ISLAMABAD, Sept 9: The president would be subservient to parliament and all major decisions, including indemnity for General (retd) Pervez Musharraf would be taken by the directly elected assemblies, Asif Ali Zardari declared here on Tuesday.

Addressing his first news conference at the Aiwan-i-Sadr after taking oath as the new head of state, he said: “It’s up to parliament to curtail my powers as president.”

He categorically stated that he did not believe in exacting retribution and had no intention of going after people who had persecuted him.

President Zardari’s move to address his maiden press conference along with a foreign dignitary surprised many in the federal capital. Some analysts considered it a result of bad advice being given by people around him.

No major policy decision was announced at the crowded press conference, which looked like a public meeting with PPP activists chanting slogans of ‘Jeay Bhutto’ and ‘Zinda hai BB, Zinda hai’. President Zardari said he had no personal points to score against deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, but did not say if the latter would be reinstated as the chief justice.

He said he had accepted the post of the president to accomplish Benazir Bhutto’s mission of serving the nation.

About investigations into Benazir’s assassination, he said he would raise the matter during his visit to New York to attend the UN General Assembly session.

About price hike, President Zardari said he had advised the government to improve the supply situation to overcome the shortage of food items.

He said the government had already increased the support price of wheat which had resulted in better Rabi crop yields, benefiting both growers and consumers.

He said the government would announce further increases in wheat price in a manner to eliminate cartels and ensure smooth supply.

Stressing the need for strict austerity measures, he said he would start by cutting down the expenditure of the presidency.

President Zardari and his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai expressed their resolve to jointly fight terrorism, but voiced concern over the killing of civilians in both countries.

Stressing the need for collective efforts for peace and stability in the region, they urged the international community to help free the region and the entire world from terrorism.

President Zardari said Pakistan and Afghanistan had been “friends for a long time” and would support each other’s efforts to improve the lot of the peoples of the two countries.

He said the message was not meant just for Afghanistan but for all neighbouring countries.

He said there had been problems in the past but they had the ability to solve them.

Mr Zardari said Pakistan was working to eradicate terrorism and both the countries needed to work together to remove weaknesses in the border security.

Insisting that the government was negotiating only with ‘law-abiding people’ in tribal areas, he said the militants had been asked to lay down their arms. He asserted that the government would ensure law and order in the country and in Fata.

Urging the international community to set up a special fund to rehabilitate victims of terrorism and the displaced people, he said Pakistan’s territorial integrity would be defended at all costs and miscreants would not be given even an inch.

Mr Zardari said that although Pakistan did not want to distance itself from any country, including the US, he intended to invite investors from all over the world for “our prosperity and progress”.

Elaborating People’s Party’s stand on Kashmir, the president said it was a clear policy and all political forces inside and outside parliament were being taken into confidence for evolving a joint strategy.

A parliamentary committee on Kashmir would soon be set up to highlight the issue in a better way, he said.

Mr Zardari said that in addition to the composite dialogue process with India, back-channel dialogue was under way to resolve the issue and expressed the hope that there would be some good news soon. He sad PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif was on board on the Kashmir policy and would also be taken into confidence on other national issues.

President Zardari referred to strong relations with China and said he would visit Beijing on his first foreign trip as president. He said the two countries had strategic relations and were working together for regional stability.

About the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project, he said Pakistan needed cheap energy resources and the government was trying to resolve issues hindering the project.

Reiterating PPP’s policy towards the media, he said the party had always been media-friendly and assured working journalists that their problems would be resolved.

President Karzai said that his government would cooperate with Pakistan in eliminating terrorism.

Expressing concern over the killings of civilians in Afghanistan and Pakistan, without specifically mentioning Nato air strikes, he said the war on terror could be won only in cooperation with the people. Stressing the need for fighting terrorism “in the right manner”, he said: “The target should be sanctuaries of terrorists, be these in Afghanistan or in Pakistan, and not the civilian population. We cannot tolerate civilian casualties and a fool-proof mechanism has to be established.”

Referring to allegations levelled by Kabul against Islamabad, he said his country had never indulged in a blame game. “We have always pointed finger to a fact”.

When asked if the occupation forces would leave Afghanistan, Mr Hamid Karzai said: “Asking the international community to leave Afghanistan is a luxury we cannot afford.”