ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Tuesday rejected speculations about any delay in elections, saying that he strongly believed that the polls would be held on time.
The president, talking to a delegation of the Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE) here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, said the timely elections would pave the way for improving the political and economic situation of the country.
On this occasion President CPNE Kazam Khan, Sr. Vice President Ayaz Khan, Secretary General Aamer Mahmood, Deputy Secretary General Yousaf Nizami, Vice Presidents Dr. Jabbar Khattak, Irshad Ahmed Arif, Tahir Farooq, Arif Baloch, Finance Secretary Ghulam Nabi Chandio, Information Secretary Dr. Zubair Mehmood, Joint Secretaries Maqsood Yousufi, Zia Tanoli, Mumtaz Ahmed Sadiq, Yahya Khan Saduzai, Senior Members Aijaz-ul-Haq, Sardar Khan Niazi, Hamid Hussain Abidi, Muhammad Haider Amin, Khalil-ur-Rehman, Abdul Khalique Ali, Zulfiqar Ahmed Rahat, Muhammad Owais Raazi, Tanveer Shaukat, Sher Muhammad Khuhawar, Waqas Tariq Farooq, Sajjad Abbasi, Muhammad Akmal Chohan, Tazeen Akhter, Mehmood Alam Khalid, Fazl-e-Haq, Syed Safeer Hussain Shah, Qaswar Jameel Roohani, Munazah Seham and Bilqees Jehan were also presented.
President Alvi emphasised the need for upholding the Constitution as the country’s history had proven that the delay in elections had harmed democracy.
Referring to his meeting with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Haji Ghulam Ali earlier in the day, the president said the KP governor was a democratic person and he had encouraged him to fix a date for elections in accordance with the Constitution and the order of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
He said he had been playing his constitutional role and his decisions had also been affirmed by the apex court. He added that timely elections would pave the way for improving the political and economic situation of the country. He also emphasized the need for upholding the Constitution of Pakistan as our history had proven that delay in elections had caused harm to democracy.
He also mentioned that he had good working relations with the government.
While talking about the prevailing economic situation of the country, the President said that he was of the firm opinion that Pakistan would not default, adding that better and effective financial management could help overcome the economic difficulties faced by the country.
The President said that he was against corruption as Pakistan had badly been damaged by it, and therefore, he returned the NAB Amendment Bill to the Parliament. He regretted that delayed decision-making, violation of merit, nepotism and corruption had caused immense damage to Pakistan.
The President urged the media to educate the people by providing truthful and responsible analysis and opinions. He stated that despite the rise of new media, print media was still playing a vital role in shaping people’s opinions and informing them about important issues.
The President emphasized the need for upholding the freedom of speech in Pakistan. President Alvi said he had been playing his role to reduce differences and promote reconciliation among the political parties. He was willing to meet any person or political party for the sake of the country, he added.
The president remarked that he had also asked the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leadership to negotiate with other political parties. He also mentioned that he had good working relations with the government.
Talking about the prevailing economic situation of the country, President Alvi said he was of the firm opinion that Pakistan would not default as better and effective financial management could help overcome the economic difficulties. He said he was against corruption as it had badly damaged and that was why he returned the National Accountability Bureau Amendment Bill to the parliament.
He regretted that delayed decision-making, violation of merit, nepotism, and corruption had caused immense damage to Pakistan. He urged the media to educate the people by providing truthful and responsible analyses and opinions.
He stated that despite the rise of new media, print media was still playing a vital role in shaping people’s opinions and informing them about important issues. The president emphasised the need for upholding the freedom of speech in Pakistan.
