No democracy without institutions: Zardari

LAHORE President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday said it seems Sharif brothers have no trust in him. However, if the Sharifs have trust in Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, the credit must go to the Premier. The President vowed to revive the 1973 Constitution. He said the PPP would never let democracy go off the track.
Zardari expressed these views while addressing a gathering at Governors House here on Thursday. Earlier, he talked to senior journalists, anchorpersons, chief editors and owners of news channels and newspapers.
He said that water problem was really a critical one. Fight for Kashmir is not for the sake of land only; the root-cause is water, he maintained.
He vowed to carry on the mission of Shaheed Benazir and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto regarding the strengthening of democracy and service of the poor. PPP is serving the poor people every where and we shall keep on with the politics of reconciliation, the President said.
Agencies add: Zardari said that our survival is linked to the survival of democracy, which depends on smooth functioning of state institutions.
Addressing the gathering of supporters, Zardari said he would deliver the speech in Punjabi as he was presented a Punjabi turban by the Governor. I learnt Punjabi in jail, he added.
Zardari maintained the PPP-led government wants state institutions respect and strengthened democracy for Pakistans survival. He said the PPP did not want any clash among institutions, which could be detrimental not only for the government but also democracy.
He said that ZAB and BB Shaheed had laid down their lives for Pakistan and restoration of democracy while PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and he believed that 'democracy is the best revenge.
Zardari said that BB Shaheed had always advocated for gender equality and women empowerment, adding that BISP cards largely facilitating poor women, had now reached every part of the country.
The President said five mega projects, which he had inaugurated before his address, were the dream of ZAB and BB Shaheed and today, I have materialised their dreams.
He observed Pakistan was facing numerous problems, which could be resolved only through hard work, clean heart and patriotism. These problems have been haunting the country for long and could not be resolved overnight, he added.
The President said he was listening to the voice of the poor, labourer, tenant and common man and aware of their problems, including unemployment, power and gas loadshedding. But I am visiting China, Australia and the US just for poor people of my country, he said, citing that he had managed to get $700 million foreign loans to be spent on the construction of 32 dams, as envisioned by BB Shaheed.
He said water is the main reason behind Kashmir dispute that is why dams are being built across the country.
The PPP led-government is initiating water projects to secure future generation. The PPP government also ensured the provision of 12.5 per cent shares of the public sector industries to the poor and the downtrodden, he added.
Zardari said party workers from Kashmir, Hamaliya, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi and other parts of the country want to 'save Pakistan and end militancy in South Waziristan and tribal areas.
He announced a weeklong visit to Punjab every month to listen to the problems of workers and the common man.
Earlier, Punjab Governor Salman Taseer performed the dastar-bandi (turban-tying) of the President.
The UAE Ambassador, Federal Ministers Mir Hazar Khan Bijrani, Farooq Saeed, Nazar Muhammad Gondal, PPP Central General Secretary and Senator Jahangir Badr, provincial ministers, MNAs and MPAs, PPP Punjab President Rana Aftab Ahmed Khan, Punjab General Secretary Sami Ullah Khan and local party office-bearers and a large number of workers were present.
Talking to editors, anchorpersons, chief editors, Zardari said the government believes in freedom of expression and any type of curb on media would not be tolerated.
He said the ruling PPP has adopted reconciliation strategy since the very first day after coming into power. We are making decisions by taking our allies on board, he said. We have laid the foundation stone of reconciliation in the country. We are committed to honour our commitments which we had made with the nation, he said, adding that we have also faced enormous confrontation of opposition and political parties in this regard. If there is any delay in fulfilment of our commitments then it should not be seen in negative sense, he said.
Zardari urged the media to assist government in its efforts to strengthen democracy and democratic institutions in the country. Lauding the role of Army, he also briefed the media persons about Swat operation. He said the role being played by the Army in war against terror cannot be neglected.
Meanwhile, Zardari inaugurated a series of development projects for Punjab to ensure uplift in agriculture, education and industries sectors.
The projects include inauguration of Benazir Bhutto Idara-e-Kissan project in Pattoki, the Gujranwala Tools, Dies and Moulds Centre, Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Medical College in Lahore, Neeli Bar Agricultural Research and Training Station, Burewala and the groundbreaking of Bio-remediation Institute, Lahore Green City.
Later, addressing a meeting of the business community at Governor House on Thursday evening, Zardari said the government has a clear vision to extricate the country out of difficult economic situation and a central pillar of this vision was to restore law and order and end militancy in the country to make the environment conducive for investment and growth.
Spokesperson to the President former Senator Farhatullah Babar said that the President described security and law and order as 'the foremost issues that needed to be addressed for economic revival.
The President said that a clear-cut policy had been adopted to improve the security situation. This policy is evident from the way the militants had been driven out of Swat and Malakand and contained in South Waziristan Agency by our valiant armed forces backed by the people, he maintained.
Babar quoted the President as saying that the armed forces and civilian law-enforcing agencies had made huge sacrifices and the nation was proud of what had been achieved thus far in this unconventional war which was being fought with the full support and backing of the people.
Zardari said that it was a lesson of history that wars are won by peoples and nations when they stand solidly with their armed forces. This, the President said, was evident by the honours showered on our Shaheed and their families both by the nation and armed forces.
It is also evident from the way the civil and military leaders have harmonised their perspectives on issues of national security in the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, he added.
Identifying the other elements of economic policy framework adopted by the government, he said these included adoption of new fuel policy based on bio-diesel, optimising utilisation of scarce water resources and reliance on public private partnership as engines of economic and industrial growth.
The President said that the Chinese investors had shown great interest in investing in Pakistan within the framework of private public partnership and our private entrepreneurs should explore ways and means of attracting the Chinese entrepreneurs to Pakistan.
The President said that the government relied on trade and not on aid for overcoming its economic problems.