President Asif Ali Zardari Tuesday said that Karachi was not owned by a single entity, it belonged to all the schools of thought who populated it, Geo News reported.

“All those who live in it are the stakeholders of this city. No one alone can lay claim to it”, said he while addressing the business community at 36th FPCCI Export Trophy Awards distribution ceremony, here at the Governor House.Talking to businessmen, he voiced his resolve to deal the scourge of terrorism a decisive blow.

“Though we faced uphill tasks but we are resolute to get over them. We will never lose hope”, said he.President Zardari said the government was alive to the problems being faced by the business community and industry, including energy crisis and was pursuing various corrective measures to meet the challenges.

He sought the business community’s cooperation and support for ensuring continuity of economic policies being pursued in the country."With your cooperation, we would have a better Pakistan tomorrow", the President remarked.Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Senior Federal Minister for Commerce Makhdoom Amim Fahim, President, Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Haji Fazal Kadir Khan Sherani, former president FPCCI Tariq Sayeed were present, besides a number of other leading businessmen.

President Zardari appreciated the business community role in reviving and strengthening the country’s economy despite many challenges including natural calamities, flood and heavy rains destroying agriculture and infrastructure of the country over the last three years.He expressed the hope that the business community would continue contributing its share and play even greater role in strengthening of the economy in future also.

He said that the major problem confronting the country was the political consistency. For achieving this objective, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto initiated the policy of national reconciliation, which was being pursued with all sincerity by the party leadership at the federal and provincial levels.The President also recounted Government’s achievements during past five years. These included strengthening of stock markets of the country, export of wheat and sugar and launching of a comprehensive social safety programme for the poorest of the poor.

He said we should look for the future demand for food items within and outside the country.‘Pakistan can be a food basket for the region with best management of our resources,’ he remarked.The President said that had Shaheed Benazir Bhutto’s energy policy been continued, the country would have no energy crisis today, rather we would have surplus electricity.

To a query raised by the President FPCCI, President Zardari said that the Government was seriously pursuing the Pak-Iran Gas Pipeline project.He said that the Government was making all efforts to overcome issues regarding the finances for the project.The President underlined the need that the nation as a whole would have to fight terrorism and extremism to its logical conclusion for peace and economic prosperity in the country and the region.

He condemned the killing of polio workers in the city today and the recent attack on Peshawer Air Base.We, all sections of the society, would have to defend the country as every inch of our homeland belongs to all of us, he said.President Asif Ali Zardari said that the next elections would be held on schedule and these would be free, fair and transparent.Earlier, the President distributed exports trophy awards to 62 leading exporters of FPCCI.