PPP set to win next general election, says Zardari
09 October, 2012
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday said the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) will win the next general elections and noted that the PPP-led coalition government had laid foundation for democracy during its rule and made parliament the supreme institution. "Nations are not built in five years as it is a long and continuous process and the government, despite all the challenges, has been able to make parliament and other institutions supreme," the president said while speaking to the office-bearers of Youth Presidents Organisation (YPO) and World President Organisation (WPO) at the Presidency. He said it would be for the first time in the country's history that a democratically elected government would complete a full five-year term, next year. The president said that the present government accorded top priority to strengthening of parliament and that he surrendered all his powers to parliament for the sake of betterment and prosperity of the people and to make the country more stable. The president observed dictatorship pushes the country 25 years back and democratic set-up has to start from scratch. "Our today's contributions – described by some as our weaknesses – will become our strength tomorrow," the president said, and added that inflicting pain was not bravery but courage to bear it was. He urged the young entrepreneurs and businessmen not to be discouraged by the issues confronting Pakistan as the country had a lot of resources and potential, which need to be exploited. The president said the law and order was a big issue, but it was because the country was facing a war-like situation. He expressed the resolve that the country would be steered out of difficulties and put on the road to progress. "We are building a Pakistan where everyone has equal opportunities, particularly women and that is why we appointed first female Speaker of the National Assembly and first female foreign minister," he said. Zardari said the present government was the first in the last 30 years that had got full time. Media has full liberty to express its views and all the states institutions are working freely, he added. About the law and order situation of Karachi, he said the present situation was because of war on the country's borders, and urged the business community to come forward and join hands with the government to eradicate the menace of terrorism from the country. He said the war on terror had hugely impacted the country's economy, trade and investment, but the government has laid the foundations of a strong economy and was focused on promoting regional trade and regional connectivity, as Pakistan's geo-strategic location between the two largest markets of the world – China and India – gave it immense potential for trade and economic growth. He said the war on terror had hugely impacted the country's economy, trade and investment. The president urged for working together to find new avenues for economic growth and empowering women of the country, saying the country could not make progress unless women were empowered. He also stressed for extricating the poorest from the poverty cycle and said that the government had launched a major drive against poverty, one manifestation of which was the Benazir Income Support Programme. End.
|
