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ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf
Raza Gilani on Friday ruled out the division of Punjab into
further provinces and said the country could not afford to
do so in such times of trouble.
Talking to the press after presiding over the convocation
of a women’s college here, the Prime Minister said ‘we
cannot afford to have more provinces. It would be like opening
up a Pandora’s box.’
The Prime Minister said the country was passing through difficult
internal and external challenges and urged the politicians
not to invoke such ideas and realise the gravity of situation.
He said the formation of further provinces required constitutional
amendments, which do not seem possible as the political parties
were not united at the moment. ‘It is the responsibility
of the government and everyone to strengthen the federation
and not to destabilise it,’ he added.
About his possible meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh at the upcoming summit of the Non Aligned Movement (NAM)
in Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt, this month, the Prime Minister
hoped that the outcome would be ‘positive’.
Gilani said the meeting would be an opportunity to strengthen
the relations between the two countries. He added that Pakistan
wanted to maintain friendly relations with all its neighbours,
including India and Afghanistan.
About the ongoing operation in Malakand division, Gilani said
the success achieved in securing the area was a result of
enormous sacrifices by the Pakistan army. ‘We did not
secure the area for free. It was due to our soldiers who
were martyred while fighting bravely,’ he said.
After the completion of the operation, military cantonments
would be established and capacity-building work would enhance
the abilities of law enforcement agencies, Gilani said.
When asked to confirm reports regarding Fazlullah’s
injury in an attack, the Prime Minister said this issue was
under the purview of the Interior Minister and thus he would
not comment on it. When asked about a possible influx of Taliban
into Pakistan territory after US forces’ operation in
Afghanistan’s Helmand province, the Prime Minister said
the government would take all possible measures not to let
anyone destablise the country.—Agencies |
