Government is here to stay, says Gilani

Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Friday said the present government would complete its five-year tenure. Speaking at Iftar dinner at Sindh Governor House here, the Prime Minister said the people of the country will not allow any effort to derail the present democratic system. He made it clear that the people have given a five-year mandate to the present government and the government is here to stay.
He said the statements of some unpopular people and vested interests cannot derail the present democratic system. "We have got democracy after long efforts and sacrifices," he added. "The present government, from the very first day, has adopted the policy of reconciliation and there are coalition governments in center and all four provinces. Under the charter of democracy signed by Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, the present government is making efforts to strengthen democracy in the country," he said.
"We want to strengthen institutions and to provide relief to the people of the country," he said and added that the government has taken various steps to strengthen the institutions. "We have also initiated various projects to provide relief to people," he added. He said the government has initiated Benazir Income Support Programme. Initially, this programme was started with an allocation of Rs 34 billion, which has been enhanced to Rs 70 billion.
He pointed out that the government has taken some very unpopular decisions in the interest of the country. He said the present government has taken charge in a difficult time and faced various issues. There was global recession, which had affected almost all the countries including Pakistan. Even the most developed countries had been affected in this global recession.
However, the government took various steps to face the situation. Being the agrarian country, the government diversified its policies and paid its attention on agriculture sector. Due to these policies, the country had bumper wheat crop. He said the power shortage was another issue, which the government was facing from the day one. He pointed out that the government has adopted short term, medium term and long term strategies to resolve the issue of power shortage in the country.
Due to these strategies, the government would be able to resolve this issue within shortest possible time. He expressed hope that the government would be able to provide free electricity to poor people of the country under Benazir Income Support Programme. Regarding improvement in the country's economic situation, the Prime Minister said the inflation has come down and the country's foreign exchange reserves has increased to around $14 billion. He said the people of the country back the present government and with their support, the government has been successful in operation against terrorists in Malakand.
The Nato forces are still unable to control terrorism in Afghanistan, but the Pak Army has got success in a few weeks, h e added. Responding to a question, the Prime Minister said the government would continue moral support to Kashmiri people as Kashmir was the cornerstone of PPP's foreign policy. Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan welcomed the Prime Minister. Federal Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and provincial ministers were also present on the occasion.