Intelligence agencies act under govt’s instructions: PM
ISLAMABAD, Apr 27 (APP): Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday categorically stated that the country’s intelligence agencies were subservient to the government and act under government’s instructions and guidance. Speaking in the National Assembly, the Prime Minister said the country’s institutions should not be looked at with suspicion, adding, whatever the intelligence agencies including ISI do, it is on the government’s instructions and under government’s guidance.
Gilani said he had stated on the floor of the house that Pakistan and the United States have multi-dimensional strategic relations in various fields including defence and economic cooperation as well as intelligence sharing for the last 60 years.
Pakistan-US relations are based on mutual interest and mutual respect, he maintained.
The Prime Minister reiterated that the intelligence sharing between Pakistan and the United States has been in past, going on at present and would continue in future as well.
Referring to the bilateral foreign visits of senior government officials, the Prime Minister said Foreign Secretary recently visited the United States and now Defence Secretary is proceeding to US for Defence Consultation Group meeting.
He said the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs has visited Saudi Arabia, while Foreign Secretary is going to China.
Gilani said the Defence Secretary has briefed him on his visit to the United States during which he would discuss defence cooperation, matters of Coalition Support Fund as well as capacity building of Pakistani forces in the fight against militancy.
The Prime Minister also referred to the assertions made in the Wall Street Journal about his recent visit to Afghanistan, accompanied by the Chief of Army Staff and DG ISI, and said foreign office would issue a statement in this respect.
Gilani said the opposition should not believe in speculations and should trust the government.
The Prime Minister said the government respects the courts, adding, after the Supreme Court verdict on the issue of extension in the service of additional judges of Lahore and Sindh Courts, the President on his advice has notified the extension.
 The Prime Minister said that members form treasury and opposition benches would be given equal time to discuss public issues in the Parliament.
He said that Parliament was the proper forum for debating all kinds of issues and the Government was ready to discuss the issues of inflation, drone attacks, economic situation, corruption, increase in petroleum prices and the ISI in the House.
He said that the Ministers should be given some time for preparation to reply MNAs’ queries. If a minister is not present, the other will give the answer, he added.
The Prime Minister, however, said that Members of the Parliament should show maturity while raising issues here.
“ We all have struggled for nine years to reaching this stage,the Prime Minister said and added the entire country is looking towards this House and if you fail then democracy will fail.”
He said that rumpus in the House would give a bad name to all the Parliamentarians.
“ We should be more mature, we spent time in jails and exile and we should learn from history,” the Prime Minister said.
Prime Minister Gilani said the Government did not believe in victimization. About the issue of a private sports channel, he said, the Parliamentary Committee had been given the task to discuss the issue and if there was any improvement in it, it should also be discussed.
The Prime Minister condemned manhandling of some journalists in Islamabad and said that a judicial commission had been constituted to probe the issue.
The Prime Minister welcomed statement of Shahbaz Sharif in which he had said that economic independence of the country would automatically end drone attacks.
Prime Minister Gilani invited the Opposition to come forward for joining hands of the Government to make a long term economic agenda to steer the country out of economic crisis.
About US national Raymond Davis issue, the Prime Minister again said that Davis was freed by the court after the issue was settled by heirs of the dead and no federal or provincial government was involved in it.
He, however, said that if any complainant of the FIR had any objection over it, he can approach the high court.