Gilani urges US to write off Pakistan’s debt

September 19th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has denied inking any 'safe exit' deal to facilitate former President General Pervez Musharraf's safe passage from the country after he stepped down from the Presidency. In an interview to a private television channel, Gilani said: "If there had been such a deal, it would have surfaced by now, as the media is very vibrant today." Gilani also said would be wrong to say that Musharraf has been 'pardoned', as neither he has been convicted by the court of law nor been 'indemnified by parliament'.

September 14th, 2009 Obama urges financial industry to rebuild trustNEW YORK — President Barack Obama is telling Wall Street to take steps on its own to rebuild trust with the public, and not wait for Congress to legislate the tighter oversight of the industry he is pushing. Obama says many of the firms now seeing improvement in their finances owe a debt to the American people, who financed a $700 billion bailout last year.

August 23rd, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif is like a brother to him. Reacting to Sharif's statement that he was heart-broken by his (Gilani's) decision to distance the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) from former President General Pervez Musharraf's trial, Gilani said he would soon contact the former Prime Minister to address all his grievances.

August 7th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Following his visit to riot-hit Gojra, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has hinted at changing the blasphemy law in a bid to facilitate "religious harmony" in the country. Eight Christians were burnt alive last month over blasphemy allegations in Gojra.

July 19th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - : President Zardari's statement that India no longer remains a threat to the country, were his 'personal views', Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf aza Gilani has said. Talking to media persons after returning from Sharm-el-Sheikh, Gilani said there is a need for a more 'careful' approach while talking about the relations between the two neighboring countries.

June 25th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan wants the world at large and the US in particular to play a role in resolving its disputes with India, including that of Kashmir, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said Thursday. The resolution of Pakistans core issues would help it focus on the war against extremism and terrorism on its western border to ensure peace and stability in South Asia, APP news agency quoted Gilani as saying when visiting US National Security Advisor James Jones called on him here.

June 22nd, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan cannot remain oblivious to the dangers posed by India's nuclear weapons but its own programme was purely of defensive nature, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani declared Monday. Pakistans emphasis on nuclear energy for peaceful purposes had shifted towards concerns for national security when India detonated a nuclear device in 1974, Gilani said while addressing scientists at the Quaid-e-Azam Universitys National Centre for Physics here.

June 6th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has urged the United States to write off all its debt to help Islamabad overcome the prevalent economic crisis. In a meeting with the US Special Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke here, Gilani said Pakistan has been facing a difficult economic situation primarily due to its participation in the US led 'war on terror'.

May 29th, 2009 ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI - Pakistan's nuclear weapons are the cornerstone of its deterrence and there is complete national consensus on this, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani maintained Friday. "We are determined to retain nuclear deterrence at all cost and no compromise will be made on our core security interest," APP news agency quoted him as saying while chairing a meeting of the Strategic Planning Division (SPD) at the PM House in Islamabad.

April 13th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The US should not make aid to Pakistan for the war against terror conditional as this would be counter productive, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said Monday. 'Pakistan-US relations should be based on mutual trust.

April 12th, 2009 MULTAN - Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said it would be against the country's self respect to accept the 'stringed' US aid. Talking to media persons after a launching ceremony of the South Punjab Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SPWCCI) here, Gilani said the financial aid being offered to Pakistan by the United States was against the country's interest.

March 21st, 2009 KARACHI - Pakistan's former Information and Broadcasting Minister Sherry Rehman on Friday said that the PPP-led Government was passing through a difficult phase and it was the responsibility of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to take the government and the party along. Addressing the party's workers on her arrival at the Karachi airport, she clarified that she had resigned from the ministry and not from the party.

March 15th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has accepted the resignation of Information and Broadcasting (IB) Minister Sherry Rehman, and has appointed Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas Qamaruz Zaman Kaira to the post. According to sources, Rehman told Gilani that the unwarranted interference in her work by some ministers had affected her prestige.

February 2nd, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's public debt is expected to rise by a staggering 34 percent or Rs.2 trillion ($25 billion) in the current fiscal largely due to the massive depreciation of the rupee and external loans obtained for maintaining the balance of payments. The public debt was at Rs.5.9 trillion at the beginning of the fiscal July 1, 2008.

January 24th, 2009 MULTAN - Pakistan's Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani said Sunday that his government would take the world into confidence over the Mumbai attacks probe, Geo TV reported. Addressing a gathering here, Gilani said his government would not allow the use of its territory for terrorist acts and that war was no solution to the terrorism issue.