PM says long term planning, self-dependence inevitable for development

| Imran Khan regrets Pakistan suffering owing to short term approach | Previous governments spent billions on their promotion to win elections | Nobody knows what it is enlightened moderation | This is an inferiority complex | When a nation 

loses confidence it tries to please others 

ISLAMABAD   -  Prime Minister Imran Khan said Thursday that the economic self-dependence and long-term planning were inevitable for country’s development as Pakistan had suffered in the past owing to short term approach of the previous governments.

PM Imran Khan stated this while addressing the launching ceremony of a documentary drama titled “Pani Ke Pankh” to highlight the realigned policies of the government to ensure water security as part of Sustainable Development Goals.

He said that he repeatedly heard about a soft image of Pakistan. “What does a soft image mean? Why we say this and if this soft image is established will the world consider us very good, asked PM. “We shouldn’t fall into this kind of misunderstanding; this is an inferiority complex. When a nation loses its confidence it tries to please others,” the prime minister said.

The PM said that the people also heard about the term of ‘ enlightened moderation ‘ for the first time in lives. “Nobody knows what it means. Most people understood it that the more we resemble people in the West the more we will appear moderate. So people started speaking English and wearing Western clothes, and [thought] they had become moderate. “Is this moderation? Please understand this is inferiority complex.”

Prime Minister Imran Khan said Pakistanis only had to promote one image: that of an independent nation standing on its feet which believes in itself, doesn’t rely on anyone and doesn’t take loans from or beg anyone. “Only then does the world respect you,” he said, stressing that a nation that is self-reliant and thought big held the true honour.

So the nation shouldn’t think we go around pleasing the world, presenting a soft image, he added. The prime minister reiterated that Pakistan had made a mistake by entering the US ‘War on terror’.

“We entered someone else’s war which wasn’t ours, we should’ve never joined it,” he said, adding that Pakistan had first taken part in “glorifying jihad” in the 1980s and making the Mujahideen “heroes”, and later pursued them as “terrorists” on instructions of the US after 9/11. “So the country inevitably had to pay a heavy price for it, he maintained.

Federal Ministers Shibli Faraz, Faisal Vawda, Omar Ayub, Senator Faisal Javed and Chairman Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) Lt General (Retd) Muzammil Hussain also attended the event besides project team members including Singer Atif Aslam, Zonaira Azhar and others.

A production of JB production, the docu-drama exhibited the revival and importance of hydro power in Pakistan particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which had suffered the most in war against terrorism.

The prime minister said the previous governments executed short term projects just to attract votes by cutting ribbons within their tenures which dragged the country behind. He said the developed countries like China planned 10 to 20 years ahead of time while in Pakistan the previous governments executed short term projects and spent billions of rupees on their promotion to win the next election.

He said due to the very reasons, the hydro power projects were not executed despite immense potential of 70,000 megawatt in the country rather the governments signed exorbitant contracts to supply the costliest electricity in the subcontinent.

He said under the contracts, the government had to pay capacity payment (charges paid to power producers for unused electricity) even without consuming the electricity. Under the head Rs 180 billion were paid in 2019, Rs 500 billion by the incumbent government and the amount would swell to Rs1500 billion by 2023.

He said after 50 years, the government launched work on Diamer Bhasha and Mohmand Dams to increase power production, conserve water, and thus uplift the agriculture sector. Moreover, the new dams would also supply clean energy which was crucial to fight climate change as Pakistan was among the most nine vulnerable countries in the world.

Housing schemes fraud

Prime Minister Imran Khan also directed the authorities to take measures on emergency basis to end fraud with the people, especially exploitation of overseas Pakistanis, in illegal housing projects and constructions.

While chairing weekly meeting of the National Coordination Committee for Housing, Construction and Development in Islamabad on Thursday, he said a common man is deprived of his life-long earnings through these illegal housing schemes, which needs to be stopped immediately. The Prime Minister said protection of citizens’ interest, especially the poor, in construction activities is top priority of the government

Facilities for university students

Also, Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed to ensure provision of best possible facilities to university students as country’s future is directly linked with the standard of education.

Chairing a meeting in Islamabad on Thursday regarding administrative, financial and teaching matters of universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab the Prime Minister instructed to devise a comprehensive mechanism to improve performance of heads of universities. He also directed to appoint experienced professionals on administrative posts to improve administrative-cum financial matters of the varsities.

Top priority   -  Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that provision of quality health facilities to common people is top priority of the government.

Speaking at a meeting in Islamabad to review progress on provision of health cards in Punjab, Imran Khan said provision of health protection to the poor was not given due attention in the past.

Appreciating the progress made so far in providing health cards to the population of Punjab, he said health cards will enable the poor segment of society to get quality medical across Pakistan. The meeting was briefed on progress made so far in providing health cards to 100 percent population of Punjab by the end of this year.