NewsOctober 27 , 2017
External challenges have to be tackled through internal security: Ahsan
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Interior Ahsan Iqbal has said the coming three years are most sensitive for the country.Talking to a select group of journalists from print and electronic media here on Thursday, he said it is a collective responsibility of judges, army generals and media persons to maintain internal stability of the country and foil the international conspiracies aimed at destabilising it.
“Tackling external challenges through internal security is a collective responsibility of the whole nation,” he stressed. The minister said that some defeated politicians, some retired military men and few media persons were engaged in the practice of evolving a specific narrative, and the nation would have to foil all such designs through joint efforts.
The minister claimed that Pakistan Muslim League-N had become "stainless steel" and no cracks could be developed in it now. The minister said political stability and smooth transition of power after the next general elections were essential for turning Pakistan into a mature democracy and achieving sustainable development.
He said Pakistan was heading towards smooth transition and would become a mature democratic country after the next elections. Ahsan Iqbal said it was for the first time in the 66 years history of the country that the previous democratic government had completed its tenure, which had sent a positive message to the world that Pakistan was becoming a democratic state.
Similarly, he said, the government wanted that the next elections in 2018 should be held in a free, fair and transparent manner, adding Election Law was passed and now work was continuing for delimitation of constituencies according to the latest census.
The minister said the incumbent government has completed more than four years and emphasised the need to further strengthen democratic culture, so that it could be shown that second time a democratic government completed its five-year term.
The minister said the journey to progress would continue and efforts were being made to make Pakistan economically strong and stable, describing politically stability as "oxygen for development and prosperity".
He said good economic policies were like seeds which only grow and germinate in a suitable environment. The minister lamented that a particular segment of opposition parties was in the habit of finding faults with the progress which the government made during last four years and was spreading disappointment in the country.
He said the PML-N won the general election of 2013 on the promise of development and it fulfilled its commitment, ending terrorism and energy shortages to a larger extent. The minister said that in 2013, Pakistan was considered the most dangerous country of the world due to terrorism and deteriorating law and order, but with Nawaz Sharif''s efforts the country has become safe and secure now.
Nawaz fulfilled his promises which he made with public in 2013 and put Pakistan on the road to peace and prosperity. Replying to a question, he said former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was the most popular leader among masses and the PML-N was united under his dynamic leadership.
"There was no rift in party and people had always voted for Nawaz Sharif," he said adding, the PML-N has become a "stainless steel" and people of Pakistan and their representatives have complete confidence in the leadership on Nawaz Sharif.
Ahsan Iqbal said the general election 2018 would actually be a referendum on efforts of the government to develop Pakistan. He said the incumbent government had initiated lot of mega projects from Gilgit-Baltistan to Karachi to lead the country towards progress and development.
He said that due to the policies of Nawaz Sharif, peace has been restored in the country including Karachi and Balochistan, adding that Nawaz Sharif launched first-ever mega projects in Balochistan and built motorway from Gwadar to Karachi.
The roads built in Balochistan have shortened the distance between Gwadar and Karachi from 24 hours to only 8 hours. "Our gross domestic product (GDP) growth is rising and electricity shortages have been brought under control. The world’s key investors were eyeing Pakistan as a potential investment market.
In the bracket of low and middle income countries, the World Bank in its recent report, ranked Pakistan as the 5th top country for its private investment in infrastructure, Ahsan continued. The minister said 5.3 per cent GDP growth has been achieved while 6 per cent target of GDP growth has been set for this fiscal year.
The minister said had the political circumstances remained stable, the government would have managed to achieve 6.5 per cent GDP growth; however, 6 per cent target would be achieved positively.
He said the incumbent government added around 10,000-MW electricity to national grid in last four years as compared to 16,000-MW which were added in the last 66 years. The minister said unprecedented investment has been made in power sector, adding that further 15,000-MW electricity would be added to the system by 2025 to meet growing energy needs.
Courtesy www.thenews.com.pk
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