s) choice,
not mine.” Asked if he would give Musharraf advice in this regard,
he said, “(Musharraf) will never ask for my advice…Advice is sought,
not hawked.”
Responding to a question on whether he would persuade Sharif to
allow Musharraf to continue and complete his term provided the
President gave up some of his powers, Gilani said: “Why should I
persuade Nawaz Sharif to allow Musharraf to complete his tenure?
“That is his prerogative, we are two different parties. We have two
different manifestos and programmes. He is following his manifesto,
I am following my manifesto.”
He added: “We want the balance of power between the presidency and
the parliament. At the same time, we want that according to the
constitution and with a majority. But at the moment, even Nawaz
Sharif knows that we don’t have a majority in the upper house (of
parliament).”
Gilani said there is no proposal “from any side” to grant Musharraf
immunity for his actions during last year’s emergency rule and to
retain the National Security Council, which Sharif has said should
be abolished in line with the Charter of Democracy signed by the PPP
and PML-N in 2006.
The Prime Minister hinted that the PPP might act to remove the
President’s power to dissolve parliament, saying it was “not part of
the original constitution of 1973 which was given by (PPP founder)
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto”.
“The NSC was created by an act of parliament and could be scrapped
whenever “the whole coalition feels like” doing so, he said.
Asked if he had Gen Kayani’s support and loyalty, Gilani replied:
“He is a highly professional officer, a general, and we are
maintaining excellent relations with him.” He added he “certainly”
had the army’s support.
When it was pointed out that the Charter of Democracy has several
provisions – including placing the Inter-Services Intelligence under
civilian control, parliamentary scrutiny of the defence budget and
annual declaration of assets of army officers – that could spark
tensions with the military, Gilani said, “We have signed the Charter
of Democracy and the parties would be working on these points.
“At the moment, we have discussed with the army chief, and he
extends full support to the civil government.” Asked if Kayani had
agreed to the provisions of the charter, he said: “To some extent,
yes.”
Gilani, however, said the provision of the Charter of Democracy that
calls for a commission to inquire into the causes of the 1999 Kargil
conflict and to fix responsibility for it would have to “be debated
in the parliament”.
The Charter, he said, “would be implemented under the ambit of the
constitution and we are making the parliament sovereign. Therefore,
whatever would be the decision, it will be debated in the
parliament.”—NNI
|
