PRESIDENT’S address to the joint sitting of Parliament at the beginning of the new parliamentary year is generally considered as a formality but the issues and points highlighted by Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday made it worth listening as it was an effort to stimulate thinking of the parliamentarians as well as people of Pakistan for making due contribution to the task of nation-building. It was not just a traditional address but a realistic one as it took stock of achievements of the Government during the last two years, challenges facing the country and how to proceed ahead.
The opposition, which staged a walk out after making hue and cry at the outset of the speech, has its own grievances against the Government and that is why it believed the address has no value but the fact remains the President raised issues and gave advice on matters that are of fundamental interest to every Pakistani. There is no doubt that the nation and institutions are united against corruption but, of course, the impression of lop-sided accountability needs to be rectified. This is because corruption is the only issue that has constantly attracted attention of the top leadership of the ruling party before and after assumption of power and we cannot afford people becoming weary of the process because of wrong handling as has been highlighted by the highest judicial forum of the country. The President has rightly emphasized that there should be no hurdle in the way of process of progress and development. We too have been emphasizing in these columns that the vicious circle of leg-pulling of every elected government should be stopped for the sake of the country as it prevents practical realization of even good and welfare-oriented policies and programmes of the Government. People are the ultimate sufferers of the continued instability and uncertainty and, therefore, mandate of the people should be respected in letter and spirit not just by the opposition but also the Government. It is also duty and responsibility of the Government to create a conducive atmosphere for carrying forward the process of progress and development smoothly. This calls for enlisting cooperation of the opposition and ensuring working relationship, which is not the case at the moment as was also reflected in the decision of the opposition to boycott the address of the President.
Dr Alvi, while enumerating achievements of the Government during the last two years, referred to squeezing of the current account deficit from 20 to just three billion because of measures adopted by the authorities concerned; successful fight against the menace of terrorism; continued hosting of a large number of Afghan refugees at a time when many members of the civilized world were reluctant to entertain even a handful of migrants; success of the Government’s strategy to handle the Coronavirus pandemic; relevance of Ehsaas programme in providing genuine relief to the people during peak of virus; and strong position adopted on the issue of Kashmir. He was of the view that the economy would have improved further had there been no Coronavirus, which drained national resources and forced change of priorities. The challenges that the President has pinpointed during his address need undivided attention of the Government as these are affecting the lives of the people and proving as stumbling block in national development. PTI was deadly against the increasing burden of foreign loans but these have increased further during its tenure and, therefore, the authorities should listen to the President when it calls for tangible measures to tackle the issue. Similarly, smuggling and issues facing the power sector also need to be addressed on a priority basis as these have made life of the people miserable as we are experiencing these days when prices of sugar and wheat are sky-rocketing mainly due to smuggling and hoarding. The seriousness of the Government to address problems facing the power sector is reflected by conclusion of a new deal with Independent Power Producers (IPPs) that is expected to help bring down the increasing power tariff. Prime Minister Imran Khan has also pledged to resolve the issues of line losses and worn out transmission and distribution system and that is what the President too has emphasized. In the backdrop of rumours of some misunderstanding with the brotherly country of Saudi Arabia, the President’s affirmation that friendship with the Kingdom would be strengthened further is surely reassuring for people of Pakistan. The address of the President forms a good basis for parliamentarians to hold meaningful debate on its various aspects and come out with suggestions to improve governance, resolve problems of the masses and address serious challenges facing the country.
