Became PM by taking U-turn: Imran

SWABI: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday said he became the prime minister by taking a U-turn. Speaking at the inauguration of a new academic block at the Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute (GIKI) of Engineering Science and Technology in Topi, Imran Khan said his opponents often accused him of taking U-turns from a particular stance.

"I make compromises for achieving my goals, rather than compromising on my goals," he said. He categorically rejected chance of reconciliation with the jailed looters of the country’s wealth. "The opponents are raising hue and cry so that I give them NRO. This is simply out of question," he said. Imran Khan said Pakistan had no dearth of resources and capable human resource.

He stressed that strengthening of institutions and focusing on education, was vital for the country’s progress. He said the government had placed education among its top priorities with no compromise on its quality and standard.

Addressing the under-graduate students, the prime minister advised them to always follow the mindset that led to positivity and towards achievement of their goals, rather than getting demoralised by challenges in life.

"Expect challenges surfacing in your life, but never let your inner-fear overcome you and distract you from your dreams," he said, while giving the students tips of a successful life. He said role models were important to set a direction in one’s life and urged upon the students to follow Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) as their inspiration, who established the world’s first-ever modern state, based on a just society that also provided unprecedented rights to women and banished slavery.

The prime minister proposed the GIK for establishing an academic chair on the Seerah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) for an in-depth research about his vision and qualities that laid the foundation of a great civilisation.

He said the Prophet’s (PBUH) victory against infidels in the Battle of Badar in AD 625 with only 313 men, and defeating the Roman and Persian Empires in AD 636 and AD 638 respectively, were the topics that needed to be thoroughly studied.

Imran Khan said history only remembered those who did not confine their vision to themselves but acted in the best interest of humanity. He said Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, once a staunch supporter of Hindu-Muslim unity, realised the mentality of prejudice against Muslims similar to the agenda of RSS in India and worked tirelessly towards his goal of a separate homeland.

The prime minister said 60 percent youth in the country were below the age of 30 years, who could prove as an engine of positive change in right direction. He said Islam held scholars in high esteem and vowed to restore the culture of respect for teachers in the society.

Meanwhile, a Sri Lankan delegation called on Prime Minister Imran Khan to gift eye corneas to visually impaired people in Pakistan. The initiative was taken by the Sri Lankan High Commission in Islamabad, in collaboration with the Sri Lankan Eye Donation Society.

Imran Khan highly valued and appreciated the humanitarian gesture. He said that it was a great initiative to provide corneas on humanitarian basis which would enable people to regain their eyesight. The premier said that Pakistan deeply values its close and friendly relations with Sri Lanka.

These relations, he added, have been nurtured over decades through a continuous interaction at bilateral, regional and international levels. The prime minister also expressed satisfaction on the growing people-to-people contacts between the two countries.

The Sri Lankan delegation thanked the prime minister for receiving them and said that the gift of corneas from the people of Sri Lanka would help in strengthening the bonds of friendship between the two nations.

Meanwhile, Imran Khan asked the Ministry of Communications to present all the factors before the Supreme Court of Pakistan and urge for implementation of the National Highways Safety Ordinance-2000 in phases.

He observed this while presiding over a high-level meeting in Islamabad on the implementation of the national highways safety law and to looking into the reservations of stakeholders and on how to address the same. He said that the enforcement of the ordinance would be helpful in making the roads safe and secure.

The prime minister emphasised that while enforcing the law, the stakeholders’ reservations, the road infrastructure, utility of means of transportation and their impact on the national economy, particularly, on the common man, be taken into consideration. The forum took stock of the enforcement of the related law, particularly the axle load, stake-holders reservations and the court orders.