Dawn Report
Lahore/Multan, 17 March 2012. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani maintained the tempo of what has been described as a sort of political offensive and declared on Friday that he was not afraid of `anyone` because “I am in politics”.
And as if to elaborate what he meant he used an Urdu proverb to shed light on the problems he is facing. Roughly translated the proverb says that someone dealing in coal gets his hands blackened.
The prime minister who was talking to reporters at the Kinnaird College in Lahore where he attended its 75th convocation said his government would try to give relief to people in its fifth budget. He added that he had asked the finance ministry to create 100,000 jobs for educated youth.
The prime minister said his was the first democratically elected government to complete four tough years. And the president would make a policy statement in his fifth annual address to a joint sitting of the two houses of parliament, another first in the country`s history.
The prime minister said there had been no political prisoner in the country during his term.
He said the media was free and would be given more freedom because through criticism “it washes our sins and take us to new heights”.
He announced a grant of Rs60 million for the college to be used for the construction of an information technology block, research, endowment fund and purchase of vehicles.
Later talking to reporters in Multan, the prime minister said the political situation was stable and efforts were being made to strengthen the system, democracy and parliament.
“We want supremacy of parliament, protection of institutions and independence for media.”
He said the government had restored the Constitution in its original shape. “There will be no possibility of a conflict if all institutions follow the constitutional procedure within their limits,” he added.
http://www.dawn.com/2012/03/17/gilani-says-he-is-not-afraid-of-anyone.html
