Islamabad (Agencies): President Arif Alvi has urged the political leadership to do away with political polarization and promote unity.
Addressing the joint sitting of Parliament in Islamabad on Thursday, Dr Alvi said this is the election year but a decision regarding the election date has to be decided by the political parties through dialogue. He said an independent and free media is utmost necessary for a vibrant democracy.
The president also appreciated the government decision to investigate the recent leaked audios of various leaders.
Arif Alvi stressed need for construction of dams to avert devastating floods in the country saying this will also help store water for use in difficult times. He appreciated federal and provincial governments, NDMA, PDMAs and the armed forces for their timely response to the flood relief activities.
The president expressed satisfaction over the international focus on the floods in Pakistan, saying the UN Secretary General visited Pakistan to see the ground situation.
Referring to the losses inflicted by floods on the agriculture sector, Alvi suggested a crop insurance scheme for the farmers to compensate for their losses. He said that we need to improve our policies regarding cyber world to ensure security of important institutions.
The president was appreciative of the initiative taken by BISP to deal with the issue of malnutrition.
Touching upon the foreign relations, Dr Alvi said Pakistan and China enjoy all weather strategic partnership. He said the CPEC is a clear manifestation of the strong bond that exists between both the countries.