President Dr. Arif Alvi talked about the three-year report card of the PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) government on Monday (13 September) while the journalists stayed away as the press gallery doors were locked.
Asad Qaiser, Speaker of the National Assembly, ordered the doors to be locked of the press gallery of the National Assembly ahead of the president’s speech. This happened the first time in the history of the country which served as a way to avoid the protest laid out by journalists.
The president spoke about the economy along with many other things. He said, “Despite coronavirus, Pakistan’s economy performed better as compared to the other countries due to the government’s prudent policies.”
In addition, after the opposition started thumping their benches, the president replied, “You can make all the noise you want, but you have to accept the reality – that the country is moving forward.”
The president said:
- Country’s growth rate reached 3.94 percent during 2020-21.
- Exports increased from $23.7 billion to $25.3 billion.
- Remittances reached a record $19.4 billion — which was $6 billion more as compared to last year.
According to Alvi, the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) performed admirably, breaking all prior records, and ranking as the world’s fourth greatest stock market. While citing a survey of the investors overseas, he added that foreign investors’ trust in the government had increased by 60 percent.
He claimed that the FBR (Federal Board of Revenue) exceeded its objective by Rs160 billion. Furthermore, he stated that the rise in remittances and foreign investment demonstrated that people have faith in the current leadership.
The president stated that the government’s “Digi Skill Training Program” has benefited 1.7 million young people, adding that “this is not a tiny amount, as Pakistani freelancers have earned foreign cash worth $2 million.”
The president added, “The government is well aware of the ever-changing needs of the industry, he said, adding artificial intelligence, cloud computing, software development, the internet of things, networking, data analysis, and other technologies will help us grow faster.”
Human development
President Alvi said the past governments did not focus on human development, and as a result, governance became weak, and Pakistan had to face a brain drain.
According to the President, the government holds a strong belief that the Ehsaas Program, introduced by the PTI government will help the youth in moving forward.
He said that programs working in human development are:
- Ehsaas Nashunuma for malnutrition.
- Waseela-e-Taleem.
- Ehsaas Kafalat.
- Ehsaas Scholarship.
- Ehsaas Emergency Cash.
- Ehsaas Amdan.
- Ehsaas Langars.
- Ehsaas Koi Bhooka Na Soye.
The president stated that the government was focused on telemedicine to save money for the poor by allowing them to receive nearly the same treatment over the phone. He also emphasized that it was becoming a challenge for the government to provide facilities like transport, food, and water to the masses.
The president said, “To provide the best to our children, I believe that we should promote birth spacing and focus on making the family smaller.”
Education
The government has issued 240,000 scholarships which, if seen objectively is one of the biggest packages awarded by any government. Alvi said, “The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has informed me that it has announced to waive off tuition and hostel-fee for the differently-abled persons.”
In addition, the president added, “We decided to provide technical training and education to people on such a large scale to push Pakistan forward because an educated person cannot only increase their personal income but of the country as well.”
Women Rights
The government has also been regulating the rights of women through the following Acts or Ordinances:
- Disabilities Act 2020.
- Zainab Alert Act 2020.
- Anti-Rape Ordinance 2020.
The president said, “Unfortunately, in some parts of the country, women are still denied their right to inheritance despite the fact that there exist clear instructions in the Sharia in this regard, and to counter that, the government has introduced a law.”
Climate Change
Prime Minister Imran Khan to counter the effects of climate change, launched the “Billion Tree Tsunami” initiative in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
The president said, “When we came to power at the Centre, the government announced 10 Billion Tree Tsunami and Clean and Green Pakistan — which will help Pakistan counter the effects of global warming.”
EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines)
The President has emphasized that election reform is important in the country and that openness and timeliness can be maintained through electronic voting machinery.
The president said, “The government is also taking steps to roll out the I-voting system to give overseas Pakistanis the right to vote, and I hope the Opposition will play its part in it.”
Kashmir
The president claimed that India was perpetrating significant crimes in occupied Kashmir, particularly against Muslims. The president said, “The prime minister has called himself the ambassador of Kashmir and raised their plight at every international forum.”
In the meanwhile, the presidential speech was boycotted by all opposition and independent members of the two chambers, having raised their voice for sympathy with the media, who were standing outside the House against the foundation of the PMDA.
