PRESSTV - Pakistan's new President Asif Ali Zardari has called for a cross-party committee to 'revisit' the presidency's wide-ranging powers.
In his début address to a joint session of parliament, Zardari called for an end to the president's powers to dissolve the assembly and dismiss the government, and also pledged to tackle Pakistan's economic problems.
The widower of ex-premier Benazir Bhutto, who took the oath of office on September 9, said the cross-party committee would "revisit" the presidency's wide-ranging powers introduced by his predecessor, Pervez Musharraf.
"Never before in the history of this country has a president stood here and given away his powers," he noted.
Zardari easily won a presidential poll among federal and state lawmakers this month, less than a year after Bhutto's assassination during a campaign rally in Rawalpindi last December.
Military ruler Musharraf had resigned on August 19 after the coalition government threatened to impeach him over constitutional violations including his failure to address parliament annually.
Zardari's presidency returns Pakistan to civilian rule after eight years under Musharraf.
JR/RA - PRESSTV