Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday pointed out the demolition of Bangladesh founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s statues during recent protests, saying that the individual who led the movement against Pakistan was now facing consequences.
"What goes around comes around", the premier said while addressing the National Youth Convention in Islamabad.
Infuriated people vandalised several statues, pictures and murals of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman following an end to Sheikh Hasina-led government who fled to India on board a military helicopter along with her sister.
The Hasina government collapsed on the back of riots — one of the worst in the country's history of 50-odd years. Almost 300 people were killed and thousands of others injured in the recent violence that started in early July.
The protesters launched their rallies last month, demanding the government abolish civil service job quotas. However, the large-scale demonstrations escalated into the worst unrest of Hasina's 15-year rule, with protesters later calling on the 76-year-old to step down.
Speaking about other domestic matters, PM Shehbaz said that Pakistan had sacrificed thousands of lives in its fight against terrorism besides suffering an economic loss of $150 billion. "Not just Pakistan, the whole world has benefited from the elimination of terrorism by Pakistan," he added.
The convention was attended by federal ministers, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir, Chairman of the Higher Education Commission, teachers, vice-chancellors and students from across the country.
Calling the 1973 Constitution a binding force for the nation, he said Pakistani nation also showed unity when the country carried out the nuclear tests in 1998 to make its defence impregnable, setting aside the serious challenges.
He said that besides the common citizens, the security forces played their fullest role in purging the country of terrorism, which the nation would always remember.
Coming to the economic challenges, the prime minister said the government was compelled to privatise the Pakistan International Airline (PIA) which once used to be a model for other airlines in the region. "Similarly, South Korea copied Pakistan’s five-year development plan and boosted its economy while Pakistan still lagged behind".
"We have to decide whether the business will go as usual or we will move forward," he remarked.
He assured that despite the challenges of electricity, revenue receipts and exports, the government would dole out maximum funds for youth empowerment and recalled the PML-government’s pro-youth steps in the past including the merit-based distribution of laptops, establishment of Punjab Education Endowment Fund to distribute scholarships worth Rs22 billion, and numerous schemes for skill development.
He further said that youth empowerment and the united efforts by the politicians and the national institutions were inevitable to put the country on the course to progress.
The premier said it was the government’s responsibility to equip the youth with modern education, technology and skills to enable them to change the country’s fate and bring about a “revolution” of progress and prosperity.
PM Shehbaz said the country’s youth had immense potential as for the last three years, Pakistani students were among the top achievers of the foreign scholarships.
Urging the youth to go into the small and medium enterprises (SMEs), he said the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has been asked to instruct the commercial banks to allocate 40% of their loans for the sector.
He also referred to the federal government’s Rs50 billion relief package for electricity consumers using up to 200 units for a three-month period. He said the Punjab government has also announced a Rs45 billion package to give Rs14 per unit subsidy to the consumers using 200-500 units which should also be copied by other provinces, instead of politicking on the matter.
"If we resolve to change Pakistan, it will not be too far when the country will emerge as a great nation. Today’s Pakistan and its prevailing circumstances necessitate politicians and national institutions to serve the country unitedly while observing their constitutional limits. If we do so, history will remember us forever otherwise the future generations will never forgive us," he added.
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