LAHORE, May 25: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that the proposed constitution amendment package will be tabled in parliament before or after the budget session.

Talking to senior journalists, columnists and newspaper editors on Sunday, he said the PPP was working on its manifesto to “serve the people with all the resources at the government’s disposal, without indulging in confrontation with anyone” and restore the genuine parliamentary system under the Constitution of 1973.

He said the Pakistan People’s Party would resolve all constitutional issues through parliament.

Replying to a question, the prime minister said the PPP had its own policies and it did not want to adopt the path of confrontation.

He said he was following the guidelines and policies of his party which envisaged good working relationship with the president, the governors and chief ministers of the provinces and the president and prime minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

“We do not want to make any issue a problem of ego, create bitterness or humiliate anyone because this is not the policy of our party,” he said.

Responding to a question, Mr Gilani said he had a lot of respect for the president because he was a part of parliament.

He said the PPP was advancing its manifesto to serve the people without any confrontation with anyone.

He said restoration of the parliamentary system of government under the Constitution of 1973 was a commitment of the party to the nation.

He said the PPP stood committed to the cause of reinstatement of the deposed judges and restoration of democracy. “The PPP values democratic norms because it has rendered more sacrifices for the cause than any other party.”

He said he himself had been in prison with other PPP workers and lawyers for the cause of the judiciary and democracy.

The prime minister said no-one had the right to suspect his party’s sincerity and commitment.

Denying differences with coalition partners on major issues, he said: The party does not have any ego problem on any issue confronting the country. “It does not want to make any issue an ego problem or create bitterness among political forces and coalition partners.”

Prime Minister Gilani said people had rejected the manifesto of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q and supported the PPP in the elections.

Replying to a question, he said the government was following the party guidelines to promote an independent media, stable institutions and an accountable government.

Replying to a question about terrorism, he said: “We will address the root cause of the problem by holding dialogue, because the strategy adopted by the previous government has failed.” Even the US, Britain and other countries, he said, had accepted that the previous strategy had failed.

“Troops will remain in the disturbed areas but the government will use them only if needed,” he said.

He said the PPP would hold dialogue with those who would lay down arms weapons and join mainstream politics and launch a development programme and create job opportunities on a revolutionary basis.

Mr Gilani said the government would take measures to promote the livestock sector on an urgent basis and overcome the food shortage with a new agriculture policy.He said the government was importing 2.5 million tons of wheat while the estimated shortfall was of one million tons. Therefore, there would be no wheat crisis.

He praised the administrative measures taken by the Punjab government to prevent illegal transportation of wheat.

He said increases in the prices of petroleum products and food items were major challenges for the government. There was an international crisis but Pakistan, being an agricultural country, was in a better position to cope with it by increasing its production.

The prime minister also offered condolences to former governor Khalid Maqbool on the death of his sister and brother-in-law.