LAHORE - Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Saturday said the people of Sindh had stood up against land grabbers, extortionists and terrorists and they would not rest until these criminals were eliminated from the province.
“The land grabbers in Karachi should vacate state land worth trillions of rupees within a month,” he said during his visit to the residence of Hamid Mir, columnist and TV anchorperson, as a mark of respect to his father Prof Waris Mir, who was Gilani’s teacher at Punjab University. Gilani said the people of the country in general and the people of Sindh in particular have stood up against criminals who had taken the people’s life hostage.
The prime minister said across-the-board action would be taken against those who had robbed the state’s wealth, adding that thousands of acres of land would be retrieved as it was stated in the revenue record of the government. “National wealth belongs to the people of Pakistan, not to criminals and they will be made to pay every looted paisa,” he added. To a question on new provinces, Gilani said the people of southern Punjab felt the issue of creation of more provinces had been launched to sabotage their movement. He said the PPP leadership believed in consensus and would take decision of national importance on that basis, as it had done in case of constitutional amendments, National Finance Commission Awards, Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Balochistan package. The prime minister said the federal government fully supported across-the-board operation in nine areas of Karachi which was being carried out successfully. He said law enforcement agencies had been instructed to take action on credible intelligence with a view to minimise collateral damage. The prime minister said peace in Karachi was critical for the economy of the country, as the city was an economic hub. “We cannot afford the law and order situation to go out of hand. We will succeed as it is the only option,” Gilani added. He said parties should discuss all issues in parliament, which was the symbol of the people of Pakistan and democracy.