President in town: Our progress is linked to Karachi, says Mamnoon

Urges all stakeholders to help maintain law and order in the city.

KARACHI:

President Mamnoon Hussain on Sunday urged all stakeholders in Karachi to play their due role in maintaining law and order in the metropolis, whose peace, he said, was crucial for the development of Pakistan.

Mamnoon Hussain was talking to media at Quaid-e-Azam’s mausoleum, to which he paid his first visit after taking oath as president of the country on September 9.

“Pakistan’s economic development is not possible without restoring peace in Karachi,” the president said, adding that law and order in the city should be restored at all costs.



Without naming Pakistan Peoples Party’s Patron-In-Chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, he referred to his recent speech and said no one should keep a negative thinking for Karachi

“This [Karachi] isn’t London’s colony bhai [brother],” he said. “It is a blessing that we are living in an independent state. We should avoid all such talks and should promote positive thinking.”

PM’s visit to USA

President Hussain said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would take up the issue of drone strikes with the US leadership.

“Drone attacks have increased problems rather than bringing any solution.” He said adding that Pakistan’s relations with the US had weathered numerous crises and that the ties had improved now.

The president believed that there was a possibility of bilateral trade between the two countries, adding that the leaders of both the countries would discuss the issue. Replying to a question, he said that back-door diplomacy with Afghanistan was under way.

Inflation

The president acknowledged that inflation in the country was on the rise. He said there were several reasons for the prevailing situation.

“The previous government had pledged to the International Monitory Fund to raise power tariff,” he said adding that the increase in the electricity rates was part of that agreement.

Power crisis

Like other leaders, the president was also not sure when the nation’s power woes would be over. However, he said lower rates were directly connected with power production.

He said there was a possibility that the government could enhance power generation capacity by 2017.

LoC violation

Mamnoon said the upcoming elections in India were the reason for the present tension at the Line of Control (LoC), adding that the issue would ‘resolve’ itself after the elections.

He said Pakistan had been trying to convince India to avoid escalation of tension along with the de facto border.

“Pakistan wants cordial ties with its neighbouring states, including India. But India should also adopt a positive attitude towards its neighbours.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 21^st, 2013.