Pakistan wins investors back: PM

MIANWALI: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday said Pakistan was on an upward trajectory after the PTI government came into power and investors who had left the country due to corruption were now coming back, feeling confident and reassured.

He was addressing the sixth convocation ceremony at the NAMAL College here. The prime minister termed accountability and meritocracy hallmarks of a successful democracy and said every leader will now be answerable to the public.

Highlighting the merits of democracy, the premier said no country in the world had progressed without accountability and meritocracy. “The leaders are answerable to the people of the country and everyone in the government is accountable for spending public money,” he said.

Criticising the opposition leader, Prime Minister Imran said Shahbaz Sharif had used derogatory language against the Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar. Taking the cudgels for the Punjab chief minister, he said, Usman Buzdar would prove to be the best chief minister of the Punjab because his interests were intertwined with Pakistan's.

“Buzdar will not make factories, he doesn’t take 40 vehicles with him, and he would also be treated in hospitals in Pakistan. He will not misuse his office for setting up sugar mills or amass wealth. He neither used huge protocol nor flew in special planes. His son-in-law was not an absconder,” Imran said.

On the other hand, Shahbaz assumed the charge of party affairs by default, he said in a clear reference to disqualification and jail sentence of his elder brother. In a veiled jibe at the PPP chairman and co-chairman, he said a father and his son were carrying papers to claim that they had inherited the party.

Imran compared the despotic regimes with that of democratic system and said the West progressed due to continuity of the democratic system which had merits. He said Pakistan was created under an objective and that was to follow the great principles of Riasat-e-Madina and the ideals of its founders Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Poet Philosopher Allama Iqbal.

“The Riasat-e-Madina laid foundation for the first modern welfare state in the world in which there was parity among all the citizens who enjoyed complete religious freedom whereas the rulers were held accountable,” he added.

The prime minister observed that the Muslims laid the foundation of the greatest civilization in the world on the basis of Riasat-e-Madina, but they lost the glory when they deviated from their basic principles.

He cited the fall of Mughal and other Muslim empires ruled by kings while the West gained by enacting the Magna Carta, which attempted to hold rulers accountable. “People could rise to heights if they have foundations in their culture, but if an alien culture is imposed upon them, they develop slavish thoughts and find themselves lowly. Only independent minds could rise,” he said.

The prime minister said in Pakistan, military dictators also introduced Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif in the power corridors though the former had struggled a lot. Nawaz Sharif was made a chief minister and then the way was paved for him to become the prime minister on the basis of formation of IJI, he added.

The prime minister announced that modern technology, especially in agriculture, would be introduced in the country for sustainable development. He advised students to learn from failures by rectifying mistakes and asked them not to forget their culture, religion and teachings of the founding fathers of Pakistan.

"One of the most pertinent questions you must ask yourselves is: 'What is the purpose of my life here in this world? “As a human, you ought to fulfill your basic needs first and then look around for those whom you can help, those less privileged than you,” he added. The premier also congratulated the successful graduates and their parents on the occasion.