Prime Minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Monday said the government believed in promotion of democratic traditions in the national politics and that all disputes should be resolved through dialogues.
Addressing the Peshawar High Court Bar Association here, he said on the basis of October 2002 general elections, majority parties were allowed to form governments in the respective provinces, adding President General Pervez Musharraf had issued directives, in his presence, for formation of governments in the provinces by the parties enjoying majority in the respective legislative assemblies.
In Sindh, the prime minister said he invited Makhdoom Amin Faheem (PPPP), being leader of the majority party, to form the government for which he sought three days period, however, after consulting his leader abroad, Amin Faheem declined the offer.
The same goes to the Frontier province where the MMA formed its government without any hindrance, he said, adding the federal government has always extended helping hand to the MMA government in NWFP.
Shujaat said the time has come to develop culture of tolerance and end the politics of victimisation for strengthening national integrity and solidarity.
Referring to the ongoing situation in Wana, the prime minister said the process of dialogue would continue to settle the matter on sound footings, and added that efforts toward amicable solution to the matter is in progress.
He recalled that the last meeting on Wana held in Islamabad bore fruitful results, and hoped that the next meeting on the subject would further the peace process in the area. Shujaat Hussain reiterated: "we have to give up the politics of labelling the opponents as anti-state", saying that "nobody in the country is a traitor."
About the Access to Justice Programme (AJP), he said it contained a lot of plus points, therefore, it would continue to spread with the passage of time.
He said the bar and bench are inter-linked and this is necessary for the provision of justice to the people.
Eulogising the democratic spirit of the legal fraternity, the prime minister said they had all along spearheaded the struggle for restoration of democracy rule of law and supremacy of the parliament.
He said his association with the lawyers, and judiciary dates back to his childhood when he was 12. It were lawyers and the judiciary which came first to the rescue of his family when his father was arrested in a fake case during the regime of late Z.A. Bhutto, he added.
He felt greatly honoured to be the first prime minister of Pakistan, who was invited to address the Peshawar High Court Bar Association.
He also announced a donation of Rs 3 million from his own pocket for the Peshawar High Court Bar Association, and Rs 500,000 for the low grade employees of the Peshawar High Court (PHC).
Earlier, PHCBA President Zia-ur-Rehman, in his address of welcome, referred to various problems facing the lawyers community.
The demands presented included the increase in the number of judges of the Peshawar High Court, establishment of permanent circuit bench of the Supreme Court in Peshawar, spacious place for parking of the lawyers in the premises of the PHC, allocation of funds for the bars in the federal budget, and settlement of Wana issue through dialogues.
Zia-ur-Rehman said the Peshawar High Court Bar Association is not a political entity and Ch. Shujaat Hussain is the first prime minister of the county who addressed the bar because of his undisputed stature and his persistent struggle for a healthy democratic culture.
The function was attended among others by NWFP Governor Lieutenant General Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah, Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani, Federal Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, Senator Mushahid Hussain and Senator Nisar A Memon.
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