ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi has stressed upon the nation to renew its journey of transforming Pakistan into a peaceful, prosperous, and welfare Islamic state on the basis of golden Islamic democratic tenets.
Felicitating the Pakistani nation and the international community on the arrival of the new year 2023, the president prayed for the peace, progress and prosperity of the motherland, the entire Muslim Ummah, and the world.
The president while recollecting the past year’s challenges confronted by the Pakistani nation including Covid-19 pandemic and floods, said that they had surmounted all those issues by virtue of their hard work, valour, sacrifices, resolve, and determination.
After containing the Covid-19 pandemic, huge areas of Pakistan were inundated by historic floods, he said, adding that during the floods, he had undertaken visits to the affected areas and reviewed the losses. In those areas, he also met with the flood affected people and heard their issues, besides everywhere, he witnessed ordeals and the damages.
President for accelerated engagements, cooperation with Norway in diverse sectors
The president said that he not only came across such a vast devastation, but also witnessed the determination, sacrifices, unity, patriotism, and resolve of the nation.
The country was being faced with host of challenges such as economic, political instability, law and order, rising specter of terrorism, climate change, poverty, and the increasing population, the president said.
In the new year, the nation, in unison, has to set its priorities to overcome these problems.
“We have to work with national solidarity, unity, discipline, continuous struggle, passion and devotion for making Pakistan, a prosperous, developed, democratic and stronger country,” he added.
The president said that the new year also required that they should ensure enhanced efficacy and performance of the democratic institutions for a stronger and stable Pakistan.
He also stressed upon the need of capacity building of the institutions and entities by introducing reforms in the relevant laws and rules, adding for the national development, all the stakeholders have to take the practical steps for upholding the constitution, ensuring provision of justice, transparency, capacity building, meritocracy, and resolution of the public grievances.
The president also called upon acceleration of efforts for complete rehabilitation of the flood affected people and for bringing the weaker segments of society out of poverty.
A society could not be completed and established without the inclusion of persons with disabilities and womenfolk in the mainstream of business and other social activities, he added.
The president also underpinned adoption of habits to conserve and utilise the natural resources and energy with responsibility and emphasised upon the need of focusing on development of human resources and education.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022