KARACHI, Oct 20: President Mamnoon Hussain appealed on Sunday to all sections of society to extend full cooperation to the operation being carried out against criminals in Karachi so that law and order could be restored in the city.

Talking to newsmen during his first visit to the mausoleum of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah after assuming office of the president, he said: “Without peace in Karachi, neither can the economy be revived nor can progress be ensured in the country.” The president laid a floral wreath and offered fateha at the mausoleum.

Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad, Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and PML-N leaders received President Hussain at the mausoleum.

Mr Hussain said that under the constitution the president did not have a political role. Rather he was supposed to be a fatherly figure who could maintain harmony between the provinces and the federation.

He said he would work for betterment of the entire country, national unity and solidarity, besides working for its prosperity and sovereignty.

The president said that being the head of state he had to keep interests of every part of the country dear to him.

Mr Hussain said he would be coming to Karachi off and on and during meetings with the governor and the chief minister he would do whatever was possible to help in executing development projects in the city and other parts of Sindh.

He said it was unfortunate that people had been facing price hikes because Pakistan’s economy was in a bad shape. “Our balance of payments is not favourable. Besides, massive printing of currency notes is the main cause of price spiral.”

But the government had taken corrective measures which had arrested the rupee’s fall against the US dollar to an extent, he said.

When his attention was drawn to the recent increase in electricity tariff, the president said the PML-N government had honoured the pledge made by the PPP-led government with the IMF. It was also not possible for the government to purchase electricity at Rs16-18 per unit and supply it to people at a subsidised rate of Rs9 per unit, he added.

The president expressed the hope that the government would improve the economy and reduce electricity rates after three years. The Sindh government was planning to set up coal-fired power units, he said and added that people would get cheap electricity generated through coal.

About the recent violation of the Line of Control, Mr Hussain said general elections were due in India next year and opposition parties, particularly the BJP, were playing a provocative role to score political gains. The situation had upset the Indian government, he said.

President Hussain said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would take up with the US the issue of drone strikes because they had proved counter-productive in the war against terror.

He said Pakistan’s trade relations with the US were important and the bilateral ties had been facing ups and downs, but now “we have better relations than before as we are getting privileges from the US”.