ISLAMABAD: President Arif Alvi has said that the parliament has an important role to play in supporting the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold the next polls in a more transparent, free and fair manner.

“I expect that the government as well as the parliament will play its role to meet the requirements of the ECP,” the president said during a meeting with ECP secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Mohammad, who called on Dr Alvi at the presidency on Monday. The ECP secretary assured the president that the general elections 2018 were free and fair, and an example of the competence of the ECP.

President Alvi said that in a democracy, elections are the most important event, and administering them requires the institutions involved to evolve and improve continuously — learning from prior experiences along the way.

The ECP secretary apprised the president of the difficulties the commission faced during its first experience of overseas citizens exercising their right to vote. Mr Mohammad also informed the president that the ECP is trying to improve the process of digital identification of voters. He told the president that the ECP will require support from the government to improve equipment and build its human resources pool.

Alliance with the UAE

President Alvi conferred the Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military) upon Rear Admiral Saeed Bin Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Nahyan — commander of the naval forces of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in a special ceremony held at the presidency. Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi and other senior officials were also present during the ceremony.

The president said that both Pakistan and the UAE have a longstanding alliance — both strategic and political. He said both countries have similar views and aspirations for all important regional as well as international issues. The president said that there is a lot of space for the armed forces of both states to further enhance the already existing cooperation, including joint exercises, increasing defence exports and collaborating on joint production.

Talking about the training of UAE military personnel in Pakistani armed forces training institutions, the president said that more officers from the UAE could be trained.

President Alvi did, however, underline that bilateral trade between the two states could improve, and that it is currently functioning below its full potential. He underscored that businessmen from the UAE could benefit from the vast opportunities of investment in Pakistan in various sectors, especially tourism.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2018