Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Core Committee has made it clear that all institutions of the state have to work within the ambit of the Constitution without trespassing into the domain of others. The meeting reiterated its unswerving commitment to the principles of parliamentary sovereignty, constitutionalism and rule of law and said that the Party and the Government would uphold these principles "under all circumstances."
The Committee met with PPP co-chairman President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani in the Chair at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Friday. According to sources, the Committee also discussed the Memogate scandal, of serious deterioration in government-military relations and Senate elections, scheduled to be held in March, 2012. The sources said that some of the members also underscored the need for submitting their resignations to President Asif Ali Zardari. The sources added that the PPP Parliamentarians could en bloc tender resignations if the government reached conclusion that it was left with any other options to stay in power.
However, the sources said the PPP-government could dissolve assemblies and announce general election after Senate elections in March. In the Meeting, it was also decided that the government would issue a show cause notice to the Secretary Defence Lieutenant General Khalid Naeem Lodhi (Retd). Sources said the notice was to be issued for directly submitting the reply in the Supreme Court on Memogate issue without consulting the government. The sources also made it clear that the defence secretary could get the sack if his reply was not found satisfactory.
Briefing the media persons about the meeting, spokesperson to the President Farhatullah Babar said the meeting that lasted for about two hours reviewed overall political situation in the country with special reference to the most recent developments. The Prime Minister gave a comprehensive briefing on the overall situation. It said the Parliament was supreme and state institutions were answerable to it. The meeting said that the Party believed in and would continue to act upon the principles that "power belongs to the people and to nobody else." The meeting also reiterated that all institutions of the state were required to work within the ambit of the Constitution without trespassing into the domain of others.
The spokesperson also said the meeting reposed full confidence in the leadership of co-chairman President Asif Ali Zardari and Chief Executive Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani. He said the meeting also discussed arrangements for the proposed rally in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh on December 27 to mark the 4th martyrdom anniversary of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.
Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Senator A. Rehman Malik, Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo, Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani, Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah, Syed Naveed Qamar, Senator Mian Raza Rabbani, Senator Dr Babar Awan, Senator Jahangir Badar, Senator Sardar Ali Khan, Nazar Muhammad Gondal, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Rana Muhammad Farooq Saeed Khan, Rukhsana Bangash, Fouzia Wahab, Fouzia Habib, Mehreen Anwer Raja, Sherry Rehman and Spokesperson to the President Farhatullah Babar were present during the meeting.