NA Joint session
\n ISLAMABAD
\nPresident Dr Arif Alvi, in an address to the joint session of the Parliament on Thursday, called on politicians to end growing polarisation in the country and decide on an election date by coming together.
\n\u201cPeople can only be united if politicians are united,\u201d he said, highlighting that eliminating differences was the \u201cneed of the hour\u201d.
\nThe joint session of the National Assembly today was called in line with articles 54(1) and 56(3) of the Constitution.
\nThe session was sparsely attended, with the majority of MNAs missing from both benches. Those in attendance were seen freely mingling and talking amongst one another while the president was speaking.
\nMeanwhile, Jamaat-i-Islami Senator Mushtar Ahmed chanted slogans calling for MNA Ali Wazir\u2019s production orders to be issued, even as the president continued speaking. He later staged a protest in front of the NA speaker\u2019s rostrum with Senator Tahir Bizenjo and MNA Moulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali.
\nAt the outset of his address today, the president expressed that the biggest problem Pakistan was facing today were the catastrophic floods that wreaked havoc across the country and rendered millions homeless.
\n\u201cI want to felicitate the Pakistan Army for helping victims while sacrificing their lives. The federal and provincial governments, PDMA (Provincial Disaster Management Authority), and NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) all worked hard on the ground. I thank all of them.\u201d
\nDr Alvi pointed out that if the relief work was not done on time, the human and economic losses from the floods would have been higher.
\nPakistan\u2019s contribution to global warming was not even 1 per cent, but the country was suffering the most, he said. \u201cI want to commend agencies and the government for the way they worked. I believe they deserve commendation.\u201d
\nThe president said that the disastrous floods had damaged crops spread over acres and underscored the need for crop insurance.
\n\u201cAgriculture is our economic backbone. We must look towards countries that are progressing in this sector.
\n\u201cThe Netherlands is 19 times smaller than Pakistan but it progressed so much on the agricultural front, and my country should have progressed more in this field. If we adopt a scientific approach, Pakistan can beat the world,\u201d he stated.
\nDr Alvi also said that the recent floods had, once again, raised the demand for building dams.
\nTalking about foreign affairs in his speech today, the president lauded the government for improving ties with the United States, saying that the country had been a \u201cgood friend\u201d to Pakistan.
\n\u201cWe have seen ups and downs but the US is a big market for our goods. We want to improve ties on mutual understanding. The government is striving for it and I commend this.\u201d
\nDr Alvi also underscored the importance of Pakistan\u2019s ties with China. \u201cI believe the Pakistan-China friendship is a real one and CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) is an example of it.\u201d
\nThe president went on that Pakistan\u2019s stance on Ukraine was clear and the country expected ties with Europe to strengthen.
\nTalking about Afghanistan, he said: \u201cWe have a clear position that we want peace there. Taliban have promised that their soil will not be used against terrorism and we expect everyone to keep their word.\u201d
\nDr Alvi went on that Pakistan wanted a \u201cbroad-based government\u201d in the neighbouring country.
\nAbout India, he said that Pakistan desired better ties with India but only after a resolution of the Kashmir dispute. \u201cWe believe Hindutva mindset and Islamophobia are being exported and I want India to not do this because it has an impact.\u201d
\nPresident Alvi, while talking about the economy, stressed the maintenance of balance.
\n\u201cPakistan should stand on its feet. We need hard work. We don\u2019t have oil reserves, but we have land and gold. We need to stand up. We reached a growth of up to 5.9pc and it shows we have capacity.\u201d
\nThe president also highlighted on political stability and urged the government to work harder to contain inflation.
\nHe said the dollar-rupee parity was worrisome but hoped that it would soon be tackled.
\n\u201cEvery chamber I speak to demand continuation in policies. Even if the governments change, policies should continue,\u201d Alvi added.
\nThe president highlighted that the entire world was upset with fake news.
\nReferring to the recent audio leaks, he said that private conversations should not be made available out in the public and they should stay \u201cwhere they belong\u201d.
\nTalking about the freedom of media, the president underlined that it was an important part of the freedom of democracy. \u201cI want to bring this to the government\u2019s attention because it is extremely important.\u201d
\nHe also said that social media was booming and this should be used as a source of knowledge. \u201cThese things won\u2019t be fixed through force. We just need to be careful about it.\u201d
\nAt one point during his address, the president also called for the continuation of the work on electronic voting machines (EVM). \u201cI believe we should work on this and not delay it.\u201d
\nHe said that people claim the last free and fair elections in the country were held in 1970, adding that most of the people didn\u2019t trust the election results.
\n\u201cHow would stability come when you keep challenging all election results?\u201d
\nHe further demanded that overseas Pakistanis \u2014 who he said send $30 billion to the country\u2014 should be given their voting rights.
\n\u201cOf all these people, only 5-10pc are dual nationals. The parliament and Supreme Court have also recommended giving them voting rights. You should ensure no cheating takes place, and this right has to be given.\u201d
\nBringing the parliament\u2019s attention towards education, Dr Alvi warned against neglecting the youth as he called for the inclusion of children who were out of school. \u201cMembers of parliament must focus on this.
\n\u201cI have spoken to ulema that mosques should have sessions to provide school education. If you can\u2019t provide education to children, give them skills,\u201d he highlighted.
\nThe president said that online education could be used for infusing knowledge among the youth. \u201cThere are good education institutions that can help in this initiative.\u201d
\nPakistan also needed to build a mechanism to provide employment to the people, he added.
\nIn the field of science and technology, Alvi stressed that children needed to be prepared for the future. \u201cSeveral smaller countries are ahead of Pakistan in cyber power while our policies are weak in this respect.\u201d
\nOur defence establishment needed cyber power to protect the utilities and financial institutions, he said, adding that in the future, wars would be fought in the cyber world, hence, Pakistan needed to focus on that.
\nMoving to the health sector, President Alvi emphasised the provision of contraceptives, saying that when economies improved, family sizes shrunk.
\nAlso, stunting was another problem Pakistan was facing.
\nFurthermore, he appreciated the Benazir Income Support Programme and Ehsaas Poverty Alleviation Programme for their performance. He also thanked the Bill Gates Foundation for its polio eradication efforts in the country.
\nDuring his speech, Dr Alvi particularly highlighted the importance of curing diseases linked to mental illnesses stressing that there were society\u2019s \u201csilent killers\u201d.
\n\u201cWe need to make cures affordable and increase the number of medical practitioners. We need to raise awareness about telehealth helplines and educate the poor segments of our society regarding it.\u201d
\nMoreover, the president said that women should be given chances to work in public offices and urged lawmakers to work on eliminating harassment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NA Joint session ISLAMABAD President Dr Arif Alvi, in an address to the joint session of the Parliament on Thursday, called on politicians to end growing polarisation in the country and decide on an election date by coming together. \u201cPeople can only be united if politicians are united,\u201d he said, highlighting that eliminating differences was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-287815","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n