Musharraf was running local govts in illegal manner: PM

Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said former president Pervez Musharrafs decision to form local governments a federal subject under the sixth schedule of the Constitution was illegal and undemocratic. The tenure of present local governments is expiring and as it is a provincial subject, he and the President could not do much about it, Gilani said while speaking to media in Islamabad after attending a function of Ministry of Science and Technology. The Prime Minister said the provincial governments will take decision about the future of the local governments after holding more rounds of consultations. The elections of local governments were postponed in light of the recommendations of the provincial governments in a recent meeting, Gilani added. He said he would send the recommendations of provincial governments to the President for his decision. To a question, he said PML-N is a coalition partner of PPP in Punjab and is also supporting him. The federal government is committed to provincial autonomy, he added. Gilani said the government was taking tough and unpopular decisions to save the country from difficult situation. I would not say that the government was taking popular decisions but it was taking hard decisions to save the country from difficult situation. We have to put the country on the right track. We are the democratic people. We have faced imprisonment not for becoming Prime Minister but for the rights of people, the Prime Minister remarked. When the hard decisions were taken, the opposition was also there (in the parliament), Gilani said in reference to the passage of Finance Bill by the parliament, adding, the parliament represents 160 million people. He said the matter of imposition of carbon tax is subjudice, therefore he will not further comment on it. The Prime Minister said the government has two major challenges to confront including the improvement of law and order and the strengthening of economy, adding, these two challenges are inter-related. Whenever there is a suicide attack, there is flight of capital from the country. Gilani said when the military operation in Swat and Malakand division was launched, there were many people who were opposed to it, adding, it was a hard decision, but we had to do it for sake of countrys survival. He said now the internally displaced persons (IDPs) will start going back to their homes from July 13 with respect and dignity.