Gilani says no clash with judiciary or army

Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday said his government was not in clash with either the judiciary or the army and insisted that the days of military coups and of the president dissolving an elected parliament were effectively over.

There are no problems between the Pakistan People's Party-led government and the military while cases against the government in the Supreme Court were sub-judice and would be decided by the independent judiciary, Gilani told a group of Pakistani and foreign journalists.

Gilani was speaking after a dinner he hosted at the Prime Minister's House for the diplomatic corps. He said the government would overcome all problems facing it and that it has a lot of respect for the judiciary and there is no clash between the two institutions.

The country's superior judiciary wants to see democracy moving forward and succeeding, he said. The current situation in the country was different from that in the 1980s and 1990s, when politicians opposed to the government of the day made a beeline to the president to dissolve parliament or approached the army to declare martial law, he said.

The president no longer has the power to dissolve parliament and dismiss an elected premier and no one wants martial law now, Gilani said. All institutions want to see the democratic system moving forward and getting stronger, he added.

Those predicting the fall of his government will again be disappointed, Gilani remarked. Referring to an ongoing controversy over the appointment of the chairman of the National Accountability Bureau, Pakistan's main anti-corruption agency, Gilani said President Asif Ali Zardari made the appointment in accordance with the law while using his discretionary powers.

The main opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has said it will oppose the appointment as the new chairman has links with the PPP. Replying to another question, Gilani said his cabinet would be revamped in line with a landmark constitutional reforms package by the end of this year and ten ministries will be abolished.