Countering terrorism top priority: President Alvi

Dr Arif Alvi addressed ceremony to mark International Customs Day at the Custom House in Karachi

KARACHI: President Arif Alvi said on Saturday that the government’s first priority was to counter-terrorism and that the fencing of Pak-Afghan border would see a visible decline in terrorism and smuggling.

Addressing a ceremony to mark the International Customs Day here at the Custom House, President Alvi said, “Customs plays important role in controlling smuggling of drugs and other things.”

He assured the senior customs officials of providing them with state-of-the-art technology in the future to deal with smuggling. “We can easily go ahead and meet our targets through technology,” the president said.

Referring to his meeting with Saudi officials, Alvi said, “Majority of the Pakistanis languishing in Saudi jails are implicated in drugs smuggling cases.”



Talking about investment in Pakistan, the president declared, “The federal government is working hard to bring more investment to the country and people will be surprised to see the PTI-led government’s initiatives takes Pakistan to the path of success.”

President Alvi also held meeting with Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Association (PPMA) at the Governor’s House. He assured the delegation that the federal government would try its best to reduce the prices of medicines and provide relief to people.

“We are making efforts to formulate such policies which are business-friendly and help the industry to grow,” he said.

The National Health Service Regulation and Coordination Minister Aamir Mehmood Kiani was also present on the occasion.

The federal health minister asked the PPMA to extend help to the Jinnah Postgraduate and other hospitals which have recently been handed over to the federal government by the Supreme Court.

Earlier, the president also visited AO clinic and enquired about the health of PTI MPA Ramzan Ghanchi who was injured during clash between PPP and PTI workers in Lyari.