President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani have decided to accept the resignations of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) ministers and the cabinet will soon be reshuffled to induct new ministers. This decision was taken in a meeting between the President and the Prime Minister at the President House on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Gilani called on President Zardari and briefed him on key issues. The two leaders decided to expand the federal cabinet, after the resignation of nine PML-N ministers. Nine ministers of PML-N were inducted in the cabinet and on April 1, they took oath, when 24-member Federal Cabinet under Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani took oath from the then President Pervez Musharraf.
PML-N ministers on May 12, parted ways with the six-week-old coalition government over the issue of restoration of deposed judges. The PML-N leaders who submitted their resignations were Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, who was senior minister, Ishaq Dar (finance), Khwaja Asif (petroleum and natural resources and sports), Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (trade), Rana Tanvir Hussain (defence production), Ahsan Iqbal (education and minority affairs), Tehmina Daultana (women's welfare development and culture), Mehtab Abbasi (railways), and Saad Rafique (youth affairs and science and technology).
President Zardari on the occasion called upon the government to take appropriate measures to provide maximum relief to general public. He said he believes in supremacy of parliament and offered his full support to the government. Situation in tribal areas and the need to fight terrorism and extremism also came under discussion in the meeting between the two leaders.
President Zardari expressed concern over economic conditions and asked the government to take solid steps to strengthen the economy. He stressed the need for effective strategies to cope with challenges facing the country. President Zardari reiterated his commitment to strengthen democratic institutions in the country, saying Parliament would be made sovereign and the President would be subservient to it.
ZARDARI'S ADDRESS TO PARLIAMENT: The Prime Minister invited President Zardari to address the joint session of the Parliament. It is being expected that President Zardari will address the parliament on September 19 where he will give guidelines to the government for its future course of action and highlight the policies of the government on various issues.
It will be for the first time after 2003 that the President will address the Parliament that is mandatory for him at the beginning of the parliamentary year. Former president Pervez Musharraf addressed the Parliament once during his two terms and violated his constitutional obligation. He did not return to the Parliament after his maiden address and termed the out-going parliament as an uncivilised institution. Prime Minister Gilani said with Zardari becoming the president, the transition to democracy in the country was completed, and would flourish in days to come.