[Dawn] Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani... Pakistain's erstwhile current prime minister, whose occasional feats of mental gymnastics can be awe-inspiring ...
on Friday said that he did not need to take a vote of confidence, DawnNews reported.
Whoever wants to initiate a no-confidence motion in the parliament, they are free to do so, he said.
Addressing a session of the National Assembly, Gilani said everyone should respect the constitution and those who want to cut short the terms of the prime minister and the president should propose amendments to the constitution.
"Now we have to decide whether we should have democracy or dictatorship in this country. If we have committed any mistakes, it does not mean that democracy or parliament should be punished," Gilani told parliamentarians.
He further said that the government was not against any state institution.
"We have not come here to seek martyrdom, nor are we seeking support on the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO)," the premier said.
"The opposition should tell us if the NRO was made by our government," the prime minister questioned.
He further said that "if a new stage is set up, it would neither welcome the current government, nor the existing opposition".
Regarding the judiciary, he said: "We went to prisons for the judges...faced treason cases for standing up for Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry."