Ex-Pak Prez Alvi advises Pakistanis to start from scratch to change destiny

The people of Pakistan must "reset, alt-del and restart" to change their destiny, former president Arif Alvi has said, asserting that the "poor but hardworking" nation, polarised by political differences, deserves better.

Alvi, Pakistan's president from 2018 to March 2024, took to social media platform X on Thursday to criticise the cash-strapped country's current state of affairs.

"The argument by some that it has happened before and others have also done the same is no justification to continue on this path, as it is retrogressive thinking with no way forward," the 74-year-old leader said.

"To change our destiny is to Re-Think, Reset, Alt-Del, Clean the slate, Re-Start," he said.

"Who will do it? Who can do it? Is it even possible? I think it is, as we have the potential, and this poor but hardworking nation certainly deserves better," the dentist-turned-politician said.

Bashing the deterioration of Pakistan's economy, politics and judiciary, he said that there is severe stress on the country's institutions, which are being forced to take partisan positions.

Asserting that the country's economy needs political stability, which the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and other global institutions have pointed out, he said, "FDI (foreign direct investment) without local investment will also be an elusive dream.