18th amendment bill passage: Gilani hopes Senate will follow National Assembly

PM Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Friday said the consensus on the 18th amendment was the dividend of the policy of reconciliation of the government. "I pay tribute to the people of Pakistan, the members of the parliament and the parliamentary committee for achieving this consensus," Gilani said in his address at a luncheon hosted by Speaker NA Fehmida Mirza, marking the passage of the constitutional amendment.
He hoped that the Senate would follow the National Assembly in swift and unanimous passage of the 18th amendment that empowers the prime minister and restores the balance between state institutions. He said not a single MNA opposed the amendment and said the consensus of 442 parliamentarians - 342 of the National Assembly and hopefully 100 of the Senate, was something unprecedented that spoke volumes of the policy of reconciliation that was successfully being pursued by the present government.
He said policy of reconciliation leads to economic and political stability and it was the need of the hour as the country was passing through a critical juncture. Prime Minister Gilani paid rich tributes to President Asif Ali Zardari for voluntarily yielding his powers.
He was also appreciative of the role of the armed forces for not interfering into the affairs of the political government. He said the army too was supporting the democracy, while remaining in the ambit of constitution. "If all state institutions continue to work within their respective spheres Pakistan would continue to prosper, progress and gain stability," he said.
The prime minister said there might be areas in the Constitution that still need to be improved further and added the coming generations will be able to further improve upon these and adapt according to changing times. He appreciated that national assembly worked for the trichotomy of the powers and hoped the Senate will follow suit.
Prime Minister Gilani said there was a need for capacity building of the members of the provincial assemblies so that they can handle matters after the passage of the historic NFC award. Gilani said there was also a need that the provinces focus on causes that lead to terrorism and spend more on compulsory education.
Prime Minister recalled that the members of the constituent assembly went bare foot to the Mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam after the passage of the Constitution in 1956 to pay him tributes, and added that his father was also part of that assembly. He said the 1973 Constitution was a dream of ZA Bhutto and he made it into a reality. He said that several abrogation of the Constitution pushed back the country and it was not possible for the country to progress.