President Asif Ali Zardari said on Sunday the government was on the right track and expressed confidence that the country would become strong, self-sufficient and prosperous. Addressing participants of a function held at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, Zardari said Pakistan had a bright future, adding that the government had effectively faced challenges and had made progress in all sectors.
“I promise the nation today that I will follow the vision of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto and will turn Pakistan into a strong and self-reliant state,” the president said. Zardari said he was confident that measures taken by the government would help the country overcome its challenges such as the power crisis. He urged political forces and intellectuals to come forward and engage in dialogue with the government.
He lauded contributions of youth for the progress and prosperity of the country and said they were Pakistan’s real future. The president said Pakistan had traveled a long way and a new era of development had now begun. He praised efforts of parliamentarians to strengthen democratic institutions in the country despite various challenges. The president said empowering people of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) by providing them political rights and amendments in the Frontier Crime Regulations (FCR) were major achievements of the government.
He also thanked the international community for its support and cooperation. “We are not looking for short-cuts and are trying to achieve progress and prosperity through a strong democratic system,” he said.