Never talked about removing COAS, DG ISI, says PM

Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani while reiterating his stance that all the state institutions come under the ambit of the government said Tuesday he never talked about removing the Chief of Army Staff and DG ISI.“I still stand on my stance. When I said that I want to remove them (COAS, DG ISI)? I never said that”, Gilani told newsmen here while referring to a statement from Mian Nawaz Sharif that the Prime Minister has retracted from his stance.The Prime Minister, however, added that his recent remarks about parallel governments were in the context of the reply submitted by the Secretary Defence in the Supreme Court, adding, in that context “I stand on my view.”To a question, the Prime Minister said, all the institutions are under the federal government. “I still stand on my stance that there cannot be parallel governments,” he stressed.About the issue of extension to COAS and DG ISI, the Prime Minister said, he has already clarified and dispelled the impression that the government had no intention to remove them. Gilani further said that he had requested Gen. Kayani to continue and accept the extension in the middle of war.He also referred to his talk in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh and said there was a provocation that he probably wanted to de-notify the restored judiciary, adding, “that was a conspiracy”.“There was nothing of this sort in my mind. We had appointed them and how we could de-notify them. The PM remarked, “We respect the institutions and we only expect that every institution should work under the ambit of the Constitution.”