President Arif Alvi has called upon political parties to sit together and take steps to end political polarisation in the country saying that only free and fair elections can bring stability to the country.
He said this while addressing a joint session of parliament in which he touched upon a range of issues including devastating floods, foreign policy, and political and economic instability among others.
“There is an urgent need for ending political polarisation in the country. Politicians should sit together and take steps to end polarisation,” he remarked.
Alvi also emphasised the need for using electronic voting machines (EVMs) to ensure transparency in the elections.
“How will stability come when a losing party or candidate hurl rigging allegations? Progress should be made on this matter [EVM] instead of lingering it on,” he added.
Highlighting the importance of remittances, President Alvi called for giving overseas Pakistanis right to vote through EVM.
He urged the political parties to hold a dialogue to decide the election date. “If there is a difference of only a few months then [all parties] should sit together and decide the election date.”
The president said he could only give his opinion to his “friends” on the matter of holding elections, asserting that ending the polarisation is the need of the hour.
Foreign policy
Speaking about foreign policy, President Alvi appreciated the government’s efforts to improve ties with US and European countries.
“Pakistan-America ties are improving and they will continue to improve. We should maintain ties on the basis of mutual understanding. I appreciate the government’s efforts in this regard.”
Maintaining ties with the West, the president said, is vital for the country’s economy as Pakistan’s top export destinations are the US and Europe.
Hailing Pakistan-China ties, Alvi said CPEC is a testament to strong ties between the two countries.
He also thanked Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for extending economic support to Pakistan, saying both countries have always helped Pakistan during difficult times.
He went on to say that Pakistan wanted peace in Afghanistan and hope that the interim Taliban government would fulfil its international obligations and would not let its territory be used against any country.
“We hope that there should be no mutual interference in the internal matters.”
The president called for resolving the Kashmir dispute in line with the UN resolutions and expressed concerns over the Hindutva policies of the Modi-led government.
“Hindutva is increasing hatred against the Muslim and exporting Islamophobia to other parts of the world.”
More to come…
Source link: https://tribune.com.pk/story/2380461/only-free-and-fair-election-can-end-political-polarisation-alvi