Islamabad, Aug 13: Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday renewed his commitment to place the country on a national growth trajectory and include it among the world’s top ten economies.
“We will once again turn the wheel of the economy and give the youth a Pakistan that will be among the top ten economies of the world by 2047,” he said, promising a future where the country’s youth would inherit a thriving and prosperous state.
The minister expressed this resolve while addressing the Istehkam-e-Pakistan seminar organized by the Islamic International University Islamabad (IIUI) in connection with the 78th Independence Day. He highlighted the crucial role of peace, political stability, consistent policies and continuous reforms in achieving national development and prosperity, adding that no country in the world has ever attained progress without adhering to these principles.
Ahsan Iqbal said it was a universal reality that no policy in any country bore fruit before a timeframe of ten years and that no one would invest a single penny in a country lacking political stability. He observed that nothing weakened the country economically more than political instability, long marches, sit-ins and unrest. Whenever the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government came into power and set the country on the path to economic stability and development, he said, unfortunately, obstacles were created, causing harm to democracy and the national economy.
He noted that the PML-N government had presented Vision 2010 in 1998 and Vision 2025 in 2013, but it bore the brunt of ‘so-called change’ in 2018. Following this, he said, state affairs were handed over to a person who had never been involved in even union council-level matters, which caused severe damage to the national economy, and the nation was still facing its negative impact.
The minister said Pakistan was established after great sacrifices, with its founder, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, envisioning it as a developed nation despite having meager resources.He paid tribute to the national leadership that, in the first ten years of Pakistan’s creation, made significant achievements. He acknowledged that Pakistan has made many achievements, including becoming the 7th nuclear power state, manufacturing fighter jets like the JF-17 Thunder, establishing modern fiber optic infrastructure and setting up higher educational institutions across the country. However, he noted that Pakistan still lagged behind other countries in comparison.
Addressing the youth, Ahsan Iqbal cited the example of Arshad Nadeem, the javelin thrower who set a new record at the Paris Olympics and won a gold medal, bringing laurels to the country despite limited resources. “There is a lesson for you: never let your destiny fade away due to lack of resources. By working hard with a true purpose, all avenues will begin to open,” he remarked.
