Civil, military leadership on same page: ex-interior minister

Karachi
Both, the government and the military, are on the same page regarding efforts being made to bring about political stability and eliminate internal security threats from the country, according to former federal interior minister and Sindh governor Lieutenant General (retd) Moinuddin Haider.
“Both the government and the military have now realised that political stability and elimination of security threats were vital for economic stability and progress,” he said. “Now everyone can see that both civilian and military leaderships are striving together to bring peace, stability, progress and development to the country.”
Speaking at a plenary session of the 14th Convention of Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) on Monday, Haider claimed that rulers and military establishments had realised that long-term stability was necessary for taking advantage of the country’s natural resources, geographical location and better utilisation of human potential.
“Our leaders have now come to realise that political stability is vital for the Chinese investment worth $45 billion to create an economic corridor for the extraction and utilisation of coal, gold and copper reserves, building power plants and fetching further foreign investment in the country,” he observed.
He claimed that political reconciliation with opposition parties, which had earlier been on a path of confrontation with the government with military operations in several areas of the country, from FATA to Karachi, was evidence of the fact that Pakistan needed peace and security if it had to overcome its current political and security turmoil.
Talking about the extension of Pakistan’s continental shelf with the inclusion of 50,000 square kilometres in the country’s sea limits, Haider said it would enable the country to utilise the vast coal, gold and copper reserves.
He was of the view that Pakistan’ relations with the United States and Afghanistan were getting on the right track and the day was not far when Pakistan will not be worrying about internal and external security threats.
Meanwhile, other speakers at the three plenary and six technical sessions of the convention were held where senior faculty members of medical universities and consultants spoke about the causes, treatments and prevention of diseases.
Renowned economist Dr Shahid Hassan Siddiqui claimed that despite having the trust of people, government’s economic team was not making any effort for providing any financial relief to the people. He said instead of broadening the tax base, indirect taxes were being imposed.
“Pakistan is a country which does not need foreign funding and loans if our economic leaders decide to broaden the tax net, eliminate corruption and prepare pro-people policies,” he claimed.
In his opinion, it was the right time for the present government to prepare economic policies in the interest of common people, expand the tax net and restore the confidence of masses for putting the country on the right track.
Earlier, talking about the problems of doctors, secretary-general of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Dr Mirza Ali Azhar said doctors too were worried like every other Pakistani because the entire nation suffered from the worsening law and order and economic conditions.
He said during the past couple of years, hundreds of doctors had left the country, gone into hiding or had limited their activities due to killings, threats, extortion and kidnappings for ransom.
“It is the responsibility of the state to create a sense of security among citizens,” he said.
Renowned physician Dr Farrukh Abdali rejected the idea of providing arms licenses to doctors for their own protection, saying it was the states responsibility to protect them.
He said the health community should strive for bringing peace to the country and appealed to the law-enforcement agencies and rulers to fulfil their responsibilities instead of taking the matters into their own hands.