Emergency Provision May be Used if Needed, says Pakistan PM  
By Shoaib Jabbar 'Pakistan Times' Special Correspondent

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Sunday said the reference against Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry was prepared and handled purely in accordance with the Constitution and law, therefore it should not be politicized.

Addressing a press conference here at Prime Minister House, he said the reference should not be used for political benefits and for creating trouble to the masses.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Muhammad Ali Durrani and Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Senator Tariq Azeem Khan were also present on the occasion.

The Prime Minister said now the reference is with the Supreme Judicial Council, adding that after its deliberations, the Council will give its final verdict on the reference.

Shaukat Aziz said Supreme Court and Supreme Judicial Council are the most important institutions and the government is fully determined to ensure their sanctity.

The Prime Minister said the reference case is purely a constitutional and legal matter and it should not be made a political issue. He said no one is above the law.

Replying to a question, the Prime Minister said there is a provision in the Constitution to impose emergency and there are certain circumstances, explained in the Constitution, which are required to impose emergency.

About the visit of Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to Lahore, the Prime Minister said it was not the referendum. He, however said the actual referendum was the big public meeting addressed by President General Pervez Musharraf on Saturday in Naukot in Tharparker where more than 200,000 people participated.

The Prime Minister said the government ensured smooth travelling of the Justice Iftikhar from Islamabad to Lahore and provided security to avoid any untoward incident. He said the government is satisfied that the journey from Islamabad to Lahore remained peaceful and there was no untoward incident.

He said there is no pressure on the government regarding the reference case and it was being considered by SJC which will decide it without any pressure or influence.

Details

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Sunday said the reference against Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry was prepared and handled purely in accordance with the Constitution and law, therefore it should not be politicised.

Addressing a press conference here at Prime Minister House, he said the reference should not be used for political benefits and for creating trouble to the masses.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Muhammad Ali Durrani and Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Senator Tariq Azeem Khan were also present on the occasion.

The Prime Minister said now the reference is with the Supreme Judicial Council, adding that after its deliberations, the Council will give its final verdict on the reference.

Shaukat Aziz said Supreme Court and Supreme Judicial Council are the most important institutions and the government is fully determined to ensure their sanctity. The Prime Minister said the reference case is purely a constitutional and legal matter and it should not be made a political issue.

He said no one is above the law. Replying to a question, the Prime Minister said there is a provision in the Constitution to impose emergency and there are certain circumstances, explained in the Constitution, which are required to impose emergency.

About the visit of Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to Lahore, the Prime Minister said it was not the referendum. He, however said the actual referendum was the big public meeting addressed by President General Pervez Musharraf on Saturday in Naukot in Tharparker where more than 200,000 people participated.

The Prime Minister said the government ensured smooth travelling of the Justice Iftikhar from Islamabad to Lahore and provided security to avoid any untoward incident. He said the government is satisfied that the journey from Islamabad to Lahore remained peaceful and there was no untoward incident.He said there is no pressure on the government regarding the reference case and it was being considered by SJC which will decide it without any pressure or influence.

Answering a question, the Prime Minister said the government is not under any pressure due to the protest of the lawyers on the reference issue adding that the parliament is functioning and doing legislation.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz while replying to a question about disturbance in the transmission of some of the private TV channels yesterday, said it was due to the fault of cable operators.He said the government is determined to ensure press freedom.

He urged the media to use the press freedom with responsibility through balanced and objective reporting.The Prime Minister said the government always welcomed criticism but it should be based on facts and balanced reports.

He said the media should avoid inappropriate reporting which could damage the respect and honour of any one.Answering a question, the Prime Minister said the people of the country are conscious and well aware of the development done in the last seven years by the present government.

He said although there are challenges before the government, but still, it has taken a number of steps to improve the living standard of the people.The rural areas, with over 60 per cent population, have been given more concentration in the development projects and now there has been lot of improvement in the rural areas, he added.

The Prime Minister said due to agricultural reforms, the per acre yield of many crops, have been increased and now Pakistan is also exporting 500,000 tonnes of wheat to India. He said the prices of various commodities in Pakistan are less as compared to other countries of the South Asia.

He said the government took decisions in the national interest and not for personal benefits.The Prime Minister said the national exchequer was empty seven years ago but with the reforms of the present government there has been a record foreign investment in Pakistan in the last couple of years.

He said the masses are fully aware who worked for the country and filled the national exchequer and those who looted the national wealth.

The Prime Minister said the living standard of the people has been improving and the per capita income will reach to dollars 950 this year and it will cross dollars 1000 mark next year.

He said the next budget will be people-friendly and measures would be taken for the benefit of the people and efforts would be made to minimise financial burden on them.He said the purchasing power of the people has been increased and the sale of various commodities this year is proof in this regard.

He quoted the increase of sale of electric fans from 3.5 million to 5.0 million this year. About the load-shedding, the Prime Minister said it was due to increasing demand in the country because of high economic growth rate.

He said due to economic development in the country, the demand of electricity has increased, therefore the government has decided to utilise the available electricity through 'load management'.He said it has been decided that all the shops would be closed at 8.00 p.m. except the medical stores, bakeries, hotels, restaurants and hospitals.

He said due to this, the working in the industrial areas would not be affected.The Prime Minister said the government has been taking many steps to improve the power generation which included 1400 MW at Ghazi Braotha, 310 MW and 320 MW nuclear projects at Chashma while work is also underway on Jinnah Barrage and other projects.

He said energy conservation programmes are being implemented even in developed countries, therefore, Pakistan is also implementing on the energy conservation programme this year to fully utilise the available power.The WAPDA has also arranged grid stations to ensure smooth supply of the electricity in case of any disturbance, he added.

The Prime Minister said the water situation in the dams is satisfactory and six times more water is available this year for electricity production and for crops. He said all power houses will functional in full capacity this year.Answering a question, the Prime Minister said the rally of PML on May 12 in the federal capital will be in line with the political activities.

He said in a political system, it was the right of each and every party, to express and project its point of view through public meetings and rallies.

He said the May 12 rally in Islamabad should not be taken as a negative step by the PML as it would be part of democratic process and only a way to project the point of view of the party.●