President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday vowed to retrieve the country from various challenges including economic and security through home-grown strategies and by following the policy of reconciliation and dialogue. The President was addressing the Pakistani community here, after he arrived in Tokyo to attend the Friends of Democratic Pakistan (FODP) ministerial meeting and the donors conference being hosted by Japan.
He said whenever the PPP came into power it had to confront with different problems, but the party always faced the situation with great courage and took the country on forward path by converting the weaknesses into strength. The President said the present PPP government despite the economic crisis it inherited from the previous regime conceived and implemented a home-grown strategy to save the country from the massive impact of global recession.
He said the PPP government also engaged the world community to get them realise the problems faced by Pakistan, a front-line state in the fight against terrorism, and help the country. The President said the concept of FODP initiative, launched by him in New York in September, was also part of this engagement which was aimed at helping Pakistan and the region, facing the menace of terrorism and militancy which could affect the peace of whole world.
"As todays world has turned into a globe, no country can avoid the impact of any happening in any part," he added. The President said there was a growing sense of realisation in the world about the problems faced by the Muslim world, adding, whereas the Muslim countries were also alive of the situation and were striving to present the true image of Islam before the world contrary to what was being portrayed by the extremist elements.
He said as Islam is a religion of peace, tolerance, brotherhood and harmony, the forces who are portraying Islam in a wrong way by following the path of aggression, will face defeat. The President said with this approach the present government was talking to the world, telling them that the majority of people in Pakistan including in the tribal areas were moderate and peace- loving.
"If the people in Wana vote for PPP candidates, it gives a message that if they cannot fight (with the militants) they can express their opinion by giving vote to moderate elements," he said. Referring to the peace agreement with Malakand Division (Swat), the President said that is not a Shariat Bill rather Nizam- e-Adl Regulation - an agreement negotiated and reached between the provincial government and local people in Swat.
He said the regulation is aimed at providing speedy justice to the people of that area, which had their own views and opinion about resolving the problems faced by the people in that area.
The President, however, added that now with this regulation in place, the people with whom the provincial government has reached the agreement are responsible for the establishment of peace in Malakand. He further said that this agreement should not be taken as a weakness of the government or the state, rather is meant to resolve the issues through the policy of dialogue and reconciliation, which is hallmark of the PPP.
"We talk about dialogue in Balochistan, in Wana and in the whole of Pakistan, as Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto also talked of reconciliation in her last book." The President said the PPP government wanted to get the world realise that the issues can be resolved through dialogue and in this way defeating those elements who want clash of civilisations.
He referred to the PPP governments engagement with the world community to resolve the issues amicably and said it is always democratic dispensation which believes in dialogue and development for the benefit of people and country instead of individual benefits by the dictators. The President said the PPP government wants strengthening of institutions, poverty alleviation, as well as tackling all other challenges, adding, the FODP ministerial meeting is expected to come up with effective support from the international community for the democratic Pakistan.
He also referred to the appointment of special envoys for Pakistan by the major countries and it was a positive development and will help Pakistan get much needed assistance support for development and progress. "Our spirits are high. We have never accepted defeat and will Insha Allah take the country out of various challenges."