Addressing a joint session of Parliament, President Mamnoon stressed, “Governments come and go, but the state remains; hence, the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) too will see several elections and governments before its completion”.
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The president’s address to a joint session of both houses of parliament marks the beginning of a new parliamentary year and is mandatory under the Constitution.
In a riposte to Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain’s statement that Kashmir was the main reason of bilateral tensions between the two neighbours, India on Thursday said terrorism and “Pakistan’s repeated interference in the internal affairs of India” were the main reasons for the tension.
“Reservations shown by certain circles regarding the CPEC project are weightless”, he said. Nation should unite on the agenda of economic stability for continuity in policies in all situations.
“I’m glad to note that both the government and opposition are formulating policies to strengthen democracy”, he said, adding the government, be it of any political party, should formulate such policies that democracy can take roots and the people lead a prosperous life.
The president hoped that targets of the Zarb-e-Azb operation will be achieved by end of this year. The president said the democratic march during the last three years has been progressing successfully despite ups and downs.
While the President avoided mentioning the drone attack, he said that the recent incidents have hindered the process and that the country remained hopeful that peace efforts in Afghanistan would succeed.
“Problems will continue to exist in the region until the Kashmir issue is resolved in accordance with the United Nations resolutions”, the Express Tribune quoted him as saying.
The President will also give guidelines to the government on important issues confronting the nation.
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“Pakistan is concerned about it”, the president said while addressing the joint parliamentary session at the start of the fourth year of the current parliament. Hussain also said that ties could improve only if New Delhi reciprocates “Pakistan’s honest overtures in the same spirit”.
