ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Saturday termed Karachi as the biggest challenge and urged the nation to support the operation of the Sindh government.

“It is a provincial initiative which will have full backing of the federal government. The solution of Karachi lies within rule of law,” he said.

In his opening statement at the Council of Common Interests meeting held at the PM Secretariat here, Gilani said while the government was engaged in efforts to strengthen democracy, anti-state elements were busy in creating situations that are detrimental to economic growth and stability.

“We need to raise our guard against these disruptive forces so as to move forward unimpeded,” he said.

Gilani said he was a great believer in politics of consensus and reconciliation. He said these attributes constitute the essence of democracy, which also brings alongwith a path having pitfalls and obstacles.

He said achieving consensus requires sacrifice, understanding, patience and commonality of purpose and stressed the political leadership to equip them with these qualities of mind and heart.

He said this approach to politics had only one basis and that is constitutionalism, adding that remedies for relief and mechanisms of dispute resolution are all embedded in constitution.

Gilani mentioned CCI as one prominent example, adding that “this is the 7th time; we are meeting at this forum after the passage of 18th amendment.”

He reaffirmed the importance of this august forum of the CCI which involves the provincial governments in formulation and regulation of policies particularly in relation to matters appearing in part-II of the Federal Legislative List.

The list includes important subjects like electricity, railways, mineral, oil and gas, regulatory authorities, supervision and management of public debt and also help in resolving inter-provincial matters through formal as well as informal dialogue, he added.

The meeting discussed distribution of Zakat, public debt management and supervision policy and imposition of a new levy.

Gilani said he believed it was the collective responsibility to ensure implementation of the decisions taken by this August House in letter and spirit.

He said the government was striving to strengthen democracy, which was evident from 7th National Finance Commission Award, unanimous passage of 18th Constitutional Amendment and devolution of 17 federal ministries in consequence thereof.

“This is a major structural change in the governance since independence, and shall strengthen federalism by assigning constitutional role and responsibilities to the provinces,” he said.