PESHAWAR    -   President Arif Alvi Monday said the Armed Forces 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 na­ tional or manmade calamities.

Talking to journalists at Governor House here on Monday, he said that there should be no doubt about the patriotism of Jawans to General. He said all chiefs of army staff who had been appointed in Pakistan were patriotic. The President called upon the people of Pakistan, institutions and media to desist from stirring doubts and controversies on this matter.

He further said that as the President of Pakistan, all the insti­tutions of the State are dear to him, including the current gov­ernment, as it is the responsibility of the President to take own­ership of all institutions.

While dilating on the flood situation in Pakistan, President emphasised 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 centres as well as for agriculture.

He said that the glaciers are 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 people’s lives and properties. He said that the sole purpose of his efforts was to understand and remove misgivings and misunderstandings amongst the stakeholders to bring them closer to each other and make efforts to find a middle way on major issues in the greater national interest.

He said that currently there was a difference of only eight months between the routine schedule of elections and those demanding early elections and he believed that things have the potential to settle down.

While expressing his opinion on the current economic situ­ation, the President said that the recent signing of the agree­ment with IMF would encourage other donors and institutions to come forward to help Pakistan out of its economic difficulties and hoped that things would start getting better. He said that the high inflation was his concern in the same way as it con­cerned other citizens of the country.

He said that the privacy of individuals should be respected and backbiting should be avoided. He added that fake news and backbiting could be countered through ethical and moral edu­cation and by creating resistance in society against them.