President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday said that former prime minister Imran Khan should “clarify the comments himself” he made about army chief a day earlier. Speaking to journalists at the Governor House in Peshawar, the president said that he “did not want to cause any confusion” as he urged Imran to offer an explanation for his statements.
He said the armed forces had successfully safeguarded the country from external and internal threats by rendering countless sacrifices and coming to the aid of civil administration in the face of national or man-made calamities. He said there should be no doubt about the patriotism of Jawans to generals. “All chiefs of army staff (COAS), who had been appointed in Pakistan, were patriotic,” he added. The president called upon the people of Pakistan, institutions and media to desist from stirring doubts and controversies on the matter. He further said as the President of Pakistan, all the state institutions were dear to him, including the current government, as it was the responsibility of the president to take ownership of all the institutions.
The president made these remarks while talking to Peshawar-based journalists, here at the Governor House, according to a press release issued by the President’s Media Wing. While dilating on the flood situation in Pakistan, President Alvi emphasized the need to build large water storage dams to store the flood water and minimize the damage to lives, livelihoods and infrastructure of the country, and use the stored water for supplying to urban centers as well as for agriculture. The president said encroachments and illegal constructions on river banks in the north stopping the river path was one of the main reasons for the loss of lives and properties.
He called upon the government to ensure that no encroachment on the path of any river was built to minimize flood impact in future. He said the government had planned to construct around 800 water storage bodies and delay action dams in Balochistan to preserve the rain and flood water to control the flooding in future as well as replenish the underground water reservoirs. The president said Pakistan received annual water of over 150 MAF by way of rains and the melting of glaciers, which needed to be more effectively managed, distributed, and stored.
He said the existing bodies and institutions on rivers and water resources should be strengthened and made effective to address water-related issues in the country. Artificial Intelligence, telemetry systems, and satellites were among the effective tools which could help bring greater transparency in water distribution, he added. The president said the glaciers were melting at an alarming pace and causing water bursts which resulted in severe damage. He called upon the governments to conduct an in-depth study on the effects of climate change in Pakistan, conduct flood analysis, and identify areas where dams and embankments could be constructed to forestall heavy floods and save the people’s lives and properties. He said rescue and relief activities in the flood-hit areas should be given due attention, however, taking people in confidence on important matters was a part of the national discourse which could play an important role in mobilizing the masses and creating a national discourse on topics of national interest, including floods.
