ISLAMABAD: In his first mandatory address to a joint session of parliament amid a boycott by most opposition parties, President Dr Arif Alvi expressed his satisfaction over the continuation of democratic process in the country while his speech centred on the agenda of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government for the next five years.

Clad in a black Sherwani, the new president delivered his nearly 30-minute speech in Urdu in a trouble-free atmosphere after members of the main opposition party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz boycotted the sitting and staged a walkout from the house when NA Speaker Asad Qaiser refused to give the floor to firebrand PML-N MNA from Sialkot Khawaja Asif.

The PML-N members were joined by members from the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, National Party, Awami National Party and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party. However, members of other major opposition parties, Pakistan Peoples Party led by PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Jamaat-i-Islami, remained in the house and heard the speech with patience.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi went to the opposition’s lobby in order to bring them back, but the protesting members refused to end the boycott of the president’s speech which marked the beginning of the first parliamentary year of the present National Assembly.

PML-N lawmakers stage a walkout when Khawaja Asif not allowed to speak during joint session of parliament

PML-N President and Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif and former president Asif Zardari were notable among the absentees from the joint sitting. At the time when President Alvi was highlighting the new government’s priorities, Mr Shahbaz was accompanying his elder brother and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to Adiala jail after completion of his five-day parole.

Interestingly, the president, who had reached the dais for his speech after the playing of the national anthem and recitation from the holy Quran, witnessed the arguments taking place between Speaker Qaiser and the PML-N members for a few minutes.

Mr Qaiser reminded the protesting Ayaz Sadiq of the PML-N that he had also served as the speaker and knew that no other agenda was taken up other than the president’s address during the joint sitting.

Later, speaking to reporters outside the Parliament House, PML-N’s Khwaja Asif said they only wanted to draw the attention of the government towards its pledge regarding formation of a parliamentary committee to probe the charges of rigging in the July 25 general elections. He recalled that former speaker Ayaz Sadiq had allowed Shah Mehmood Qureshi to speak during the joint sitting of parliament when the PTI was sitting on the opposition benches.

The PML-N had earlier threatened to disrupt the parliamentary proceedings if the opposition’s demand regarding formation of a parliamentary committee on poll rigging was not met. However, when the government showing a goodwill gesture accepted the PML-N’s request to delay the joint session due to the death of Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, the PML-N also gave an assurance to the ruling PTI that it would not disrupt the proceedings like its members did during the elections of the speaker, deputy speaker and the prime minister.

In his speech, President Alvi said Pakistan’s political system had remained unstable for various reasons “but it is heartening to note that the last three assemblies completed their full tenures during the last 15 years” , also counting the National Assembly that had completed its five-year term under the military dictator Gen Pervez Musharraf.

The president declared that the country had overcome the menace of terrorism and extremism. He, however, gave its credit to the armed forces only, avoiding the mention of the National Action Plan (NAP) that had been prepared by political leadership of the country. “By the grace of Allah, the resilience of our nation and the endeavour and sacrifices of our law-enforcement agencies, terrorism and extremism in the country has been overcome. The credit for this goes to our armed forces which have become the most successful and experienced military in countering terrorism in the world,” the president said.

Without elaborating, he regretted that the country’s constitution was not being fully implemented. “The Constitution of Pakistan is a good social contract but it is not being fully put into practice. I am confident that the new government will fully implement the social contract so that New Pakistan can be translated into reality,” the president said.

While mentioning Balochistan, the president said most of “our problems are related to social inequality and poverty. We have to eliminate regional, economic and social inequality and disparity. In particular, development of Balochistan and other far-flung areas needs our focus and attention,” he said.

Mr Alvi claimed that the “recent general elections proved that people want a corruption-free Pakistan” and called for strengthening “institutions of accountability”.

“The new government has resolved to make a New Pakistan and has formed the government on the same slogan after winning the general elections. In my view, the concept of New Pakistan lies in promoting simplicity, discontinuation of unnecessary protocols and a corruption-free system,” he said, adding that “we should keep in mind that we are a nation which is under the burden of debt.”

“Our external and internal debts have crossed the critical levels and this requires our immediate attention,” he added.

“I am confident that the government will chart out a clear roadmap in all sectors and at the same time ensure transparency in governance,” Mr Alvi said.

The president also drew the attention towards the water crisis in the country and underlined the need for construction of new water reservoirs. “I earnestly believe that both residents and overseas Pakistanis will respond positively to the donations appeal of the chief justice and the prime minister. This will not only raise capital for construction of new dams but will also help enhance our foreign exchange reserves,” he said.

The president also called for a uniform curriculum and educational system. “In the educational sector, there is no harm in replicating the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa model because public sector institutions can provide quality education to all,” he said, adding that more than three million students were enrolled in religious seminaries. “In order to bring them into the mainstream, the curriculum in these seminaries needs to be made compatible with the modern day requirement,” he said, advising the government “to devise a strategy in consultation with religious scholars.”

The president also spoke about the foreign policy issues, saying that Pakistan wanted to have better relationship with all its neighbours including India.

Published in Dawn, September 18th, 2018