ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday asserted that Pakistan was “on its way” to overcoming the myriad of economic challenges being faced by the country for the past few months, because of the “tough decisions” taken by the incumbent government at the cost of its political capital.
Addressing the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) passing out parade at Asghar Khan Academy in Risalpur, PM Shehbaz said, “Let me assure you that we are making all efforts to place our economy back on track. Thanks to tough decisions at the cost of our political asset, we are on the way to overcoming these challenges soon.”
He said, “We are living in challenging times that are being shaped by an evolving regional and global environment,” adding the geopolitical and geo-economic factors were collecting having a profound effect on the world.
The premier admitted that the “cost of living has added to people’s woes and adversely impacted all walks of life”, adding that the public could not be left “at the mercy of disruption in the global markets”.
The premier said the country needed to build resilience and protect its economy from global shocks, which he said was possible by introducing structural economic reforms.
He further said he has been a “strong proponent of a charter of economy” for this reason.
The PM also reiterated Islamabad’s stance on the issue of India-Occupied Kashmir.
He said Pakistan was a “peace-loving nation” that wished to maintain “friendly ties with all countries, especially its neighbours”, but added that “our desire for peace must not be misunderstood as weakness”.
‘Regional peace not possible without fair, just settlement of Kashmir dispute’
“There can be no peace in South Asia without a just and fair settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, in line with the UN resolution and the aspirations of the people of Kashmir,” he said.
He condemned the human rights violations in India-Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, and urged the world to take note of the illegal changes introduced by India after August 2019.
Praising the PAF, the PM said it had been a “principal instrument of our national power” and had “jealously guarded our air frontiers”.
He said the most recent example of this was Pakistan’s befitting response to the Indian aggression in February 2019, while referring to Operation Swift Retort when the PAF downed two Indian planes that had violated Pakistani airspace in 2019.
“The world saw how our brave sons, in a show of exceptional skill and expertise, humiliated the Indian Air Force,” the prime minister remarked.
He added no other nation has been tested by a combination of challenges such as terrorism, extremism and militancy like Pakistan.
He termed the PAF’s performance in “neutralising national security threats as “simply outstanding”.
