ISLAMABAD : Pakistan Peoples Party Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari Friday said the proposed constitutional package is in final stage and would be tabled in the Parliament after a thorough phase of deliberations with all stakeholders. “We would take all the like-minded parties including PML (N) onboard on the package and, later, present it before media for a final debate,” Zardari said.
He was addressing a news conference after a meeting of Socialist International Asia-Pacific Committee, flanked by Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sherry Rehman and Secretary General of the Committee Luis Ayala.
Zardari said the Minister for Law and Justice Farooq H. Naek was scheduled to meet him for approval of the draft of the package and later their party would seek consultations with its political allies including PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif and other leaders.
Co-Chairman PPP Asif Ali Zardari while replying to a question on the resignation of President Pervez Musharraf said, “Whenever our Parliament and people of Pakistan would desire, he would go.”
“You (media) have freedom of expression but politics is our profession, let us do it, we will not disappoint the nation, come up to their expectations and strengthen the democracy,” he added.
Zardari said Pakistan Peoples Party will follow the guidelines set by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and was committed to moving forward towards destination of complete democracy through dialogue.
“Dialogue is the best option to resolve the conflicts. Our leader Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah got an independent country through dialogue with Lord Mountbatten,” the Co-Chairman added.
“I respect sentiments of my political allies particularly PML (N) and want to go ahead along with them. I want support of my friends and support them,” he said, adding PPP is a mature party which had rendered sacrifices for democracy, so we will not stop on this crucial turn.
Answering a question, PPP Co-Chairman said he did not believe in any ascending or descending counting for resolution of prevailing political or judicial crisis.
When asked about the long march of lawyers headed by Aitzaz Ahsan, he said PPP would welcome the march in Islamabad as PPP believes in democracy and wants to maintain democratic norms.
He said a delegation is being sent to the Untied States to convince the US administration to support Pakistan overcome its food crisis through supply of wheat free of cost.
Zardari said economic and internal crisis may give non-democratic forces an opportunity to take over, “but it does not mean that we are unable to handle the crisis.”
PPP government had resolved the crisis through comprehensive strategies in the past as well and will do the same in future, he added.
PPP Co-Chairman, Asif Ali Zardari asked Socialist International to support PPP’s demand for the UN probe in Benazir Bhutto’s assassination and said already a request has been sent to the UN and a meeting has been sought with the UN Secretary General for moving forward the process.
He thanked Socialist International for its support for democracy in all parts of the world in general and for Pakistan in particular.
Asif Ali Zardari recalled that Shaheed Benazir Bhutto had always been a regular speaker at the conferences of the Socialist International.
He said that the PPP government was fully aware of the hardships that the masses were facing because of the food inflation and high oil prices and assured that despite the economic pressures the upcoming budget will be poor and business friendly.
He said to introduce targeted subsidies a card based system was being introduced. The card named “Benazir Card’ will be given to the poorest of the poor and they will be able to shop on those cards and the subsidy amount will be automatically transferred to those accounts every month.
Referring to the democratic struggles going on in the world, he said quite recently the parliament in Nepal had voted to put an end to monarchy that was the predominant system there for 239 years.
PPP Co-Chairman said he also had a vision to bring a change in the system through the parliament and eulogized the struggle and sacrifices of the Burma’s opposition leader Aung San Sui Kyi for the democratic rights of the people of Burma.
He announced that a delegation of PPP and the government of Pakistan will travel to Burma to express solidarity with her, adding that PPP’s government will use all available diplomatic means to help her.
He reminded that Ms. Sui Kyi children’s have been kept away from their mother for the last five years and demanded that she should be allowed to see her children.
On the occasion, Luis Ayala said gradually it is being realized all over the world that governments have to be socially responsible and those who have failed to understand had lost elections in a number of countries.
He thanked people of Pakistan for hosting the Asia Pacific Committee Meeting and said sharing of experiences help us understand each other.
He said those who believe in social democracy need to support each other so that responsible governance can be strengthened all across the world.
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