President Asif Ali Zardari (C-L) flanked by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani (C-R) as he chairs a meeting of federal ministers and their party leaders at the Presidency in Islamabad on Friday. – Photo by AFP

ISLAMABAD: A high level meeting at the Presidency on Friday reiterated that all institutions of the state have to work within the ambit of the constitution without trespassing into domain of others.

The meeting of some federal ministers and party leaders was chaired by the co-chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and President Asif Ali Zardari and the Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

President’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar said the two-hour long meeting 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.

“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 will uphold these principles under all circumstances,” the statement from the Presidency said.

“The Parliament was supreme and state institutions were answerable to it,” it added.

The meeting said that the party believed in and would continue to act upon the principle that power belongs to the people and to nobody else.

The meeting was attended by Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, Ch. Ahmed Mukhtar, Senator 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, Ms Rukhsana Bangash, Ms Fouzia Wahab, Ms Fouzia Habib, Ms Mehreen Anwer Raja and Ms Sherry Rehman.

The spokesman said the meeting reposed full confidence in the leadership of the party.

He said the meeting also discussed arrangements for the proposed meeting at Garhi Khuda Baksh on December 27 to mark the 4th anniversary of Late Benazir Bhutto.

Meanwhile, the top leadership of Pakistan Peoples party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz hails Army Chief Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani’s statement in favour of democracy.

They said that the statement has ended the uncertain situation from the country.