President also expresses concern over \u201cslow decision-making and lack of leadership in the country\u201d
\nISLAMABAD
\nAs political parties mainly the Imran Khan founding Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest against alleged rigging in the February 8 polls, President Arif Alvi has called for respecting the people\u2019s mandate and enhancing political inclusion.
\nAddressing a ceremony in Islamabad on Monday, the president said financial inclusion is not possible without the people\u2019s participation in the political process.
\nHe also appreciated the \u201cmillions of young voters\u201d for reposing trust in the country\u2019s democratic system.
\n\u201cIf the youth\u2019s confidence in the system is shaken, it will not be in the country\u2019s interest,\u201d the president warned, lamenting that competent people are being \u201cforced out of politics\u201d.
\nPresident Alvi also warned that there could be consequences for excluding the people from the development process.
\nExpressing concern over the slow decision-making and lack of leadership in the country, the president said that Pakistan needed good leadership and timely decision-making to put it on the path of progress and prosperity
\n\u201cDevelopment and prosperity require good leadership and timely decision-making,\u201d the president said.
\nPresident Avli said that technology could have been utilised to grant the right to vote to overseas Pakistanis through internet voting (i-voting) as well as bring improvements in the electoral process through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
\nHe regretted that i-voting and EVMs could not be introduced due to vested interests.
\nHe also spoke about the suspension of social media site X services in the country, saying the blockage of social media websites in Pakistan was due to the lack of intellectual capacity to handle criticism.
\nLast week, PTI leaders held a meeting with President Dr Arif Alvi and briefed him on the alleged irregularities during the February 8 general elections.
\nAccording to a statement issued by the president\u2019s office, PTI leaders Raoof Hassan and Umair Niazi apprised the president about the alleged irregularities during the February 8 polls.
\nWithout directly addressing the rigging allegations being raised by political parties, the president had said that the country would have been spared the ongoing crisis if the EVMs had been used during the February 8 general elections.
\nThe political parties \u2014 PTI, JUI-F, JI and other nationalist parties \u2014 have been holding sporadic protests in different parts of the country against alleged rigging and irregularities in the polls.
\nThe PTI-backed independent candidates took the lead with 92 seats in the recently held general elections followed by PML-N and PPP.
\nThe elections were marred by allegations of rigging and the inordinate delay in the results that raised questions over the poll\u2019s transparency.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
President also expresses concern over \u201cslow decision-making and lack of leadership in the country\u201d ISLAMABAD As political parties mainly the Imran Khan founding Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest against alleged rigging in the February 8 polls, President Arif Alvi has called for respecting the people\u2019s mandate and enhancing political inclusion. Addressing a ceremony in Islamabad on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":388100,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-388130","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n