ISLAMABAD: Against the backdrop of an ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, President Dr. Arif Alvi on Thursday expressed surprise that the United States has not learned from the past and “fell into another trap.”
“I mistakenly believed that the United States would have learned a lesson from the Vietnam War and not fall into another trap,” the president said as he addressed the closing session of a two-day international conference on “South Asia: Emerging Opportunities and Challenges.” . .
The president’s comments came at a time when Prime Minister Imran Khan, currently in an official two-day meeting visit to Russia, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid reports that Russia has begun the invasion of Ukraine.
However, he expressed his desire to have better relations with the US in different fields, especially in the information technology sector.
Amid Russia-Ukraine Conflict, President Says Pakistan Wants Win-Win Cooperation With Nations
President Alvi said that Europe had decided no more wars on its own lands, but continued to destroy other countries in Africa and the Middle East.
“Instead of supporting any polarization, Pakistan wished for win-win cooperation in the fields of information technology and trade with nations for peace and development in the region,” he added.
The president said that Pakistan did not want to be part of any polarization and that the country’s ancestors also advocated coexistence before demanding a separate homeland.
He told the gathering, made up of former ambassadors and researchers and academics, that vested interests dominated morality in international affairs.
President Alvi said the world was looking for leadership based on morality and highlighted Pakistan’s humanitarian gestures of hosting millions of anti-European refugees, which he said left them to drown in the Mediterranean, as well as reports of rape and murder.
Referring to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s biased approach targeting minorities, President Alvi said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government was adding fuel to the fire through its Hindutva ideology. “Despite the repeated commitments of the United Nations, the Kashmir issue remains unresolved due to the vested interests of the countries,” he added.
The president said that information technology was the biggest opening for Pakistan and the region. However, he emphasized bridging the gap between decision makers and rapidly developing technologies.
President Alvi said that the phenomenon of fake news was getting stronger and could even destroy countries. He said people would see a flood of fake news in the 2023 general election in Pakistan as 60-70 per cent of messages circulating on social media during the last election in India were found to be fake.
The president said that the morality that protects humanity and human rights, such as the emancipation of women, should be the ideals of society, rather than vested interests.
In a separate meeting with Sardar Masood Khan, Pakistan’s ambassador-designate to the United States, President Alvi said that Pakistan wants to enhance bilateral cooperation with the United States in various fields, particularly in the areas of trade and economy.
“The country’s IT sector has immense potential and foreign investors need to capitalize on the country’s investment-friendly environment,” he said.
Posted in Alba, February 25, 2022