President Alvi lauds federal, provincial govts for ‘working hard’ to help flood victims in address to parliament

President Dr Arif Alvi in his address to the joint session of parliament on Thursday thanked federal and provincial governments for 'working hard' to facilitate millions of people suffering across the country due to the impact of catastrophic floods, Aaj News reported.

"The federal and provincial governments, PDMA (Provincial Disaster Management Authority), and NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) all worked hard on the ground. I thank all of them,” the president said at the outset of his address.

He emphasised that Pakistan was facing one of the worst environmental disasters in the form of catastrophic floods that have rendered millions homeless.

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He also commended the Pakistan Army for helping victims while sacrificing their lives. “I want to commend agencies and the government for the way they worked. I believe they deserve commendation.”

Dr Alvi highlighted that the financial and human costs from the floods would have been worse if the relief work was not done on time.

The president pointed out that Pakistan’s contribution to global warming was less than 1 percent, but it was among the most affected countries.

Talking about agricultural losses, he said that we should look towards countries that are progressing in this sector. “The Netherlands is 19 times smaller than Pakistan but it progressed so much on the agricultural front, and my country should have progressed more in this field. If we adopt a scientific approach, Pakistan can beat the world,” he said.

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Dr Alvi said Pakistan needed to invest more in the field of science and technology. “Several smaller countries are ahead of Pakistan in cyber power and information technology," he said, lamenting that the country’s policies remain weak in this field.

The president stressed that Pakistan's defence establishment needs cyber power to protect its financial institutions and other interests.

"In the near future, wars would be fought in the cyber domain," he said urging policymakers to focus on the sector.

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During his address, the president also shed light on the significance of curing diseases linked to mental illnesses. "We need to raise awareness about telehealth helplines and educate the poor segments of our society regarding it.”

Talking about the importance of education, the president said that millions of children were out of school, warning that neglecting the youth could be disastrous for the country.