Economic growth in the country is rated as one of the best in the world, while the government is spending huge funds on improving infrastructure including railways, roads, airports and seaports. This was stated by President General Pervez Musharraf while addressing the officers of Lahore Garrison at the Corps Headquarters Auditorium here on Friday.
President Musharraf said a strategy has been evolved to improve quality of life of the common man with a focus on health, education, poverty alleviation and employment. He further said the armed forces of Pakistan are symbol of national integration and progress and prosperity of the country depends on integrity, unity and harmony of this vital institution.
He said he was a firm believer in peace through strength. "Irrespective of our country's peace initiatives to encourage stability in the region, we are fully conscious of our security needs and are making all out efforts to maintain impregnable defence of the country", he said, adding, "we do not foster any offensive designs against any country but induction of latest arms and equipment in the armed forces was our right." President Musharraf said Pakistan has a tremendous potential to rise as a progressive and moderate Islamic country among the comity of nations.
He warned that obscurantists and extremist elements are the major impediment in the way of achieving economic progress and development. He urged moderate forces to join hands with him and reiterated his pledge to fight these anti-state forces with an iron hand to lead the country towards a brighter future.
He further said that Islam believes in tolerance and brotherhood, but unfortunately, obscurantists were undermining the basic ingredients of this great religion by interpreting it to serve their nefarious designs. Criticising rumourmongers, Musharraf said they were responsible for despondency among the public to fulfil their self-serving agenda. He advised such elements to act with responsibility, as the country was passing through the most crucial phase of its history. 'Pakistan has come to stay and God willing we shall persevere and succeed to rise in the comity of nations', he said.
Talking about the efforts to curb security threats within the country, the President said efforts were being made to ensure consolidation and reorganisation of the paramilitary forces. He said that more emphasis was being laid to equip them with better weapons and extensive training to control militancy in the tribal areas of NWFP.
President Musharraf said a strategy has been evolved to improve quality of life of the common man with a focus on health, education, poverty alleviation and employment. He also mentioned the Lahore Corps for doing a great national service by establishing a polytechnic institute for imparting technical education to unskilled labour of the country.
The session that lasted for two hours was attended by over 500 officers from Army, Navy and Air Force stationed at Lahore. The President took questions from the officers after his address. Apart from a large number of officers of Lahore Garrison, prominent among those who attended included Corps Commander Lieutenant General Shafaat Ullah Shah, General Officers Commanding, Major General Shaukat Sultan Khan, Major General Raheel Sharif, Director General Pakistan Rangers Punjab Major General Hussain Mehdi and Director General NAB Lahore Major General Qasim Qureshi.
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