Pakistan heading in the right direction Says President Dr Arif Alvi

By Muhammad JuniadPublished On 05 Jan 2023

ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi is addressing the joint sitting of the Parliament to mark the fourth parliamentary year of the PTI government. 

As per a notification issued earlier, President Alvi had summoned both houses of the Parliament to assemble together in the Parliament House and the decision had been taken by the president in the exercise of his powers under Article 56(3) of the Constitution.

Meanwhile, all Opposition and independent members of the two houses have decided to boycott the presidential address after raising their voice for solidarity with the media having sit-in outside the Parliament House to oppose the establishment of the Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA).

Journalists were forbidden to enter the press gallery of the parliament before the commencement of the session. In response, the Parliamentary Reporters Association (PRA) members staged a protest inside gate number 1 of the Parliament House. According to report, a gate pass was issued to selected journalists. 

The president, at the outset of his speech, spoke about the economy. "Despite coronavirus, Pakistan's economy performed better as compared to other countries due to the government's prudent policies."

The Opposition began thumping benches and started a ruckus in the Parliament, at which the president said: "You can make all the noise you want, but you have to accept the reality that the country is moving forward."

The president said the country's growth rate reached 3.94% during 2020-21, exports increased from $23.7 billion to $25.3 billion, and remittances reached a record $19.4 billion which was $6 billion more as compared to the last year.

President Alvi said the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) performed in an excellent manner, "broke all previous records", and became the fourth-best stock market globally.