ISLAMABAD, April 6: President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Saturday told country’s District Nazims and Naib Nazims that he wanted to establish harmonious, stable and true democratic system in the country.

Addressing the District Nazims, Naib Nazims and District Coordination Officers (DCOs) from all over the country here this afternoon the president said we should get rid of politics of personal vendetta that had been exercised by the past political governments.

“People have high hopes and are expecting a real change from the past. If the continuity of the present economic, administrative and political reforms is not ensured, it will disrupt the political system,” he said.

President Musharraf said the people were looking forward to a change for the better in October, 2002 elections.

The president said that he could have opted to go in for the easiest course of getting himself declared president through PCO but he chose to go to the people of Pakistan so that there should be harmony between the president, the cabinet and the assemblies.

He said the forthcoming referendum would bring about political and economic stability in the country. “It would pave the way for the establishment of a functional, democratic and proactive system of governance in the country which would remain in place for the generations to come.”

The president hoped that everybody would work to consolidate the foundations of the system so that no adventurer in future could destabilize the national policy.

The president said he was not against any political party and whichever party comes in the assemblies, he would have no problem with it.

“My real concern is the harmony between all the limbs of the parliament. When they would work in harmony, the roots of democracy will be stronger,” he said

The president dispelled the impression that he carried any grudge against Nawaz Sharif or Benazir Bhutto.

Explaining his choice for taking up the difficult course, the president said that he firmly believed in giving first priority to Pakistan.

He assured the public representatives that nobody could change or reverse the reforms that have been introduced so far.

He directed the Nazims to ensure that the polling stations are set up at the nearest places causing as little inconvenience to the people as possible who intend to cast their vote in the referendum.

He urged them to work for the betterment of the poor and deprived people of Pakistan.

“Look downward and not upward. You have been elected through party- less election so that you need not see towards party leadership. You should take your own decisions for the betterment of the people of Pakistan,” he said.

He said it would hurt him if the elected representatives of local governments would work in self-interest or in the interest of any political party instead of keeping national interest supreme.

The president disclosed that he would undertake visits to different parts of the country to face the people.

He said, he would also visit Sindh and inform the people about the water shortage crises in the country. He said, the scarcity of water was faced not only by Sindh but by all the provinces.

“It is the question of perception. We can say the glass is half empty or we can also say that the glass is half-filled with water”, the president said and added that the government has taken all possible steps to overcome this problem.

He assured the people of Sindh that the people of Punjab have displayed magnanimity by offering share of their water to Sindh. He urged the Nazims to educate and inform the people about the true facts about the water crises.—APP