Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Sunday said the reference against Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry was prepared and handled purely in accordance with the Constitution and law, therefore, it should not be politicised.
Addressing a press conference here at Prime Minister House, he said the reference should not be used for political benefits and for creating trouble to the masses.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Muhammad Ali Durrani and Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Senator Tariq Azeem Khan were also present on the occasion.
The prime minister said now the reference was with the Supreme Judicial Council, adding that after its deliberations, the Council would give its final verdict on the reference.
He said Supreme Court and Supreme Judicial Council were the most important institutions and the government was fully determined to ensure their sanctity.
He said the reference case was purely a constitutional and legal matter and it should not be made a political issue. He said no one was above the law.
Replying to a question, the prime minister said there was a provision in the Constitution to impose emergency and there were certain circumstances, explained in the Constitution, which were required to impose emergency.
About the visit of Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to Lahore, he said it was not the referendum. He said the actual referendum was the big public meeting addressed by President General Pervez Musharraf on Saturday in Naukot in Tharparker where more than 200,000 people participated.
The prime minister said the government ensured smooth travelling of Justice Iftikhar from Islamabad to Lahore and provided security to avoid any untoward incident. He said the government was satisfied that the journey from Islamabad to Lahore remained peaceful and there was no untoward incident.
He said there was no pressure on the government regarding the reference case and it was being considered by SJC, which would decide it without any pressure or influence.
Answering a question, the prime minister said the government was not under any pressure due to the protest of the lawyers on the reference issue adding that the parliament was functioning and doing legislation.
Replying to a question about disturbance in the transmission of some of the private TV channels on Saturday, he said it was due to the fault of cable operators.
He said the government was determined to ensure press freedom. He urged the media to use the press freedom with responsibility through balanced and objective reporting.
The prime minister said the government always welcomed criticism but it should be based on facts and balanced reports. He said the media should avoid inappropriate reporting, which could damage the respect and honour of any one.
He said the people were conscious and well aware of the development done in the last seven years by the present government.
He said, although, there were challenges before the government, still, it had taken a number of steps to improve the living standard of the people.
The rural areas, with over 60 percent population, had been given more concentration in the development projects and now there had been lot of improvement, he added.
He said due to agricultural reforms, the per acre yield of many crops, had been increased and now Pakistan was also exporting 500,000 tonnes of wheat to India.
He said the prices of various commodities in Pakistan were less as compared to other countries of the South Asia. He said the government took decisions in the national interest and not for personal benefits.
The prime minister said the national exchequer was empty seven years ago but with the reforms of the present government there had been a record foreign investment in Pakistan in the last couple of years.
He said the masses were fully aware who worked for the country and filled the national exchequer and those who looted the national wealth.
He said the living standard of the people had been improving and the per capita income would reach to dollars 950 this year and it would cross dollars 1,000 mark next year.
He said the next budget would be people-friendly and measures would be taken for the benefit of the people and efforts would be made to minimise financial burden on them.
He said the purchasing power of the people had been increased and the sale of various commodities this year was proof in this regard. He quoted the increase of sale of electric fans from 3.5 million to 5.0 million this year.
About the load-shedding, the prime minister said it was due to increasing demand in the country because of high economic growth rate.
He said that due to economic development in the country, the demand of electricity had increased, therefore, the government had decided to utilise the available electricity through 'load management'.
He said it had been decided that all the shops would be closed at 8.00 .pm except medical stores, bakeries, hotels, restaurants and hospitals. He said due to this, the working in the industrial areas would not be affected.
The prime minister said the government had been taking many steps to improve the power generation, which included 1400 MW at Ghazi Barotha, 310 MW and 320 MW nuclear projects at Chashma while work was also underway on Jinnah Barrage and other projects.
He said energy conservation programmes were being implemented even in developed countries, therefore, Pakistan was also implementing on the energy conservation programme this year to fully utilise the available power.
The Wapda has also arranged grid stations to ensure smooth supply of the electricity in case of any disturbance, he added.
The prime minister said the water situation in dams was satisfactory and six times more water was available this year for electricity production and crops. He said all powerhouses would be functional in full capacity this year.
He said the rally of PML on May 12 in the federal capital would be in line with the political activities. He said in a political system, it was the right of each and every party to express and project its point of view through public meetings and rallies.He said the May 12 rally in Islamabad should not be taken as a negative step by the PML as it would be part of democratic process and only a way to project the point of view of the party.
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