ISLAMABAD: President Asif Zardari addressed a joint sitting of the National Assembly and Senate on Saturday amid shouts of protest from opposition members of the house.
The president, who chose to speak in English rather than in Urdu, said Pakistan had achieved a new milestone in democracy. He was referring to his fifth address to a joint sitting of the National Assembly and Senate.
“The world can see that the march of democracy goes on,” said Zardari.
Amid shouts of slogans by the opposition benches, the president praised the government’s achievements. Opposition lawmakers shouted insults through much of the first half of the address, accusing the government of “looting and plundering”.
“Please maintain the sanctity of the House,” pleaded speaker Fehmida Mirza, as her cries fell on deaf ears.
Opposition members shortly walked out of the House as President Zardari detailed the milestones his administration had achieved.
General Elections
Zardari vowed that general elections would be held in a free and fair manner during the new parliamentary year.
“We are starting a new parliamentary year. During this period, we will see free and fair election,” he said, adding that legislation had been made to “make the democracy more transparent and ensure that the elections are fair and free”.
Militancy
The president also boasted of gains in the country’s war on militants, saying efforts to counter militancy and extremism in the country had begun to pay off and the situation had improved.
“Where necessary, we have used force to ensure that the writ of the state is not challenged. We will continue to show resolve on this issue,” he added.
He further said the country faced the threat of militancy and extremism and its forces, police and civilians had been attacked and martyred, but the country’s offensives against militants were “bearing fruit.”
Balochistan
The president said the government in the last four years took special measures to develop the province and ensured the rights of the people living there.
He said: “The government has taken special measures to develop Balochistan, end its sense of deprivation and bring it at par with other provinces.”
“This year the share of Balochistan in the new NFC has been more than doubled from Rs 43 billion to Rs 93 billion,” he added.
Economy
“Over the last four years the elected government took difficult decisions to get out of a threatening situation, maintain economic stability,” he said.
Speaking about the economic conditions in which his administration had taken charge of the government, the president delved into a detail of economic numbers and figures.
“We have maintained stability. And we are beginning to show stronger growth of the economy.”
Talking of the power crises, he said the government was fully aware of the hardship being faced by people, and that the government had started work on power projects like Bhasha Dam Project to address these issues.
“In spite of all the difficulties, the economy will grow by four per cent in 2012,” he added.
Record fifth presidential address
President Zardari became the first Pakistani head of state to deliver a record fifth address to the Parliament after successfully persuading the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) to step back from its threat to disrupt the session.
The one-day joint sitting met a constitutional obligation for a presidential address at the start of the new parliamentary year while another joint sitting is expected to be convened next week to review strategic relationship with the United States in light of recommendations of a parliamentary committee on national security.
Before the commencement of the parliamentary session and the president’s address, the government held a joint meeting with the coalition parties, presided by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani. The meeting was attended by members of the MQM, Awami National Party (ANP), Pakistan Muslim League - Quaid (PML-Q), and parliamentary members from the Federally Admnistered Tribal Areas (FATA).
The prime minister announced after the meeting that the government would address and resolve the reservations raised by the MQM.
However, a request to maintain decorum and keep the joint session peaceful was turned down by the opposition leaders.
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