ISLAMABAD (APP) – President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday called for protecting democracy and democratic institutions, adding that the elected assemblies and the government will complete their five-year mandated tenure regardless of what the opponents are saying and doing.
He said that when the party went into elections it had promised to the voters to launch a series of programmes meant for alleviating the poor of the country. “We are determined to complete our mandated period to fulfil the promises made to the poor,” he added. The President said the government was pursuing a comprehensive programme of politico-economic emancipation and empowerment of the women as per cherished dream of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, who throughout her life fought for this cause.
The President was addressing the balloting and cheque distribution ceremony under the Waseela-e-Haq programme of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr on Wednesday.
Spokesperson to the President, Farhatullah Babar quoted the President as saying that the people were the ultimate repository of power and the people alone had the right to elect their representatives and send them to the parliament and assemblies. The President said some time back when there was a law on statute book requiring representatives to possess bachelorÂ’s degree, no one asked questions about the academic qualifications of elected members. But strangely, now that the said law had been repealed some people were agitating the issue of degrees of MPs and seeking to disqualify them, he added.
The President urged the detractors not to malign the Parliament and democracy adding that the Parliament was capable of defending itself.
He said that the Parliament asserted itself when it democratised the Constitution and gave the people of Pakhtunkhwa their identity and was capable of defending itself against any attack.
The President said that the government initiatives such as Benazir
Income Support Programme, distribution of state land free of cost in command areas of 32 small and medium dams among the women of that areas and the offering of 12 per cent stock shares to workers in state-run enterprises through Benazir Employees Stock Option Scheme would help banish poverty from the country. The spokesperson said that the President on the occasion congratulated the members of National Assembly for passing the other day the Bill providing for the establishment of the BISP and hence inscribing the name of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto into law that is meant for the uplift of the poor.
The President said that it was most appropriate that the National Assembly passed the law in the month of the birth of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and hoped that the Senate would also pass the same soon.
The spokesperson said that the President termed it a tribute to the martyred leader of the Pakistan PeopleÂ’s Party (PPP) and recognition by the Parliament of what Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto has done for the poor and downtrodden of the country. In the remaining term of its office, the government would further advance the pro-poor agenda, the President said.
The President while congratulating the BISP Chairperson and her team said that the BISP was the flagship programme of the government to provide relief to the underprivileged and poor people of the country and added that “we all are very proud the way the programme has progressed into a comprehensive social safety net”.
The President said that the BISP programme has earned the praise of the international community for the transparency with which the poor are identified for help without political consideration. This is indeed a major achievement that the programme has reached more than 2.7 million families in a short span of time, he added. The President said that BISP programme reflects the feelings Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto had for the poor and vulnerable sections of society. “It is her spirit and the mission of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto that guides us forward towards the fulfilment of our dream of making Pakistan a truly welfare state” the President said.
The spokesperson informed that the President also appreciated and thanked the international community and development partners for supporting us in this noble initiative. “The emphasis on transparency and impartiality through an internationally recognised poverty assessment tool, the poverty scorecard, will Insha Allah make the Benazir Income Support Programme truly a Benazir initiative”, the President said. The President said that it was pleasing to see the Programme developing into a comprehensive social protection, poverty alleviation and women empowerment platform.
He said that BISP is not merely for poverty alleviation but it has been designed to work as a comprehensive social protection scheme, a platform for women empowerment and covering programmes such as health and accident insurance, vocational training and Interest free financing for self employment. The spokesperson said that the President while appreciating, on the ground performance of Waseela-e-Haq scheme, said that addition of social programmes would make the Benazir Support Programme the most productive initiative of this government.
“Provision of interest free financing through “Waseela-e-Haq” will help the BISP beneficiaries in extricating them from the inter-generational poverty trap without hurting their self esteem” the President said. The spokesperson quoted the President as saying, “Today as we remember BB Shaheed, I see no better way of paying tribute to her legacy than handing over to the poor what is their due. Keeping the promises of BB Shaheed, our sisters from BISP family will get assistance in cash for establishing their own business so they can start earning their livelihood. Insha Allah these benefits will soon be passed on to all the beneficiaries of Waseela-e- Haq”.
The spokesperson informed that the President urged the BISP management to speed up the implementation of the other initiatives of Benazir Income Support Programme like vocational training and health insurance and added that children going without proper nutrition, basic education, the much needed health services and the poor families cannot wait for long.
“It is their right and all resources must be mobilised to complete the coverage of each and every deserving Pakistani family under the Programme,” the President said.
Later the President pressed the computer button to select 3000 beneficiaries through random computerised draw. He also distributed cheques among the few previously ballot-selected women beneficiaries from different parts of the country.
BISP Chairperson Ms Farzana Raja while speaking on the occasion said that 70 per cent of the surveys of Benazir Score cards have been completed in Balochistan under the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan package. The balloting and cheque distribution ceremony was attended among others by Ms Fehmida Mirza, Speaker of National Assembly, Jan Mohammad Jamali, Acting Chairman of Senate, federal ministers, parliamentarians, representatives of people, senior government officials and huge gathering of party workers.