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| Saturday, 26 June 2004 |
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Indian PM asks political parties to respect the Parliament NEW DELHI, Friday (PTI) After the washout of the inaugural session in which he was not allowed to speak, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh voiced deep concern over disruption of Parliament and appealed to political parties to respect the institution but skipped the "tainted" ministers issue on which the Opposition rocked both the Houses. Utilising the opportunity of an address to the nation over television and radio, he said the country would have benefited if Parliament had been allowed to discuss the President's address, which outlines the comprehensive agenda of the government. The eight-page address detailed the priorities of his government in various areas, mainly economic, and made it clear that it was keen on continuing dialogue with Pakistan while maintaining a credible nuclear deterrent as a responsible power. Though he did not directly refer to the inclusion of "tainted" ministers in his government, an issue on which the BJP-led opposition disrupted Parliament, he said he shared the concern about "decline of moral and ethics in public life". Meanwhile Pakistan welcomed Indian PM's statement about continuity and active pursuit of the composite Indo-Pak dialogue. "We welcome the statement by the Indian Prime Minster ... Pakistan too wants to work for a peaceful, secure and prosperous neighbourhood, "Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesman Masood Khan said here. "We are encouraged by Dr Manmohan Singh's statement that India is sincere about discussing and resolving all issues, including Jammu and Kashmir," he said. Khan said it is against this backdrop that Pakistan looked forward to the composite dialogue between Foreign Secretaries next week. "We hope that our engagement on all issues will be productive and result-oriented," he said. |
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