ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday said that war on drugs trafficking was a major missing element in the war on terror, as he commended retiring senators for passing the 18th and 19th Constitutional amendments.  

Speaking at a dinner for outgoing senators at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, Zardari said that they will be remembered in the Parliament’s history as proud members who had unanimously removed the traces of dictatorships from the Constitution and making possible the realisation of shared national ideal of restoring democracy.

“Nobody can deprive you [retiring Senators] of this great honour which will always remain the first line in your biography regardless of other achievements to your credit,” he remarked.

The event was attended by the Chairman Senate Farooq H. Naek, ministers, parliamentarians and outgoing senators.

The spokesperson to the President, Farhatullah Babar said that the President had welcomed to the Presidency, honourable Senators particularly those who are retiring and will be leaving the House on completion of their term next month and said that nothing was permanent in life, that all good things one day come to an end.

“Today you are retiring; tomorrow others will retire and indeed everyone will retire someday,” the President said and added that for politicians retirement from the Senate was not the end of the world and that it was only shifting of the platform of carrying on the political struggle.

Zardari, while commending the role of senate, said that, driven by the spirit of reconciliation and consensus, the outgoing senators have to their credit as members of the senate that passed some very important pieces of legislation unanimously including the recently adopted a far reaching pro-women bill.

“The Senate has been the fountainhead of political reconciliation in the country that was convincingly demonstrated while making critical legislation,” he said.

Zardari said that the senators while allowing themselves to be guided by reconciliation and consensus had added a new and glorious chapter in the political history of Pakistan and that the nation is proud of their work for restoring political stability and strengthening democratic traditions after years of instability and insecurity.

“Reconciliation has been the ideal of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and she even wrote a book ‘Reconciliation,’ the President said.

He remarked that the quality and volume of legislation undertaken by the Senate and the debates and discussions on the floor of the House and in standing committees over the last three years was a testimony of their wisdom, commitment and patriotism.

“You have set high standards of excellence in Parliamentary practices and you have lit the path for the future generations to follow and that those coming after you will build on your legacy,” the Spokesperson quoted the President as saying.

War on drugs important to win war on terror

The President while commenting on the fight against militancy said that defeat was not an option and that we (Pakistan) had no other option except to fight and defeat this mind-set so as to leave a peaceful, stable and prosperous Pakistan for our coming generations.

He said that he during meetings with foreign delegations, it had been pointed out that drug trafficking was the major missing element in the war on terror which he said was a great source of funding for the militants.

He said that drug trafficking, as the source of militancy funding, was one of the major issues in the region and needed to be curbed.

The President said that Pakistan has abundant natural resources of all kinds and we have to work together to build and strengthen our economy for the sake of prosperity of our future generations.

The government is taking all possible steps for the welfare of the people and to strengthen economy as economically strong and stable Pakistan was our future and the future of our children, he added, insisting that much more needed to be done to face various challenges and put the economy on the fast track of growth and development.

Government working for peace, development in Balochistan

The President while recounting the achievements of the government said that peace and development of Balochistan was a pillar of the present government’s policy and expressed the hope that a series of initiatives and development projects initiated by the present government would heal the wounds of Baloch people made during the previous regimes and would help bring the province and the people at par with rest of the country in terms of development besides removing their sense of deprivation.