Nations can’t prosper with ‘island of rich in sea of poor’: Imran

Ag APP

RAIWIND: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday once again criticised what he described as the “elite capture” of the country and said no nation could prosper with “an island of rich in a big sea of the poor”.

Making his case for equitable distribution of resources by ensuring basic amenities of life for all, the Prime Minister said: “The notion of elite capture and the prevailing mindset that Pakistan belongs to a particular class only is regrettable.”

He made the remarks in a speech at the launch of Punjab Peri-Urban Housing project for low-income groups. Khan said no nation could prosper with “an island of rich in a big sea of poor” and regretted that during last 74 years, only a “particular elite” ruled the country.

He said the “elite-centric policies” inflicted significant damage upon the poor, whose access to civic facilities like health, education and jobs greatly suffered.

The Prime Minister said his vision was to “make the powerful answerable to the law” and strengthen the weaker segments of society. He added that Islam’s first socio-welfare State of Medina was a model to be emulated where the rule of law and justice prevailed regardless of the status of a person. He once again said the opposition wanted an NRO — a deal — from him to spare them the consequences of their “corruption”, however, he stressed that “such efforts would go in vain”. He added that the political elite in the past “patronised illegal land grabbing” that led to litigation and obstructed development work.

Khan then spoke of how his government’s efforts resulted in economic recovery, and cited how the launching of several affordable housing schemes for low-income groups, and the subsequent that construction was resulting in an “economic boom” in the country.

As construction sector was connected with 30 other industries, he said, the step would help resolve the problems of accommodation and unemployment. He also mentioned that the recently passed foreclosure law of banks greatly helped in materialising the low-cost housing schemes.

The Prime Minister said ill-planning of infrastructure and encroachment in cities was leading to civic problems including poor sanitation, pollution and mushroom growth of slums. He said a plan to equip slums with basic amenities was on the cards and vowed to give ownership rights to slum-dwellers.

The Prime Minister, who also virtually inaugurated work at nine other sites including Chiniot, Dera Ghazi Khan, Chunian, Khanewal, Khushab, Mandi Bahauddin, Mianwali, Jalalpur Pirwalla and Sargodha, said the project would facilitate the common man.

He lauded Frontier Works Organisation and the government of Punjab for executing the work on low-cost housing “in record time”.

Khan said Pakistan was blessed with areas having spectacular natural beauty, adding that a proper tourism strategy could earn the country a large amount in revenues.

He also said the government was focused on bringing about a revolution in the agriculture sector and mentioned that he was personally overseeing the area to facilitate farmers. During last two years, he added, farmers were given an additional Rs11 billion and the yields of wheat, rice and corn witnessed record production.

The Prime Minister mentioned that Pakistan was also undergoing advancements in information technology with record exports of equipment in 11 years.