ISLAMABAD, March 23: President Pervez Musharraf on Sunday expressed the hope that new governments at the centre and in provinces would work for political stability.

Addressing a Pakistan Day parade, he said he was prepared to work with the new government and would extend it full support.

He said that an era of genuine democracy had begun and the new government would work for sustained economic development and combat extremism and terrorism.

He said a three-phase programme initiated eight years ago was now nearing completion with the formation of new governments in place both at the centre and in the provinces.

“We laid the foundation of real democracy in the past eight years and put Pakistan on the path of progress and development,” he said.

He said the governments to be in place in few days would work to put Pakistan on the road to progress and prosperity.

The president lauded the caretaker government and the Election Commission for holding free, fair, transparent and impartial elections on Feb 18.

He appreciated the role of law-enforcement agencies in ensuring peaceful polls.

He said Pakistan did not have any aggressive designs against anyone and its military strategy was based on defensive deterrence. But, he said, defence and security could be attained through strength and not through weakness.

“The nation should be proud of the fact that their army was among the best in the world.”

He said that the Pakistan Army was not only a guardian of the country’s geographical borders, but had also protected the people whenever the need arose. Be it the devastation caused by the earthquake, ravaging floods or the gigantic task of reconstruction in the most difficult of terrain, or war against terrorism, the army always rose to the occasion.

Greeting the nation on Pakistan Day, he said: “Our thoughts go back to 1940 when under the leadership of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah the Pakistan Resolution was passed at the Minto Park and led to the independence of Pakistan seven years later.”

President Pervez Musharraf took the salute and reviewed the parade. Caretaker Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro, chairman Joint Chiefs of the Staff Committee and services chiefs were present on the occasion.

The parade was followed by a scintillating fly-past by PAF’s combat aircraft led by Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mehmood Ahmed.

JF-17 thunder aircraft, a symbol of Pakistan-China friendship, participated in the fly-past.

The missiles displayed at the parade included Hatf-II (Abdali), Hatf-III (Ghaznavi), Hatf-IV (Shaheen-1), Hatf-V (Ghauri), Hatf-VI (Shaheen-6), Babar Cruise and Raad.

Helicopters of the army aviation including Cobra (gunship helicopters) Ecurecuil, Bell-412, MI-17 and Puma also took part in the fly-past.

An aerobatic display by PAF Sherdil team was also another feature of the parade.

The parade was rounded off with a scintillating display of free fall from a height of 10,000 feet by paratroopers of the Special Service Group of Army, Navy and PAF.

GOC Special Service Group Maj-Gen Tahir Mahmood led the para-jump.