Nation stands united against terrorism: President Mamnoon Hussain

ISLAMABAD: President Mamnoon Hussain while addressing the joint session of the two Houses of the Parliament today said that Pakistan will continue the fight against terrorism till elimination of the last terrorist.

He went on to say that the nation stands united on the issue of flushing out terrorists at all costs.

The president paid rich tributes to the martyrs who sacrificed their ‘today for the betterment of our tomorrow’ and assured their heirs that the nation will never forget their sacrifices.

He further said that the terrorists are targeting different sects of Muslims and minorities in different parts of the country including Balochistan and tribal areas. He said all the people belonging to different sects as well as minorities are equal citizens of Pakistan and they will be protected.

He praised the Parliament for its tremendous performance during the last two years and said it worked hard not only for legislation but making decisions to bring positive change in the lives of the people.

Appreciating the steps taken by the government for the return and rehabilitation of internally displaced persons, the president urged the government to pay more attention on the rehabilitation of the IDPs from North Waziristan.

Mamnoon Hussain said the steps taken by the government have brought about sea change in Balochistan, Karachi and other areas of the country.

Referring to the emerging opportunities in the country, Mamnoon Hussain said Pakistan China Economic Corridor project is an important project which needs sincere efforts to make it a success for the overall socio-economic uplift of all areas of the country.

He lauded the consensus exhibited by the political leadership on the mega project. He urged the political leadership to remain vigilant against those who have threatened to stoke terrorism in the country in order to sabotage Pakistan-China corridor.

The President praised the Parliament for its tremendous performance during the last two years and said it worked hard not only for legislation but making decisions to bring positive change in the lives of the people. He also appreciated the Parliament for adopting the National Action Plan to root out terrorism.

Acknowledging the government's concrete policies for revival of economy, the President expressed the confidence that the economy will further strengthen in the time to come which will help improve the socio economic condition of the masses.

He pointed out that record reduction in interest rate will help generate economic activity in the country.

He said surge in foreign exchange reserves, remittances and foreign investment including 45 billion dollars committed by China for the economic corridor are the major hallmarks of the government.

He added that despite economic constraints, the government continued to extend assistance to low income groups besides granting loans to the farmers and youth. He said laptop schemes will help further promote education and research in the country.

The president appealed the government to allocate more resources for education sector in the upcoming budget as resolution of all problems lie in promotion of this vital sector. He suggested the primary education be handed over to women which will not only help improve the standard of education but also create more job opportunities for women.

The president also proposed the government to widen the tax base for enhancing national income and adopt a concrete policy to plug corruption.

He appreciated the government for adhering to the policy of austerity and diverting the resources towards expeditious development of under developed areas including Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan and the tribal areas.

Mamnoon Hussain while referring to proposed Pakistan-China Economic Corridor project said it will lead to prosperity and socio-economic development of the country besides providing job opportunities to the millions of people. He said this corridor will also help generate over 10,000 megawatt of electricity through various resources that will help overcome power crisis by 2018.

He lauded the efforts made by the government to generate more electricity from multiple sources including coal, gas, wind, solar and nuclear to overcome the energy crisis. He said the government should also focus on overcoming line losses in the power sector by improving the transmission system.

He expressed satisfaction that the private sector has also come forward to play its due in generating electricity. He also lauded the government for launching work on Dasu and Diamer Basha dam which will help reduce load shedding on their completion. He however, emphasised for focussing more attention on the construction of small and big dams with consensus to cope with the water crisis.

Mamnoon Hussain said Pakistan is a peace loving country and intends to have friendly relations with its neighbours on the basis of equality and mutual respect.

He said “better relations with Afghanistan are a result of our good intentions that led a new era of friendship with that country.” He hoped this beginning will lead to long lasting peace and stability in the region besides opening new avenues of cooperation.

The president said friendly relations with India on the basis of mutual confidence and cooperation are our priority but “we want that India must take steps to resolve the Kashmir issue according to the UN resolutions and aspirations of Kashmiri people to provide solid ground for peace in the region.”

He said India without reason suspended dialogue process with Pakistan but “we understand that the resolution of issues between the two countries is possible only through dialogue.” Therefore, he called upon India to resume the dialogue process with sincerity and good intention for long last peace in South Asia.

Referring to relations with Islamic countries, the president said Pakistan played a leading role to resolve the Yemen issue and hoped that the situation in that country will improve gradually. He said Pakistan enjoys very cordial and brotherly relations with all Islamic countries particularly with Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Iran and these relations are further expanding.

Mamnoon Hussain said Pakistan and China have very cordial and friendly relations since six decades and the recent visit of the Chinese President will open new vistas of mutual cooperation and give a new dimension to these relations. He said “we have special relations with the US which are based on mutual respect and confidence.” He said both the countries are partners in the war against terrorism and this cooperation is of vital importance by bringing peace and stability in the globe. He said “we have also multi-dimensional relations with the European Union (EU) countries while Pakistan is working to expand its relations with Russia and exploring for new avenues of cooperation with it.”

The president said Pakistan has embarked on a foreign policy focussed on expanding trade relations with other countries and new doors of cooperation have been opened with Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Belarus and Nigeria.

He expressed satisfaction over pleasant relations between federation and the provinces and hoped that cooperation will lead to further strengthening of democracy and improving national economy.

He stressed the need to focus on health, sanitation and environment besides education which will definitely help improving social conditions.

The president's address to the Parliament's joint sitting marks the advent of third parliamentary year of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) government.

The presidential address to the joint parliamentary session at the advent of a new parliamentary year is mandatory under the Constitution.