US has no permission to launch drone strikes; PM Gilani
Shafek E Koreshe
 PERTH, (Australia), Oct 29 (APP): Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani Saturday categorically said there was no (no) permission to the United States to launch any drone strike against any target inside Pakistan’s territory. “There is no such permission,” Gilani told a large group of Pakistani expatriates. The prime minister is here on a four-day visit to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, that is being attended by over 50 world leaders. The Prime Minister said such attacks were counterproductive because of the collateral damages caused as these were undermining government’s efforts to get the unanimous support of the masses against the extremists and terrorists.
He said drone strikes were one of the reasons of tense relations between Pakistan and the United States of America.
 He said Pakistan has also conveyed to the United States that the unilateral military operation, such as the operation of May 2 to get Osama bin Laden, would not be acceptable.
 Prime Minister Gilani, who also had an interactive session with the community members, said there has been a sea change in the country’s foreign policy towards terrorism as a result of the vindication of his vision of three Ds, dialogue, development and deterrence.
 “There has been a paradigm shift in the policy between a democratic government and a dictatorial regime,” he said and added that now the people of Pakistan and the Parliament were the ultimate arbitrators to take important decision of national importance.
 “Unlike the policies of the past when things started rolling with a single telephone call from the United States of America, now we seek mandate of the Parliament and take decisions with consensus.”
 He said it was for the first time that the Army Chief and the DG (ISI) briefed the Parliament which had never happened before in the history of the country.
 He mentioned the Swat operation that went ahead, after the reluctance of the Taliban leaders to honour their commitment for not indulging in any unlawful activities.
 “Their defiance led me to take army operation against the militants and the people wholeheartedly supported the government throughout,” he added.
 The Prime Minister told the Pakistani expatriates that the nation stood united to eliminate extremist and terrorist elements from the country regardless the sacrifices, adding, they had suffered over 35000 causalities.
 He said the terrorists were trying to hold the Pakistani nation hostage, but vowed that they will not succeed as the nation stand united not to allow them to play havoc with their collective destiny.
 While talking about the state of the economy, the Prime Minister said that it was doing well as country’s reserves had gone past 25 billion dollars and the exports had even done much better than in the past.
 “We provide and ensure security to the expatriate Pakistanis as they are playing an important and decisive role to keep the economy going in the right direction. They are sending more than 11 billion dollars of foreign exchange back home.”
 Prime Minister Gilani also came down hard on the political leaders who were trying to take political mileage by blowing up everything out of proportion and confusing the masses.
 “But they will not succeed because the people know their politicking against the democracy and indeed against the country”.
 Without naming anyone, the Prime Minister said “If anyone has some problem, they should either go to the courts or take the political trajectory and contest the next election on the basis of issues not merely sloganeering.”
 “This is no way to come out on streets and chant slogans against country’s leadership,” he said.
 “If they have the courage and sagacity they should not resort to the long march and abandon their bid to get rid of the government,” he said and advised them to abandon the unconstitutional means as it was neither in their interest, nor in the interest of democracy or the country.
 He also rejected the impression that was being created that the judiciary’s restoration was the result of the long march launched by the opposition. “I am proud to say that I restored the judiciary,” Gilani said.
 He said he was not bitter against President Musharraf as he was not the one who initiated cases against him. Rather it was Saifur Rehman who made up the fake cases against Sharifs and the PPP leadership and he put both of us in jail “.
 “But now we (PPP) have learnt the lesson and will not make the same mistake again,” he added.
 He also lashed out at the opposition that claims that the government had lost support at the international fora. “What happened to Pakistan’s bid for a position at the United Nations Security Council?” he questioned. “Why the world favoured us, if we had lost its support,” he said He regretted that the political leaders have always been blamed for all the ills and corruption, but has anyone blamed any dictators. Politicians were banned to take part in politics when Ayub Khan EBDOSED them.
 “Now we have a free media, an independent judiciary, opposition leader heading the Public Accounts Committee, still the government is blamed for doing all the ills. “There is no political prisoner in Pakistan which speaks itself the function of all institutions within the ambit of the constitution.”
 He said he was sentenced because of his fault of giving jobs to people. “I told the judge that if helping my jobless people is a fault, I will continue to do so,” he added.
 He said it was not within the powers of a single political party or individual to face the challenges confronting the nation.  “The nation needs to stand united as one, and together we can face the challenges.”
 Prime Minister Gilani said his democratic government had given four national budgets adding that the fifth budget will also be presented which would be the first by any elected government.
 Gilani recalled that the PML-N leader Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif decided to boycott the electoral process, but was advised against it by President Asif Ali Zardari and made the elections credible.
 He said the Pakistan Peoples Party gains its strength from the vision of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and her daughter Benazir Bhutto.
 Prime Minister Gilani said it was up to the people of Pakistan to choose their future leaders as they fully understand who has served them in the real sense and those who have made false promises.
 He termed the expatriate community an asset to the country and were well educated and doing well. He said it was because of the democracy in Pakistan that he was invited to the prestigious event like that of Commonwealth.
 He said the world grouping reversed Pakistan’s suspension and brought the country back into its fold after the present government came into power.
 He said the period during which Pakistan remained out of the fold of the Commonwealth was unfortunate as during this period the people of Pakistan suffered the isolation on many accounts.
 He said former Prime Minister Shaheed Benazir Bhutto sacrificed her life for restoration of democracy as she believed that it was the right of the people of Pakistan to choose their leaders.
 He appreciated President Asif Ali Zardari for taking a firm decision to hand over his powers to the parliament. He said his government has the honour of making unprecedented amendments in the Constitution, besides restoring it to its original form.
 He said 101 legislations were enacted by the Parliament with the consensus of all parties, and despite the fact that the ruling party does not have a majority in the Parliament.
 Regarding the electricity shortage Gilani said the government has added over 3500 MW of electricity to the national grid, work on Diamer Bhasha dam has been launched, while a number of new projects for increasing water storage and generating electricity have been undertaken.
 To a question about the agreement between India and Afghanistan, Gilani said these were sovereign countries and it was not against Pakistan.
 Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Australia Malick Abdullah said it was the first ever visit to the country by a democratically elected leader from Pakistan.
 He said the number of Pakistanis in the country was very limited, but pointed that Australia has now the third largest number of Pakistani students that has swelled to 7000. The event was attended by Senior Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim.