Bar on ministers to avoid 'confusion'

ISLAMABAD " Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has said that the PPP-led government was committed to the supremacy of the Parliament and strengthening of all democratic institutions in the country.
He was addressing the parliamentary party meeting of the PPP here at the Prime Minister's House.
The Prime Minister said that the government was taking every step to strengthen the Parliament including the functioning of its committees, so that all the issues of national importance would resolve according to democratic norms and through debate and discussion in the House.
He urged the PPP members of parliament and ministers to ensure their presence in the National Assembly, adding that it would reflect their commitment not only to party but to the welfare of masses as well.
The Prime Minister also called upon the ministers, ministers of state, advisors and parliamentary secretaries to make themselves available during the question hour in the Parliament, and said that the question-hour provided an opportunity to judge the performance of ministries and departments and ensure the government's accountability.
"Under Article 91, the Prime Minister, Ministers and Ministers of State are answerable to the National Assembly", he added.
Prime Minister Gilani said that Co-Chairman PPP, Asif Ali Zardari, has also directed the party parliamentarians to ensure their presence in the House.
Talking about the Mumbai terror attacks, he referred to his policy statement in the National Assembly and said India had provided only information and not evidence to Pakistan. That information has been sent to the Ministry of Interior for investigation, he added.
He further said that as per his orders in future only Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, Federal Minister for Information and he himself would comment on the issues of national security and foreign affairs and placed bar on rest of the cabinet members and MPs from commenting on the such matters to avoid confusion as created in case of Mahmud Ali Durrani's case wherein he on his own had given a statement confirming the identity of Ajmal Kasab, the soul survivor of Mumbai terrorist attacks.
He said that in this connection a government circular was also issued wherein the ministers and MPs would be barred from giving statements on issues of national security without the prior permission of the Prime Minister.