PRIME Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani could not get it more right when he said that the PPP had not voted for the 17th Amendment, but he could not get it more wrong when he talked of honouring his Party's commitment to undo this draconian provision tagged on to the Constitution during the Musharraf regime. If it had been so, the PPP leadership should have gone ahead with repealing the amendment instead of seeking a consensus of other parties across the political divide, which have been demanding curtailment of the presidential powers sooner rather than later. In a wide-ranging interview with The Financial Times, Mr Gilani discussed the country's domestic political situation as well as external threats to its sovereignty. There was no disputing his observation that soon after coming into power, the PPP government focused much on mending fences with neighbouring countries but he regretted that the Mumbai carnage had caused a setback to Pakistan-India relations. Meanwhile, talking to journalists, after addressing the convocation of the Lahore College University for Women on Saturday, the Prime Minister dispelled the perception that he and President Zardari had developed any differences, saying "comparing the two of us with Zia and Junejo would not be fair". But there would be few takers for his view that Junejo was a handpicked PM and he isn't, as long as he remains reluctant to assert his authority the way the prime minister should in a parliamentary democracy. The fact remains that Muhammad Khan Junejo had not comprised on his powers, and kept telling General Zia not to overstep his jurisdiction until his government was unceremoniously dismissed. Mr Gilani, on the other hand, has shown little resistance on being excluded from the decision-making process. The dismissal of his National Security Adviser Mehmud Ali Durrani might be the only exception to this rule. If General Musharraf was being blamed for having turned Parliament and the Cabinet into rubberstamps and deciding important matters by himself, his legacy is being carried forward by this democratic dispensation. It is however good to hear from Mr Gilani that there is complete cohesion between the civilian and military leaderships. This is welcome at a time when the country is facing serious threats from all sides. But it bears repeating that the Prime Minister has an important role to play in forging unity among political forces and doing away with the effects of illegal acts committed by General Musharraf. That would go a long way towards empowering Parliament and keeping those nursing Bonapartist tendencies from derailing democracy.