Pakistani PM hints at early elections

                   
 
Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani (C) speaks to the media in southwest Pakistan' Sukkur, on Feb. 19, 2012. Gilani on Sunday hinted at the possibility of holding early parliamentary elections in the country. (Xinhua Photo)
ISLAMABAD, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani on Sunday hinted at the possibility of holding early parliamentary elections in the country.
The parliamentary elections are scheduled in early 2013.
The Prime Minister said the issue of early elections will be discussed after the next month Senate elections and the presentation of the annual budget in May.
Elections for 54 Senate seats will be held on March 2 and Gilani's ruling Pakistan Peoples Party is set to get simple majority in the 104-member Upper House.
"I do not rule out the possibility of early elections," Prime Minister Gilani told reporters in Sindh province when asked if he is considering snap polls.
Opposition parties are mounting pressure on the government to hold early elections as they claim the rulers have failed to solve the people's problems.
A provincial minister in Sindh province said elections could be held in October this year.
Replying to a question about the situation in Afghanistan vis-a- vis talks with Taliban, Gilani said Pakistan is ready to facilitate an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process.
The Prime Minister also referred to the recent visit of Afghan President Hamid Karzai to Pakistan and said the issue was also discussed with him and he was assured of Pakistan's full support to the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process.
Regarding the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India, Prime Minister Gilani said the issue was being misconstrued, as it is only meant to ensure "no-discrimination in trade" link with other 100 countries of the world.
He said the Federal Cabinet had allowed the Ministry of Commerce to negotiate with India's Ministry of Commerce the issue of trade balance.
The Prime Minister further said that since the present government has come into power in 2008, the cross Line of Control (LoC) trade had been recorded at 15 billion rupees (167 million US dollars). The LoC divides Pakistan and India in the disputed Kashmir region.

PM dismisses early polls, caretaker set up
Insistent on Seraiki province , Pak won’t budge to foreign pressure

Multan—Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani Saturday dismissed speculation about early general elections as well as installation of a caretaker regime.

“Now there will be no caretaker or chair-taker. The Prime Minister will not go up, inside or outside. He will stay right here.”

Gilani told reporters after opening Air University campus in Multan, a day after the PPP emerged as the single largest party in the Senate.

Gilani noted that several predictions made in the past about the fall of his government had been proved wrong. “The government held the Senate elections on time and will present its fifth budget in May”, he said.

Regarding carving out new province in Southern Punjab, the PM said Seraiki province was not his demand but it was demand of the people. Several conspiracies were being hatched against the Seraiki province, he observed. “Some say Hazara province be created some say Bahawalpur province be formed. “Bahawalpur is part of Seraiki province, he added”. He said, constitution would be amended for creation of Saraiki province.

The prime minister chaired a meeting to review ongoing development projects in Southern Punjab under the PM’s Special Package under which some 116 projects with the cost of Rs 96 billion would be completed by June 2012. The meting was told that almost 30 percent work on these projects had been completed. He inaugurated development schemes worth Rs 860 million besides laying foundation stone of a Rs 810 million road project for Southern Punjab.

Addressing a public meeting in Multan, Gilani said the PPP was the name of a movement, a mission to extend rights to the people, give them self-respect, and improve their living standards. “The victory in NA-148 by-elections shows that people have firm belief in its martyred leaders and policies of the government”. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that Pakistan would take decision on Pak-Iran gas pipeline keeping in view its own interests and would not succumb to any pressure in this regard.

  PM Yousuf Gillani proved double tongue

I am sure rather dead sure that you will also be surprised like me that our worthy Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has proved as a person with two tongues. Let me at the very outset clarify before proceeding any further that our beloved PM is neither born with two tongues nor another tongue is implanted in his mouth as one may mistakenly construe by just reading my caption. Certainly he is born as normal as you or me and therefore quite naturally he has just one tongue like you or me but yet I am daring to prove that he has two tongues.

Today Sunday 4th March 2012, Pakistan Observer, Islamabad newspaper flashes the main news on its front page under the caption, ‘PM dismisses early polls, caretaker set up’ and therefore anybody who even does not read the newspaper but just sees it will know why and how it is the most prominent news of the day. The wording of the caption duly punctuated with its placement has automatically done the job. The newspaper quoted what PM has said who is in Multan where he has gone to perform the opening ceremony of Multan campus of Air University.  It is not only very ripe but right time  too to mention that just a few days back only the same PM while talking to various representatives if the press in Sukkur had said on 19h February, 2012 that there is a possibility that the general elections could be held earlier than the schedule. He further went on saying that the subject of early election could be discussed next month after holding Senate elections. The elections were held just two days all the senators have been elected too so the waiting time period is over now. However, it is really not only very much surprising but annoying too that PM instead of saying something concrete about holding the general election as per his earlier words, he took a complete u turn and said very categorically that there is no chance of early elections whatsoever. Let me quote his own words, ‘Now there will be no caretaker or chair-taker. The Prime Minister will not go up, inside or outside. He will stay right here.”

He said whatever could please him but nevertheless at the same time it must be remembered that under all the circumstances he neither officially nor morally can say alike and it is very much required of him that he should be very much judicious in his approach and also be very selective and choosy to pick up his words and it is of imperative importance that he must evaluate each and every word words before saying and not otherwise. His words are too heavy not in weight as one may think of because of the word weight but in authenticity and application. Needless to mention that Prime Minister is none but head of the government and as such he is exclusively responsible to run the whole official machinery of the country.  It is also a fact that each and everyone whether male or female; highly placed officer or a junior employee; white or black; Muslim or non Muslim; elected or selected etc directly and or indirectly works under him right from one end to other end to run the whole country. Shouldn’t it be a matter of great concern, not just for me or even you but the nation as a whole, to be very honest because when PM tells lies then one can very well imagine without any elucidation or clarification as to what message is being transmitted by him to his juniors? Isn’t it a great national tragedy?
Chief is chief and remains chief whatever nomenclature one may give to him, he always sets the tone give practical example for others to follow him and therefore on the same analogy very rightly said which is of course absolutely an undisputed fact that children learn from their father; teacher influences his students; leader guides his followers; clergy man commands over his believers and the list goes on and on and this method is being practiced exactly alike all over the globe not for centuries alone but  since mankind is born. If you dig it deep you will realize that the worst part of the episode  is that now whatever he says or had said or even will say becomes doubtful and his words and statements become questionable. Is it true what he said? Should be believed or not? As an honest person I will say not only with full authority and conviction but even on my honor and on oath that there is always some truth if not the whole truth as to what he had said but in the given situation he has created doubts even in my mind which as such demands that one should try to confirm independently without referring to PM to find out quite independently as to what is true and what is false.

Who is his Aristotle or Plato who always advises him so sincerely and honestly that he should never ever say the truth and instead should say so much differently and that too in a very short span of time? How come it did not strike to him and or his platoon of advisers that people’s memory is not that short hence not one or ten or even thousand but millions must be very vividly remembering as to what did he say on election just a few days back and what he said today? May be majority had forgotten but yet some must have remembered if he had said something say four years ago but it is no so at this point of time.
Did anyone think for a while as to what type of message is being given here by PM to his subordinates? What do we expect from his subordinates who are the worst hit? Universal basic principle of employment is that the junior is to blindly obey the command of the senior otherwise in case of disobedience the junior is digging his own grave. In this situation where it has been proved without slightest shadow of doubt that some of the words of PM are true and some are false so what do we expect from his subordinates to do. Should they continue obeying him blindly as before or now they should first verify and obey those orders only which are true and ignore those which are false? How many can risk their employment and happily chose for termination of their employment but not obeying his false orders? Last question of this paragraph is can any subordinate afford to pick and choose? 
Which statement of PM is correct and is to be believed. Just one will be correct and not both. What could be his agenda and or the purpose either apparent or hidden to tell his own nation such a big lie? Why did he turn up as a dual faced person? Didn’t he prove to be double tongued and if it is too hard to digest then alternatively the lighter part is that he lied once?

Iqbal Hadi Zaidi / Kuwait