ISLAMABAD – President Dr Arif Alvi has urged the government and politicalparties to guide the nation in the right direction in accordance with thesentiments of the people to cope with multidimensional challenges facingthe country.
He was addressing the joint sitting of the parliament in Islamabad thisafternoon to mark beginning of the new Parliamentary year.
The President expressed the confidence that the government will chart out aroad map in all sectors and at the same time ensure transparency ingovernance.
Arif Alvi pointed out that our political system has remained unstable forvarious reasons but it is heartening to note that the last three assembliescompleted their full tenures during the last fifteen years.
He said parochial interests and rampant corruption are the biggest reasonsbehind our current challenges. He said the recent elections proved thatpeople want a corruption free Pakistan. In order to control corruption,there is need to strengthen institutions of accountability in addition to atransparent system so that they could perform their duties honestly andwithout any discrimination.
Arif Alvi said the new government has resolved to make a New Pakistan. Itwas also the slogan of the government in the elections.
He opined that the concept of new Pakistan lies in promoting simplicity,discontinuation of unnecessary protocols and a corruption free system.
He said the present government has embarked upon a program to ensuremaximum employment and housing facilities for the masses. If we succeed inthis endeavor, it will be the change we all are clamoring for.
Referring to the issues of water shortages and climate change, thePresident said the construction of new water reservoirs is among the toppriorities of the government. He expressed the confidence that the peopleof Pakistan including the expatriates will respond positively to thedonations appeal of the Chief Justice and the Prime Minister. He said thiswill not only raise capital for construction of new dams but will also helpenhance our foreign exchange reserves.
The President also stressed for water conservation saying we have to makeour irrigation system more efficient. He said we have to adopt acomprehensive strategy to control seepage of water in our canals and watercourses. Drip irrigation needs to be adopted rather than relying solely onflood irrigation.
The President said it is also imperative that we also focus on power,energy and electricity related issues. The Power transmission system needsto be made more efficient, line losses reduced and theft of electricity beeliminated. He said the relevant authorities need to work for promotion ofrun of the river projects along with strengthening the transmissioninfrastructure so that the generated power can be fed into the nationalgrid and the transmission system across the country made more robust.
Highlighting the significance of agriculture sector, the President said newgovernment has promised the development of this sector in its manifesto. Aneffective and comprehensive strategy needs to be adopted to providepesticides, fertilizers and other agricultural instruments to farmers andassociated people in this sector.
Referring to the health and education, the President emphasized the needfor bringing improvement in both the sectors. He said the parliamentariansand the media should promote awareness regarding mother and child healthand benefits of small family.
He stressed for provision of more opportunities to the women folk saying nocountry can progress without empowerment of women.
Arif Alvi said our sixty percent of population comprises of youth and wehave to create employment opportunities for them on merit basis,qualification and capacity so that they can earn their livelihoods. He saidthey need to be equipped with vocational training so that they can findsuitable jobs. He added that provision of small loans to start newbusinesses have to be made easy.
The President underscored need for promoting sports and Arts for thephysical and mental growth of the youth. We have to obtain input of ourscholars in the planning of this process.
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Arif Alvi said that we have to eliminate regional, economic and socialinequality and disparity. In particular development of Balochistan andother far flung areas needs our focus and attention. The constitution ofPakistan is a good social contract but it has not been fully put intopractice. He expressed the confidence that the new government will fullyimplement the social contract so that the New Pakistan can be translatedinto reality.
Calling for investment in human capital, the President stressed forrevamping of the educational system and introducing a uniform curriculum.
He said three million students are currently studying in religiousseminaries. In order to bring them to the mainstream, the curriculum inthese seminaries needs to be made compatible with the modern dayrequirement. This will enable these students to play their positive andproactive role in different walks of life. In this regard, he said thegovernment needs to devise a strategy in consultation with the religiousScholars.
Voicing concerns over current state of economy, the President lamented thatwe are spending a major share of our resources on repayment of the nationaldebt. He said there is a huge gap in the quantum of imports and exports.The circular debt has reached 1100 billion rupees in the last few years andthe value of rupee has depreciated sharply in recent months. He said it isvital for us to strive to get out of this vicious cycle of poverty. He saidthat rectifying the direction of economy and promoting investment is apriority on the government’s agenda. He expressed the confidence thatgovernment will be able to reduce fiscal deficit, redress the issues ofstate owned enterprises, formulate investment friendly policies andsimplify the investment processes. For that purpose we have to reduce therole of government department and put a restrain on their discretionarypowers. He said that overseas Pakistanis also need to be attracted andinvited to invest into the country for job creation and to achieveself-resilience.
Alluding to the issue of peace and security, the President said terrorismand extremism has been overcome due to the sacrifices of law enforcementagencies and the resilience of the nation. He said our armed forces havebecome most successful and experienced military in countering theterrorism. The world can learn from us.
Touching upon the foreign policy, he said that cordial relations with allcountries particularly, the neighbors and Muslim countries constitute thebasis for the country’s foreign policy.
He said Pakistan desires peaceful and good neighborly relations with Indiabased on mutual co-existence. He stressed that the resolution of Kashmirdispute is essential to have an enduring relationship between the twocountries. Blame game brings no solution to any dispute.
President Alvi reaffirmed Pakistan’s moral, political and diplomaticsupport to the Kashmiri people. He maintained that Pakistan will continueefforts at every level to resolve dispute in accordance with the UNresolutions.
Highlighting the sacrifices of Kashmiri people, he said denying theKashmiris’ right of self-determination is condemnable. He urged theinternational community to play its role to bring an end to the grave humanrights violations in Occupied Kashmir.
The President said our friendship with China is exemplary and is based onmutual trust. He said the two countries have also stood by each other inthe hour of trial. He said the government fully supports the CPEC which isboosting economic activity in the region. He hoped the government completesthe CPEC projects expeditiously which will help in further strengtheningour relations and mark beginning of new era in the region. He expressed theconfidence that energy and trade relations with the Central Asian Republicswill also be strengthened.
He said Pakistan gives importance to its relations with Russia andexpressed the confidence that relations in the fields of economy, defenceand culture will be strengthened. He said our relations with Turkey areimportant factor in the stability and progress of the entire region.
On Afghanistan, the President said peace and stability there is vital forthe peace in Pakistan. He said peace in Afghanistan will open new tradecorridors for us and the region. He said we shall continue endeavors forthis purpose with full sincerity.
As the President was delivering his address to the joint sitting, Membersbelonging to PML-N, staged a walkout from the session.
The Joint Session has been prorogued.
