* PM tells NA he will constitute committee for implementation of 18th Amendment today
By Tahir Niaz
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani vowed on Monday not to allow the killers of Benazir Bhutto go scot free, “whoever they may be”.
Gilani was responding to the points raised by Leader of the Opposition Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan in the National Assembly over the government’s performance.
The prime minister said all those mentioned in the UN commission report had been made officers on special duty, and “all the culprits will be brought to justice”. He said his government had also constituted a committee to probe into the hosing down of the site of Benazir’s assassination.
Gilani told the opposition Benazir’s death was a national loss, and said if the opposition could not help the government in tracing down those responsible, it should, at least, condole with the government.
The prime minister defended his government’s policies, which were earlier criticized by Nisar, and said a number of decisions made by his government – including the NFC Award and the 18th Amendment – were unprecedented. He told the House that he would constitute a committee today (Tuesday) to oversee the implementation of the 18th Amendment. He said the government developed energy conservation policy in consultation with all the four chief ministers and experts, and hoped that the power shortage would soon be overcome.
The prime minister said while inflation was a global phenomenon, the government was headed in the right direction in resolving economic issues.
Gilani said the government was making policies using the Charter of Democracy as a roadmap. He said in the past, “an army chief was all in all ... he was the chief executive, the president and the army chief, but the PPP government has transformed the system into a parliamentary one”. He said the entire world now trusted Pakistan and was willing to assist the country in overcoming the financial crisis. He said he took PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif into confidence over the possibility of talks with the Indian prime minister, before leaving for the latest SAARC conference. “I forced India to talk on all issues, including Kashmir, water and terrorism,” said Gilani.
Daily Times
