|
|
|
ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF PRIME MINISTER’S SPEECH MADE IN PARLIAMENT ON 29-03-2008 Following is the complete English Rendering of Prime Minister’s speech made in the Parliament House, Islamabad, today: Madam Speaker! I firstly pay tribute to father of the nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah who got Pakistan by sheer dint of lego-constitutional and democratic struggle. I also pay tribute to Quaid-e-Awam, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto who sacrificed his life during his struggle to secure masses’ right. I pay compliments to Daughter of the East, Mohtarma Benezair Bhutto Shaheed whose sacrifices have enkindled democracy in the country. I pay my compliments again to all the workers who treaded the path of their leaders and sacrificed their lives. I pay my tribute to all those fellow colleagues who suffered long hardships in jails. I express my gratitude to party Chairman, Mr. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and co-Chairman Mr. Asif Ali Zardari who reposed trust in me towards fulfillment of national obligations. Besides, I am grateful to Pakistan Democratic Alliance and all other allied Political Parties’ leaders Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Mr. Asfand Yar Wali and Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman who reposed confidence in me. I am also grateful to MQM’s Qaid, Mr. Altaf Hussain and FATA MNA, Mr. Orakzai, Pir Pagara of Functional Muslim League, minority and independent members – who reposed trust in me. I am also grateful to opposition members of National Assembly who have reposed confidence in me, besides being grateful to the Parliamentary Parties’ Members and workers. I pray to Allah Almighty for enabling me to measure up to the trust and expectations of all the leaders, workers and finally the entire nation, Ameen. Madam Speaker! I assure you on this occasion that we will never forget our friends who remained supportive to us during difficult times. This in view, we will take along all APDM political parties with us who went with us during our struggle for restoration of democracy. Today is another important step towards restoration of democracy. Today we have to start our journey towards that particular destination which was fixed by our Quaid Mohtarma Benezir Bhutto Shaheed. Today we make a solemn commitment to complete her mission. Madam Speaker! Pakistan Peoples Party has the distinction of having its two great leaders shed their blood in the way of democracy. One of our great leader was removed through judicial murder. The other great leader was martyred by those forces which never wanted rule of law and justice in this country. I pay tribute and compliments to these great souls. Madam Speaker! Today this house has honoured me as well as burdened me with heavy responsibilities. I shall Inshallah remain steadfast in the fulfillment of these responsibilities. I firmly believe that Pakistan Peoples Party workers along with all democratic forces would strengthen my hands. Madam Speaker! I through this august house want to tell the people of Pakistan that we always shall be with them and share their woes and difficulties. In their happines lies our happiness and in their honour lies our honour. We are proud of sixteen crore people of Pakistan. I firmly believe that God will change the destiny of this great nation by virtue of aforementioned personalities. The nation has elected such a government that is supported by people of all the provinces. I promise that your government shall equally take care of the interest of all the people and areas of the country. Madam Speaker! Our message is hope, our message is unity, and we are torchbearer of peace, freedom, progress and enlightenment. Inshallah, we will make our country stronger. But remember that a country cannot assume strength unless its national institutions assume strength, and the people repose full trust in these institutions. Our determination is to strengthen all the institutions so as to attain stability in states’ affairs. Peace in the country will open the doors of progress, employment and, finally the prosperity. I do not hesitate in stating that Pakistan is passing through difficult times. Today nation is facing challenges, but we are not afraid of these challenges. Inshallah we will fight these challenges in all circumstances. Madam Speaker! Now I present before you the elected governments’ priorities. Inshallah, implementation of these will end suffocation in the country. Madam Speaker! Terrorism and extremism are our serious issues which have endangered national security. Therefore, our first priority is to restore peace, eliminate terrorism. War against terrorism is our own battle. Since we have lost countless innocent children and youth who attained Shahadat. Unfortunately, some people have opted terror to express their opinion. Now when the country is back on track of democracy, I appeal to all the people to shun violence and join us in the journey of democracy. We are ready to talk to all those people who will give up their weapons and opt for peace. Madam Speaker! Our tribal areas for long have been victim of backwardness. These areas badly need an integrated socio-economic and political reforms because poverty and illiteracy have promoted terrorism in these areas. We will give special package to combat these social ills, which shall form a special pillar of our strategy against terrorism. Madam Speaker! Our second biggest problem is un-employment, pricehike and poverty. We are fully aware of these problems of the masses. Inshallah, we will provide employment to the unemployed, shelter to the shelterless and literacy to the illiterates. Our government shall never tolerate unjust distribution of wealth. We are determined to maintain social justice in the state, and our government shall open new opportunities of progress and prosperity for the people of Pakistan. It is our foremost priority to get rid of exploitation of the masses. Madam Speaker! It is our bad luck that the train of democracy continued to move on and off the track. Because of this we were deprived of the fruits of democracy, and progress and prosperity always remained a dream. National Institutions could not foster. It now is imperative to establish real democracy in the country and create a balance amongst state institutions. We welcome the announcement by Chief of Army Staff that all serving military officers shall be recalled from civil institutions. This announcement has enhanced Pak Army’s stature. We understand that the civil officers should assume responsibilities in civil institutions instead of military ones. However, the institutions needing services of Army officers may continue to use their services, and this announcement could be deferred to that extent. It is imperative that every institution should discharge its specified responsibilities for country’s sustenance and progress. It is the right of the people to rule. Madam Speaker! Today’s Pakistan is beset with crises. Power, Water, Ata and pricehike top the list of crises. We should not tell lies to the people. We want to take our people in confidence. I am sorry to state that no immediate solutions for this crises are possible. The country is facing 3,000 mega watt power shortage which will go upto 4,000 mega watt during next year. Longer duration load shedding is feared during summer season. We have to face this challenge with full force. We need to set up new power plants to increase the production of electricity but it requires time. Madam Speaker! I am proud to state that the ever biggest investment from the day of establishment of Pakistan in power sector was made during previous PPP Government. The Power Policy of 1994 led to an additional 3078 mega watt of electricity production, which in return, led to 3.5 Billion US dollars’ investment. After the Constitution of Tarbela Dam in 1976, Ghazi Brotha started production of hydel power of 1450 mega watt electricity from the same water reservoirs, in 1994. Madam Speaker! Through your offices I assure the nation that we again shall install new power units by virtue of our positive and well-suited electricity generation policies. Inshallah, the day is not far when Pakistani people again will move out from darkness to light. I announce on the floor of the house that during this year we shall install 2200 mega watt power generation units. Meanwhile we shall save 500 mega watt of electricity through special load management campaigns, thereby scaling down load shedding. In this regard, we have directed PEPCO to ensure provision of 10 million energy saver bulbs at a very appropriate price. Madam Speaker! We have chalked out, in the first phase, a Thar Coal Power Generation Project for 5,000 mega watt of electricity. By increasing its capacity we shall upgrade it to 20,000 mega watt power production. We have directed WAPDA to complete every kind of feasibility study in connection with construction of big dams. We shall finalize all the future water and power projects, enabling us to produce more electricity through increase water reservoirs. Additionally, investment is being invited / encouraged for keti bandar project. Inshallah, in days to come more projects of energy conservation shall be announced. Madam Speaker! Water problem has assumed state of crises. Water like patrol is a precious asset. Next wars in world shall happen because of water, and the countries of the globe shall enter into social and political conflict because of water. Alhamdullilah, Pakistan is rich in water reservoirs, but we have to save our water related assets and safeguard them. In order to cope with this problem we have to pave the water channels to minimize loss of water. Moreover we shall construct small dams in order to meet our water and power requirements. Our government shall initiate construction of small dams on emergency footing. Madam Speaker! We know that only those nations progress which exploit their resources sensibly. Our government shall not let these resources go waste. We have decided in this regard that a national saving campaign shall be started right from my office. It is hoped that other institutions will also follow the suit. The budget of Prime Minister’s House is being reduced by 40%. The members of the Cabinet will not use cars above 1600 CC. The Ministers will travel in economy class during their inland journey. Unnecessary illuminations on government buildings will not be allowed. No amount from the (treasury) will be spent on furnishing official buildings and accommodations. Madam Speaker! We are taking basic steps for the promotion of democratic values along with simplicity. Like other democratic countries we shall also introduce Prime Minister’s Question Hour in the National Assembly where Prime Minister will respond to the people’s questions through their elected representatives. Madam Speaker! Poverty is one of our biggest national problems. Due to poverty we are the victim of unemployment, illiteracy and extremism. Therefore we shall concentrate on those sectors of economy which are capable of generating employment. We shall establish an Employment Commission after approval from the Cabinet, which will plan for creation of jobs in both private and public sectors. A Literacy and Health Corporation will be established under this Commission to provide employment to youth for two years after their graduation. National Employment Scheme will be introduced throughout the country. Under this scheme at least one member of every poor family living in 50% districts of the country will surely get employment. Social Sector, especially health and education will be promoted throughout the country to create thousands of job. Madarassah Welfare Authority will be established for children’s education and training. With the help of all stakeholders a system of uniform syllabi, registration of foreign students and the audit of the funds will be introduced. Madam Speaker! Another important problem of our people is housing. In existing circumstances not only the poor but the middle class is also unable to build a house for themselves. Therefore, it is our responsibility to help every Pakistani citizen to construct his own house. In this respect, we shall try to build one million housing units every year in the country. In this regard, a new scheme will be introduced. We have decided to introduce five marla scheme for shelterless people in rural areas where government land is available. In urban areas we shall introduce the schemes of flats and 80 square yard plots for homeless people. A new policy will be framed to regularize Kachi Abadis because the poor people of Pakistan are our real asset. Similarly, we shall ensure better accommodation facilities for government servants and efforts will be made to provide a house or a flat to retiring government servant. Madam Speaker! We are also aware of the importance of clean environment for the good health and progress of the nation. Therefore special attention will be given to improve the environments. For improvement of environment our government will encourage CNG busses. It will provide economical traveling to the poor people besides improving environment. Madam Speaker! Agriculture is an important sector. It is backbone of national economy but requires special attention and revolutionary steps for its development. We spent more than One billion dollars annually on the import of edible oil. 70% of our needs of edible oil are met through imports. We will promote and encourage the cultivation of sun flower in suitable areas to save valuable foreign exchange in order to attain self sufficiency in the production of edible oil. Our farmer is facing acute economic hardships in this age of price hike. Our farmer is a self-respecting man and we are well aware of his sufferings. Our government will take every step for their welfare and prosperity because prosperous farmer will bring prosperity to Pakistan. I will mention here some of the steps being taken immediately. Madam Speaker! I announce in this august house that the support price of wheat is being enhanced from Rs. 510/- to Rs. 625/- per 40 KG. We shall also ensure the sufficient availability of wheat stock in the country so that people get rid of standing in long ques for hours and hours, and people get flour easily. We shall crush hoarding and smuggling with iron hands. A scheme for the insurance of crops will be introduced for small farmers. Supply of cheap and good quality seeds to farmers will be ensured. Supply of cheap fertilizer in every area will be made possible. Special steps will be taken in livestock sector to increase the income of farmers. System of supply of milk from rural to urban sector will be integrated. Madam Speaker! Our government shall play its due role in the light of Charters of Democracy and Murree Declaration for the freedom of judiciary and restoration of deposed judges. We have already taken first step in this direction. Madam Speaker! I also want to assure the nation that self accountability and transparency will be an important pillar of our policies. In the past, the accountability was used for political victimization. Some individuals and institutions were kept out of ambit of accountability. So much so that the word accountability was reduced to a joke. We want to see the system of justice free and independent. We want to introduce a justice system under which no individual or institution is exempted from accountability. The dispensation of justice is the responsibility of a free and independent judiciary. No extra judicial system can be kept free of political and administrative pressures. We came to know this fact in the light of performance of institutions like NAB. Madam Speaker! Our government will put an end to VIP culture. This campaign shall be started by people’s representatives. In this regard, special counters for members of Parliament established at airports are being dispensed with. Pakistan’s flag shall be hoisted on Parliament House. The Lady Health Workers Program started by Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto shall be widened in scope and shall reach the urban areas, smaller towns and even Kachhi Abbadies. Our Government shall provide national ID cards to poor people free of cost. Madam Speaker! We shall provide access to the people to Parliament and Parliamentary Committees through the media for an effective accountability system. More over, we shall allow the people to watch the Public Accounts Committee proceedings. We believe that the country will gain strength when all its constituent units will be strong. Our Constitution guarantees strengthening of federation’s constituent units. What we need is that provincial autonomy be ensured through what has been provided in the constitution itself. We shall do away with the concurrent list provided in the constitution within one year. We shall ensure provision of due legal and constitution all rights to the provinces. We understand that the Balochistan People of Balochistan had to suffer a lot. We already have sought apologies from Balochistan people. In order to progress and attain stability and progress, it is necessary that the atrocities wrought on the people of Balochistan and the rest of the country be compensated, and the people be provided quick and cheap justice so that they could feel themselves safe in their country. Our government shall establish Truth and Reconciliation Commission to promote tolerance amongst various segments and areas of the country that could comfort the wounds of those who faced state repression. Madam Speaker! Our foreign policy is hinged on peaceful co-existence and good will. We believe in live and let live-based principles. We want to promote relations with all nations on the basis of equality. We hold in high esteem all the nations of the world, and expect from the rest of the world to hold in respect the people of Pakistan in return. We want close and stable interaction with the United States and the entire Europe. We want to foster peace and brotherhood with all neighboring countries. Madam Speaker! I take this opportunity to assure our Kashmiri brothers and sisters that their sacrifices will never go waste. We shall support and promote negotiations to resolve Kashmir issue. Let it be clear that CBMs could only be fruitful if the Kashmir issue is resolved according to Kashmiri people’s wishes and also in the light of universal principles. To promote relations with the rest of the Islamic world shall be an important pillar of our foreign policy. China is our time tested and age-old friend. Pak-China friendship is higher than the K-2 and deeper than the Indian ocean. We shall strengthen our exemplary friendship with our great neighbour. We want peace in Afghanistan because we understand that a strong and peaceful Afghanistan is in the interest of Pakistan. Therefore, we like to see our brother country marching on the path of progress and prosperity. Madam Speaker! We understand that a democratic system is based on individual’s liberty. Freedom of press ensures individual’s liberty. After due deliberation, we shall do away with all the laws which negate freedom of the media. We shall legislate on freedom of information which could in real essence provide such information to the masses which would put an end to corruption and malpractices through public pressure. The existing law is defective one, and therefore merits far-reaching changes and modifications. We have available with us a blue print of Freedom of Information law and we shall implemented. We shall provide respect and service based security to media workers and journalists. We will do our maximum to implement Wage Board Award. We shall improve the working conditions and existing legal framework focusing the remuneration of working journalists. We shall change PEMRA laws and this institution shall be made an attached body of Ministry of Information which shall ensure provision of improved facilities and environment to the electronic media. Madam Speaker! Our Government is determined to amend and alter the laws impervious to labourer’s interest. All such laws shall be brought in line with ILO legal framework. In this regard, we shall put an end to IRO – 2002. On this historical occasion I announce restoration of all Trade and Students Unions. We shall review all retrenchment cases of government servants and labourers’ of the previous regime. We shall ensure justice to all, and shall bring minimum wages of the labourers to Rs. 6,000/- per month. Madam Speaker! Minorities are an important segment of the society and in the eyes of constitution hold equal civil rights. I express my determination to safeguard the social, legal, religious and other rights of the minorities. It is our determination that every institution of the country should have representation of minorities. Inshallah, we shall see our determination through. Madam Speaker! We shall review all cases of political prisoners, and the first priority of our government is to respectful release of all these prisoners. Madam Speaker! I want to make it clear on this occasion that we shall compensate in every possible manner to all those and their heirs who have lost their lives or suffered financially for the restoration of democracy. The financial assistance provided by previous government to the members of the families of Shohada is not sufficient at all. We shall remember them in such a manner that they remain the beacons of light for future generations. Therefore, I announce scholarships to the widows of Shohada for education, health and livelihood of their children. We also announce to abolish redundant laws like FCR in tribal areas. Senate has already passed a unanimous resolution in this respect. I also announce all pension benefits for those government servants who are incapacitated due to illness, accidents, earthquake or terrorism. The condition of 10 year service applicable to them is hereby withdrawn. I instruct concerned departments to frame generous policies and avoid screwing of poor government servants. Madam Speaker! The promotion of the principles of equality, brotherhood and tolerance in the society is our social and religious duty. We shall continue our struggle to uphold these principles and traditions and also protect human rights and dignity. Madam Speaker! By the grace of God our resolve is firm and unbreakable and our faith is strong. We fully believe in the benevolence of Allah, the faith in truthfulness and commitment of our leaders and workers. I am sure that we shall come up to the expectations of the Nation. May Allah help us (Ameen). Follow up Statement on the floor of the House Later in a statement on the floor of the house the Prime Minister announced to withdraw black laws regarding PEMRA issued on November 03, 2007. The Prime Minister explained that he had not only announced to withdraw PEMRA laws issued on November 03, 2007 but had ordered to implement his announcement. He further said that he wanted to remove the doubts about what he said in reference to political victimization. He said that he had ordered for providing the details of case registered against MNA from Sindh, Mr. Ghous Bux Mehr. He told that so far the Provincial Governments are not in place and the Sindh province is being run by caretaker setup and that he will order inquiry of this case as soon as the process of formation of Government in Sindh is completed.
|
