Pakistan desired good relations with neighbours, but India took this wish as weakness: President Arif Alvi

Pakistan always desired good relations with its neighbours, but India took this wish as a weakness, President Arif Alvi said on Monday as he accused New Delhi of trying to derail Islamabad’s relations with Beijing.

Alvi made the remarks while addressing a joint session of Parliament to mark the beginning of the fourth parliamentary year of the National Assembly, the lower chamber of the bicameral parliament, amid protests from the Opposition parties.

Pakistan always desired good relations with its neighbours, but India took this wish as a weakness, Alvi said, recalling the Indian air strike on a terror camp in Pakistan in 2019.

India’s war planes pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist training camp deep inside Pakistan on February 26, 2019 in response to the Pulwama terror attack during which 40 CRPF jawans were killed.

India has told Pakistan that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Islamabad in an environment freed from terror, hostility and violence. India has said the onus is on Pakistan to make an environment freed from terror and hostility.

Alvi also alleged that India was doing immense injustice to the people of Kashmir. “I want to form it clear to India to prevent the oppression in India and fulfil the promise of self-determination (in Kashmir),” he said.

Alvi said Pakistan wants peace in Afghanistan and has been playing a positive role within the war-torn neighbouring country.

Last week, the Taliban announced a hardline interim government led by Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund, chief of the Taliban’s powerful decision-making body ‘Rehbari Shura’, in Kabul. a minimum of 14 members of the cupboard , including acting Prime Minister Mullah Akhund, are listed on the UN Security Council’s terrorism blacklist.

The Taliban announced the formation of the govt just three days after the visit of Pakistan’s spy agency Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed to Kabul where he met the highest leadership of the insurgent group.

Alvi also appreciated China’s “significant” role in Pakistan’s progress, adding that the country held its relations with Beijing in great esteem, despite India trying to derail these relations.

“We check out relations with China with great respect and need to strengthen them. i would like to form it clear to India that it’ll never achieve success in its goals and Pak-China friendship will keep strengthening,” he said.

On the domestic front, Alvi said that the govt in its three-year tenure put the country on a “prosperous and shining future” by its performance in economy, social and human development sectors also as within the policy arena.

Alvi also highlighted that a growing population was a threat and asked the people to concentrate to social control and requested the govt to extend funding for this sector.

He also talked about trend of accelerating violence against women: “In recent days, incidents of sexual violence against women emerged thanks to which most are sad and that i think it’s a national responsibility to require steps to curb such incidents,” he said.

Alvi, who is a fanatical member of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, said that thanks to the efforts of the govt , Pakistan’s exports increased to USD 25.3 billion in 2020-21 and therefore the national bourse, the Pakistan stock market , “broke all past records and have become Asia’s best-performing market and world’s fourth-best”.

When the protest by the Opposition grew louder, Alvi told them: “Despite you making noise, you’ll need to accept the truth .”

The Opposition had announced to boycott his address thanks to various government policies including efforts to introduce electronic voting machines within the next election.

The Opposition lawmakers were also angry because the government had announced to introduce media related laws, including Media Development Authority, which both the media organizations and opposition parties have termed an attempt to muzzle press .

The Opposition leaders staged a walk out of the session and joined a sit-in by the media ahead of the parliament building to protest against the govt .