President Alvi calls for dialogue to end political polarisation

ISLAMABAD: President Arif Alvi on Thursday called for ending political polarisation in the country and suggested that the political parties sit across the table and decide a date for fresh elections in the country.

“This is the election year, but holding elections is a political decision and I feel that to get the nation out of this state of agitation, it is necessary that politicians sit together and decide the date of election. There is a political disagreement on this issue for over a few months, the solution of which can be found through mutual consultations,” he said in his address to the joint sitting of both the houses of parliament to kick off the Fifth Parliamentary Year of the National Assembly.

Treasury and opposition members left the house in the middle of president’s speech. Speaker National Assembly Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, along with Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani, chaired the joint sitting.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif did not attend the joint sitting. Opposition Leader Raja Riaz came to the House but left after registering protest against the president and on absence of Ali Wazir from the House.

Thursday saw both the government and opposition on one page. There were 123 members in the House at the start of the presidential address. However, all walked out of the House after a soft protest, leaving only 14 parliamentarians behind, including BAP Senator Sarfraz Bugti, Senator Anwarul Haq Kakar, Ghaus Bukhsh Mehar and Ms Saira Bano of GDA, Riaz Mazari, Dr Afzal Dhandla, Kishwar Zehra, Syeda Wajhia Qamar, Javeria Qamar and Naseema Shah.

Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Raja Riaz protested against the president’s address, asking why he came to address a House that he had dissolved illegally in April. Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif also protested on the same lines and asked why the president had come to address the assembly that he had dissolved illegally this year.

Senator Mushtaq Ahmed of Jamaat-e-Islami raised his voice for the jailed MNA Ali Wazir and asked why he was not brought from Karachi to attend the session.

Later, Abdul Akbar Chitrali, Moshin Dawar and Senator Tahir Bizanjo also joined Senator Mushtaq and picketed Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf’s dais for not issuing Ali Wazir’s production orders.

The president reiterated that free and fair elections remain in demand, suggesting the adoption of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to ensure transparency in the electoral process. “How will Pakistan stabilise, if every election is challenged?” he questioned, adding that polarisation should be addressed because this was the year of elections.

Amid the country’s growing political instability, President Alvi stressed on the need for dialogue and urged to end polarisation. “Polarisation doesn’t end with stubbornness,” he remarked, insisting on granting voting rights to overseas Pakistanis. “Overseas Pakistanis have the right to vote and they should be granted this right, as they work hard,” he said.

At the outset of his address, President Alvi spoke about the nation’s most pressing issue — the catastrophic floods across the provinces, which have claimed over 1,700 lives so far. “The flood damaged our crops and Pakistan should pay attention to crop insurance, as it will help us get international aid and deal with the challenges,” Alvi said.

He stated: “Agriculture is the backbone of Pakistan’s economy and to improve the sector, it is important that we look at nations which can provide us with technical support in this regard. “We must learn from a nation like the Netherlands, which is 19% smaller than Pakistan but is the second biggest exporter of food in the world.”

He also lauded the nation for standing up against terrorism and spoke about Pakistan getting out of the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) grey list. Speaking on Pakistan’s agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the president said: “We had a suitable agreement with the Washington-based lender.”

He added that political stability was crucial amid the sky-high inflation. Commenting on the efforts put in to evacuate the flood victims, the president said: “I would like to congratulate Pakistan’s armed forces who helped the flood-hit population despite challenges. I would also like to extend my gratitude to provincial governments, the federal government, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for their efforts to help the victims.”

The president added that if the support had not been extended on a timely basis, it would have caused more human and economic losses. The president also pointed out the need for building dams given the situation of the recent floods in the country.

Speaking about the state of education in the country, President Alvi emphasised on the inclusion of out-of-school children. “Members of Parliament must focus on this. I have spoken to Ulema (clerics) that mosques should have sessions to provide school education. If you can’t provide education to children, impart some skills,” the president insisted.

He also underlined the significance of online education and to utilise it for instilling knowledge among the younger generation. “There are good educational institutions that can help with this initiative,” the president remarked, as he stressed building a mechanism for the provision of employment to the masses.

The president also underscored the need for children to be prepared for the future by building their skills in the field of science and technology. “Several smaller countries are ahead of Pakistan in cyber power, while our policies are weak in this respect,” he said.

Commenting on the state of Islamophobia in India, the president said that the country was “playing with fire.” “The United Nations, Pakistan, and friendly nations worked [against] Islamophobia,” he said.

Speaking about corruption, the president said it could be controlled. Pointing at the need for unity reiterated by Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, President Alvi insisted that there should be unity among leaders. “Unity is needed to end polarisation,” he maintained.

Commenting on the issue of audio tape leaks, the president said that he had never heard of audio and video leaks in his life. “Investigation of audio leaks is a good step by the government,” he said.

“Media freedom is crucial for freedom of democracy,” he said, adding that the world is worried due to fake news. The president said that shutting down social media causes financial damage. “Wars are now being fought in the cyber world,” he said.

The president said that the Kashmir issue should be resolved through the UN resolutions. “We always stand with Kashmiris and will always do so,” he said. He also commented on the state of regional peace and relations with neighbouring countries, saying that Pakistan wants peace in Afghanistan.

“Pakistan has been hosting the Afghan refugees for three decades. We want a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, and it is better that a broad-based government is established in the country,” he said.

The president added that Pakistan and China relations were exemplary and deep. The president reminded the parliament that Saudi Arabia, whenever needed, always helped Pakistan and also said that relations with the US and Europe were beneficial for Pakistan.

He also lauded the nation for standing up against terrorism and spoke about Pakistan getting out of the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) grey list. “The way we tackled Covid-19 should also be praised. Our neighbours suffered huge damage due to Covid but we didn’t,” the president said. The president lauded PTI’s health card initiative, terming it a “good step”. “Today, a woman can open an account while sitting at home,” he said, adding that society is safe.