Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: President Mamnoon Hussain on Wednesday said the solution to all of the country’s problems lay in democracy. Only through democratic dispensation could good governance be achieved and the economy stabilised. He expressed his satisfaction that all sections of society were united in the quest to achieve progress and prosperity and said the country was moving in the right direction.

The President was addressing the seventh convocation of the Quaid-e-Azam University here at Jinnah Convention Centre. Vice-Chancellor Quaid-e-Azam University Dr Javed Ashraf was also present on the occasion. He urged the students to acquire modern and scientific education, noting that the nations that excelled on the world stage had outstanding human resources. The President advised the youth to fully focus on their education, stressing that girls must not accept any hindrance in acquiring education and not hesitate to go abroad to pursue higher education if they feel it to be necessary. He advised female students not to blindly ape the West and to proudly follow Islamic traditions to earn a good name for their country. He stated that the government was committed to improve the standard of life of the people by stabilising the national economy. It was working under a balanced strategy for the development and prosperity of all segments of society and the country was moving in the right direction. “For this reason, we need experts in economy, banking, science and technology and other important fields so that the process of progress and prosperity can be taken forward,” he remarked.

The President said Pakistan would emerge as an important trading hub of the region after the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) became operational. He hoped that the Gwadar Port would become functional by the end of 2016, ushering in a new era of economic development and progress. The President underlined that in order to put the national economy on a strong footing, full advantage needed to be taken of the CPEC. He emphasized that there was no change in the CPEC’s route. He hoped that after completion of the ongoing energy projects, the country would be able to overcome electricity load shedding. He noted that the country was moving in the right direction until the 1970s but afterwards it got detracted due to bad governance and corruption. Now the government was working hard and the country’s economy had revived.

He noted with satisfaction that there was a significant improvement in the economic indicators as a result of prudent policies and improved law and order situation. The President urged the well-off to pay their due taxes in order to increase government resources for spending on public welfare. He stated that corruption had eroded the foundation of society and emphasized upon the need to get rid of this menace to ensure economic development and well-being of the people. The President noted with satisfaction that the general law and order situation in the country had improved and reaffirmed the resolve of the government to continue the Zarb-e-Azb operation till the last terrorist had been eliminated.

He lavished praise on the Quaid-e-Azam University, saying it was imparting quality education as a leading public sector university. The President said that the university should establish educational links with leading international universities to further enhance its performance and benefit from their experience. The President congratulated the graduating students and distributed medals to the high achievers.