ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi Friday lauded the government’s decision to engage with dissident Baloch leaders, excluding those involved in India-sponsored sabotage, saying that listening to the reservations of dissidents would bring in national unity.
The president, in an interview with a private television channel said he as well as Imran Khan had been calling for engaging with dissident Balochs since 2012, but not those being backed by India.
He said using the Afghan soil, India had been promoting terrorism in Pakistan and exemplified the Kulbhushan Jadhave, recent bomb blast in Lahore and reports of RAW agents returning to India having failed to talk with Taliban.
The president viewed that Gwadar Port would change Balochistan economically and the resolution of Reko Diq case would bring in mineral wealth to change people’s lives there. To another question, President Alvi said despite repeated incidents of enriched uranium trade in India, the international community was keeping mum.
“Had this happened in any Muslim state, there would have been a hue and cry. This is Islamophobia – to conceal other’s faults and play up Muslim’s wrongdoings… We have been telling the world what was happening in India but the world doesn’t care about,” he remarked.
However, he said by fanning Islamophobia, India was playing with fire and distorting its own history and destroying its peace. About the Afghan situation, the president said even if Taliban prevailed there, they should include all the communities to unite the nation.
He appreciated the Pakistan’s stance that it would be the Afghans to decide their future. He said from the very first day, Imran Khan had been opposing the military action in Afghanistan.
He said though currently, the morality had no room in international affairs, Pakistan could give the world a leadership where the relations would be based on morality, not the power or interests.
Touching the economic situation, he said consequent to the government’s prudent economic polices the income of laborers has increased one and half times while the masons were getting the double, despite the COVID situation.
To a question, he said the people with disabilities needed to be given special focus as he had also engaged State Bank of Pakistan and Kamyab Jawan Program to support them by providing them work opportunities.
Discussing the lack of awareness on the government’s schemes, the president said the loans specified for the women and the disabled persons remained underutilized.
He urged the banks to guide the loan applicants for preparation of the feasibility studies of the loan for purchase of a house or establish a business.
Regarding the introduction of electronic voting machine and i-voting for overseas Pakistanis, the president said the Supreme Court had ruled that vote was every Pakistani’s right including the expatriates.
He said the EVM would bring transparency as the questions had been raised about the fairness of all elections since 1970s.
Discussing the issue of displacement of people living along Gujar Nullah in Karachi, the president said the situation would have been different had the government made a planning in advance.
However, he said the Sindh government as well railway ministry had agreed to provide an alternate place to the residents and added that the cleanliness of nullah was also equally essential considering the onset of monsoon.
The president said the water conservation, desalination plant and measures to discourage throwing garbage and sewerage water into river and sea was direly needed for Karachi.
Calling it a criminal act, the president said the respective governments in the past ignored the practice of throwing trash in the rivers which was destroying the marine life as well as the environment.
As the interviewer said MQM chief Altaf Hussain was also reportedly seeking pardon, the president said “I think he has no future.” He said Altaf Hussain destroyed Karachi by creatin a bloodshed and arsons. Even while being in India, he opposed the creation of Pakistan and sought asylum, he added.
The way, Altaf Hussain destroyed Karachi, he should now seek forgiveness from Allah,” he remarked. However, consequent to the government’s efforts, the people of Karachi had buried the philosophy of MQM led by Altaf Hussain.
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