President Dr. Arif Alvi has assured that the armed forces are committed to perform their duties as per the constitution and urged all politicians to commit themselves to the democratic process of dialogue, consultation and deliberation so that the nation Consensus can be reached on the issues faced and political polarization can be reduced. To achieve financial and economic stability in the country.
The President expressed these views while addressing the closing session of the Islamabad Conclave 2022 titled “75 Years of Independence: Achieving Comprehensive National Security” in Islamabad.
The president said that in the past the superpowers adopted a doctrine of mutually assured destruction that diverted the world’s resources to meeting and developing more lethal weapons systems.
Dr Alvi added that even if a part of these resources were diverted towards poverty and hunger, it could be eliminated and the effects of climate change could also be reduced.
He further said that democracy, military defense, security of information and communication and economic freedom are essential elements for comprehensive defense of the country.
He said that the Constitution of Pakistan has protected the rights of all citizens irrespective of their social status, wealth or influence. He said that quick and cheap justice should be provided without any discrimination, which would help the country to move forward on a speedy basis.
The President said that information is another important element of national security as misinformation can be used to destroy the country and mislead the innocent population. He said that misinformation regarding weapons of mass destruction led to a major conflict in the Middle East that resulted in the loss of many precious lives and destruction of property and assets.
Dr. Alvi said that Pakistan achieved nuclear deterrence, which provided the country with relief and a reliable defense system for 20 to 30 years, but the advent of cyber security changed the paradigm of the entire defense system. He added that concrete steps should be taken to protect national assets from cyber security attacks, and a system should be put in place to deal with future cyber attacks in the country.
The President said that the higher education institutions of the country should refrain from admitting students to the country’s major institutions and should admit all the aspiring students so that the number of people getting higher education can increase.
He said that the Higher Education Commission should take decisive and concrete steps to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of higher education institutions by adopting out-of-the-box solutions and by introducing hybrid and online teaching systems to ensure that all Aspiring students were given a place in the higher education system.
Talking about population control, he said there is a need to remove taboos associated with preventive methods of population control and ensure availability of contraceptives. He said it could reduce unwanted pregnancies, which account for 50 percent of all pregnancies in the country.
ISSI Director General, Ambassador (Rtd) Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry informed the participants about the issues discussed in the conference. He said that topics like defense and security, search for peace in South Asia, Pakistan’s economic borders, achieving geo-economics and Pakistan’s human and economic security were discussed.
The keynote speaker, FS Aizazuddin termed population as a major issue on the internal front, while relations with India are the biggest issue on the external front. He also highlighted the major challenges in enhancing regional connectivity.
