President Asif Ali Zardari urged political parties to concentrate on serving people rather than indulging in political rhetoric.
The president was addressing a ceremony to mark resumption of work on Lyari Expressway on Thursday. He said that there existed a dire need to forge national harmony and to strive for improving the living standards of the poor and peasants.
He said that the ‘policy of reconciliation’ conceived by Shaheed Benazir Bhutto had become a buzzword not only in Pakistan but also in regional and global politics. He said that Lyari Expressway was a model of reconciliation as its construction was not possible without explicit support of the MQM.
President said that to cater for future trade volumes, two sea ports were not enough and Pakistan needed atleast five sea ports in the medium term.
President lauded that Sindh PPP and MQM for cooperation on all matters during the last four and a half years despite attempts create rifts between the two parties. He said that the two parties realized that their confrontation could harm not only economic interests of Karachi but also those of entire Pakistan.
KBD detrimental for federation: Federal Minister for National Regulation Services Firdous Ashiq Awan has said that starting the Kalabagh Dam (KBD) project and any similar project would be detrimental to the federation.
Addressing a press conference at the National Press Club of Karachi on Friday, she said any decision to build the KBD would never be accepted, as “dams would exist only if Pakistan did”.
She deliberated that the issue was raised by some miscreants who were trying to create trouble in the name of Nationalism, National identity, warning that the Nationalism of such elements was not worth than existence of Pakistan itself.
On the occasion, she also announced that a crackdown against licensed medical stores, and the National Drug Regulatory Authority (NDRA) would become active starting first term of 2013, according to which 585 pharma companies would be renewing their licenses: while herbal and homeopathic stores would also be gradually brought in the regulation mainstream.
She also termed lack of evolving newer institutions as one of the biggest challenge, which the PPP- led government was trying to achieve.
“One such institution is the NDRA, which would strengthen until the forthcoming general elections”, she deliberated.
