Reiterating his stance on political reconciliation for the continuity of democratic process, President Asif Ali Zardari has called on the nation to defeat the negative mindset to save the country. Addressing the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly in Peshawar on Monday‚ the president said the democratic process was progressing due to sacrifices rendered by political workers and the armed forces. President Zardari is the first elected president who addressed the provincial assembly session on an invitation by the chief minister and assembly speaker. The president said completion of five years by the present assemblies was a tribute to the maturity of parliamentarians and politicians, who demonstrated tolerance and accommodation. He said democracy came through an evolution and the country needed to practise democracy. Connecting the country’s prosperity, socio-economic development with the democracy, he said the continuation of the democratic process was need to save the country and strengthen institutions, for which tolerance and reconciliation was desirable. “The reconciliation policy, maturity and patience are desirable to strengthen democracy. It was our reconciliation policy with Nawaz Sharif that compelled a dictator to leave the government,” he said. Zardari said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had the necessary potential to develop and prosper as it was bestowed with natural resources like oil and gas‚ copper and chromite. He said the province was once an abode of peace where there was no theft or robbery,
“but today the situation has changed due to negative thinking and the law and order is hampering the development of the province”.
Appreciating the sacrifices rendered by the people of KP in the war on terror, he said it was the sacrifices of the people, police and provincial government that allowed democracy to move forward. The president added that this extremist ideology had destroyed the traditions of the KP and the people of the province needed to fight against it. The president asked Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to prepare its police to take up the challenge of security, as the army could not remain there forever.
He said parliament had been strengthened and they frustrated attempts to create space and separate Pakistan’s provinces. The president added that provinces had been given their due rights under this government. President Zardari said his policy of taking all forces and federating units along had given a sense of participation to the people of Pakistan in the affairs of the state. He said the government gave NFC Award and empowered parliament and the provinces.
The president said he pursued the policy of reconciliation and voluntarily handed over his powers to the parliament to strengthen internal harmony. He said the country could not be harmed by external forces if it was united and strong. He said he strongly believed that the federation would become stronger if the provinces were strong and stable. Zardari also condemned the attack on the caravan of former JI chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad. He prayed and hoped that future generations of Pakistan would continue on the path of democracy, as this was in the interest of the country and the rest of the world.
Zardari said he was very happy to visit to Pakhtunkhwa soil and thanked the provincial chief minister, ministers and speakers for inviting him. Earlier in the day, the president attended a meeting on FATA reforms and was briefed on law and order and development projects in FATA. Participants of the meeting said a special package would be announced for the families affected by terrorism and proposed setting up a medical college and IT university in the Tribal Areas. The president also performed earth-breaking ceremony of Torkham-Peshawar Road extension project, which would be completed in two years at a cost of Rs 5.90 billion.
