Pak opps no-confidence motion is confidence vote: Aziz

Islamabad, Aug 30 (UNI) Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz today said rejection of the vote of no-confidence in Parliament was in fact a strong vote of confidence for the government and its policies.

The official Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) quoted Mr Aziz as saying this at the PAF base before embarking on a four-nation tour to Norway, Turkey, Britain and Lebanon.

He survived the opposition's no-trust motion yesterday with a big margin. The opposition's motion could secure only 136 votes in the 342-member National Assembly.

''We, in Pakistan, have tried to change the political paradigm to move towards transparency, openness and good governance,'' the Prime Minister said while commenting on the defeat of the no-confidence motion by the Opposition.

He said, ''This policy has created challenges and difficulties for those who want to live in the past.'' ''We always take decisions in national and not in personal interests,'' he said and added, ''We are trying to change the style of the political system in the country to make it more mature and objective.'' Speaking on his foreign tour, Mr Aziz said he will first visit Oslo to attend an important meeting of the High-level Panel on United Nations System-wide Coherence in the Areas of Development, Humanitarian Assistance and the Environment.

The panel will be co-chaired by Prime Minister of Mozambique Luisa Dias Diogo, Prime Minister of Norway Jens Stoltenberg and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.

He said, ''It was an honour for Pakistan to be represented on this prestigious forum and be part of the UN reform.'' On the sidelines, he will meet his Norwegian counterpart and discuss bilateral relations, economic ties trade and investment, security and international issues besides measures to expand ties in all areas.

Mr Aziz said he will also address the large Pakistani community in Norway and will inform the expatriate community about the developments back home.

He said he will meet Norwegian businessmen and encourage them to benefit from the rich investment in Pakistan.

Mr Aziz during his brief visit to London will meet elected representatives, members from the Muslim community and Kashmiris to discuss matters related to both the countries.

He will later fly to Istanbul to participate in the OIC Youth Summit, on the personal invitation of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to give a keynote address. The event will be attended by several head of states and governments.

His last stop would be Lebanon where he would meet his counterpart Fouad Siniora and see the damage caused by recent Israeli military action. The Prime Minister said he will discuss the situation in the region, measures to ensure peace and to see how the two countries could work together and serve the cause for world peace.

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