Addu City (Maldives), Nov. 10 : Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and his Pakistan counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani have began a meeting here this morning to give a push to normalising bilateral relations marked by a shrinking trust deficit.

Dr Singh and Gilani are meeting for the third time in the last 18 months.

Thursday''s meeting on the sidelines of the 17th SAARC Summit comes a week after Pakistan announced a path-breaking decision to confer Most Fovoured Nation (MFN) status on India.

Islamabad, Oct 18 : Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani has said that his country will recognize the new government in Libya.

The Express Tribune quoted Gilani as saying that Pakistan believes in the sovereignty and independence of all countries, and does not interfere in the internal affairs of any country.

Islamabad, Sep 29 : Pakistan is part of the Afghanistan solution and any effort to address this issue minus Pakistan will not be productive, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said.

Speaking in Peshawar Wednesday, the prime minister said Pakistan supported the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned reconciliation process.

However, such a process should not destabilise Pakistan, Associated Press of Pakistan quoted Gilani as saying.

Islamabad, Sep 29:  Pakistan's 180 million people should stand united to face the many challenges the country was facing and to thwart all attempts to destabilise it, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said.

Gilani made the remark Wednesday in Peshawar in the wake of the US accusation that the Pakistan's powerful spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence, was supporting the Haqqani network that had carried out attacks against US interests in Afghanistan.

Islamabad, Sep 14 : Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani visited the land of his ancestors in the city of Rasht, the capital of Iran's Gilan province, it was reported here.

Gilani went around the city that attracts domestic tourists, Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

Gilan is in the northwest of Iran along the Caspian sea.

The governments of Pakistan and Iran have declared Multan and Rasht as sister cities.

Islamabad, Sep 2 : Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has admitted that he was "not very studious" when he was a student.

Talking to a group of youngsters in a PTV programme Thursday, Gilani said: "In our age, there were less opportunities."

He added: "As a student, I was not very studious but I was an all-rounder and participated in extra-curricular activities."

"... I read poetry of Mirza Ghalib in detail," Associated Press of Pakistan quoted Gilani as saying.

Islamabad, Aug 30 : Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has assured the family of slain Punjab governor Salman Taseer of all efforts for the early recovery of his abducted son.

Shahbaz Taseer was abducted from Lahore's Gulberg area Aug 26.

Gilani stayed with the Taseer family for about an hour, reported Associated Press of Pakistan.

Shahbaz was travelling with his friend when four armed men abducted them at gunpoint.

His friend, who was later released, informed police about the kidnapping.

Mohali, March 30 : The much anticipated India-Pakistan World Cup semifinal got off to a rousing start Wednesday with the prime ministers of both countries, India's Manmohan Singh and Pakistan's Yousuf Raza Gilani, meeting the players of both the teams.

The Pakistani national anthem was played first and then the Indian "Jana Gana Mana" in the packed stadium. As the strains of the Indian anthem died down, the stadium erupted in a roar and the two prime minister accompanied by Sharad Pawar, president of the International Cricket Council, walked into the field.

In a bilateral meeting, the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to meet Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday. It is believed that the Indian PM will be showing its unhappiness over the lack of credible action by Islamabad to punish perpetrators of 26/11 and end cross-border terrorism.

Islamabad, Mar. 21 : Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has expressed the hope that the upcoming strategic talks with the US on March 24 in Washington would ‘successfully achieve concrete results and tangible goals’.

During a meeting with US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson here, Gilani identified some of the key issues to be discussed during the talks, and said Islamabad would like to make progress in negotiations with the US in various other areas as well.

Islamabad, Jan 11 : Despite Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s clear direction to his cabinet members that retaining two government accommodations at a time was a malpractice, as many as 24 Ministers and other top government officials are enjoying the dual facility.

According to reports, apart from the federal and state ministers, the National Assembly Speaker and the Deputy Speaker are also occupying two government accommodations in gross violation of rules.

Islamabad, Jan 9 : Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has criticized the Obama administration’s decision to carry out extra security checks, including full-body pat downs, on people flying into the United States from
14 mostly Muslim countries, including Pakistan.

Gilani said that persistence with such policies, which lead to “consternation and anxiety among Pakistanis” could affect the bilateral ties between the two countries.

Islamabad, Jan. 8 (ANI): Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has clarified that he doesn’t have any differences with President Asif Ali Zardari, and he would stand by the PPP chairman in his “rise and fall.”
The Daily Times Gilani as telling a private TV channel that he would support Zardari through thick and thin.

Islamabad, Jan. 5 : Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that there is a need to build more five-star hotels, entertainment places and conference halls in Islamabad to address the need of tourists and businessmen.

Islamabad, Jan 4 : Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani is a highly professional soldier and ardent supporter of democracy.

In an interview with Al Jazeera television, he said General Kayani had supported democracy even during Geneneral Pervez Musharraf’s rule.

He expressed the confidence that the country would win the war against terrorists.

Gilani said the People’s Party had the support of the masses. The people would ensure a victory against terrorists. (ANI)

Islamabad/Lahore, Jan 4 : Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and former premier Nawaz Sharif have agreed that they would stop leaders of the Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz from levelling allegations against each other.

Gilani had called Nawaz over the telephone to discuss issues of national importance, especially a proposed accountability law.

Islamabad, Jan 4 : Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has said the lack of implementation of the Charter of Democracy (CoD) immediately after it was signed was “the biggest mistake”.

Interacting with a group of journalists, Gilani said the government should have implemented the CoD immediately after Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif signed it.

Karachi, Jan. 2 : Ruling out any confrontation between the state institutions, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has said that the appointment of the Naval and Air chiefs were done by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on merit, and that he will continue to make military appointments in future also.

In an interview with a private television channel, Zardari described Gilani as an ‘exemplary’ Prime Minister and said that a good government could compromise its popularity but it would never harm the country.

Lahore, Dec 30 : Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has reiterated that Islamabad has evidence regarding New Delhi’s involvement in Baloch insurgency, and that it would raise the issue at an ‘appropriate time and forum’.

“I had discussed the issue with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt. There is evidence of Indian involvement in Balochistan, however, it is up to the government to decide which forum it will raise the issue on,” The Daily Times quoted Gilani, as saying.

Islamabad, Dec. 30 : Rejecting the notion of having a deal with former President General Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said the government will act if the court of law orders it to bring back Musharraf.

Gilani told a private television channel that the government would certainly take necessary action against Musharraf, if the court orders to bring him back, The News reports.

Musharraf, who is currently in London on an ‘unannounced’ self-exile, had recently said that he would return to Pakistan soon.