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Published 21 Feb, 2009 12:00am

Gilani links Nizam-i-Adl bill with peace in region

ISLAMABAD, Feb 20: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Friday an ordinance for enforcement of Nizam-i-Adl in Malakand would be promulgated after restoration of peace in the region.

Talking to reporters after attending the convocation of the Sarhad University of Science and Information Technology, he said a committee formed in the joint session of parliament had supported the Swat peace deal.

About doubts and reservations expressed by some countries over the Swat agreement he said: “Whatever we are doing is within the ambit of the Constitution and is part of our three-pronged policy of dialogue, deterrence and development.”

Responding to a question, he said no final decision had yet been taken about sending an FIA team to India for the Mumbai attack probe. However, he said Pakistan was “seriously considering” the request to send investigators to India to share information.

About the forthcoming Senate elections, Mr Gilani said efforts were under way to get candidates elected unopposed in the NWFP and Balochistan, like in Sindh and Punjab.

He said the government was in contact with other political parties and some progress had been made.

He particularly referred to contacts with the Chaudhrys of Gujrat and said the bitterness of the past should now be forgotten.

The prime minister played down Governor Salman Taseer’s fresh threat to topple the Punjab government and said “what we want is reconciliation”.

When asked if his cabinet was now complete or any expansion was still possible, he said he could not say if it was complete or incomplete, but a reshuffle was always a possibility.

Earlier, the prime minister said at the convocation that the government was facing a lot of challenges, particularly in the NWFP and would adopt a policy which would be in the best interest of the country.

He said parallel governments would never be allowed and the writ of the government and the will of the people would have to be respected.

He stressed the need for taking into account the ground realities and said that root causes of terrorism, including poverty, hunger, disease and joblessness, should be addressed.

He said the government would give priority to education, particularly the higher education, for socio-economic development of the country.

He, however, said the government alone could not accomplish the gigantic task and the private sector had to come forward for promoting the education sector.

He said the government was pursuing a policy of promoting higher education under which faculties and students would be offered scholarship besides access to latest technology and international journals.

He said the higher education was recognised as capital investment and was of paramount important for socio-economic development.

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