Pakistan emerging as global power

Every year when the people of Pakistan celebrate their independence day, they do so with a renewed sense of patriotism. This is because the 14th day of August always reminds them of the sacrifices of our founding fathers who struggled to carve out a separate homeland for the Muslims of south Asia. This is also a day of reflection when we take stock of how close we have come towards building the progressive, prosperous and stable Pakistan that was envisioned by Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah who left us with a clear roadmap enshrined in the principles of Unity, Faith and Discipline. On this day we also pay tribute to the men and women who continue their struggle for ‘Jinnah’s Pakistan’ to this day. We feel proud that today we can hold our heads high and say that despite that challenges, Pakistan has established itself as a democracy, and the people are fully empowered to choose their own leaders. The recent decision by the Judicial commission in which the transparency of the last general election was established beyond doubt, has renewed our confidence not only in our elected leaders but also in the independence of judiciary. We are working hard to improve our governance and build a system that ensures the provision of education, employment and opportunities to all our citizens.
National Action Plan to restore stability
The present government led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is committed to restoring the stability and improving the law and order situation in all cities of Pakistan. In order to address the issue of extremism the political and military leadership of country worked together to evolve “National Action Plan” which was successfully executed across Pakistan and thanks to the tremendous work by our armed forces, Rangers, the police and all law enforcement agencies that the peace and stability has been restored in the metropolis of Karachi. The successful execution of the operation Zarb-e-Azb, by the brave armed forces of Pakistan has broken the back of the extremist elements and according to international observers Pakistan is moving steadily towards stability. The entire nation of Pakistan, and the state institutions are stand behind their government, and the armed forces. This is evident from the recent historic decision by Supreme Court when they upheld the decision to establish Military courts which would provide speedy justice. This is a landmark decision which has been appreciated across the country as it establishes without doubt that there is no room for extremism in Pakistan of today.
Emerging economy
The government has been following prudent and dynamic policies to revive the country’s economy, restore investor confidence and expand our trade and today Pakistan is being recognised as an emerging economy on the global scale. Our foreign exchange reserves stand at the highest levels in history, foreign investors are showing confidence in Pakistan which is evident from the massive investment from China in building China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which is set to be a game changer for Pakistan and the region. The government led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif remains committed to providing incentives to businessmen from within and outside Pakistan, and all government departments have been directed to facilitate investors and encourage entrepreneurs by creating a business friendly environment. The government is following policies of liberalisation, De-regulation and transparency and efforts are being undertaken to improve governance.
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has emerged as a mega-project which will connect the Gwadar Port to China through a network of roads, trains as well as pipelines. This would provide the much needed access to China, boost the trade and communication between the two countries, and also enable China to transport gas, oil and other products to the world through the state of the art Port that is being built in port of Gwadar. The estimated $46 billion dollar investment coming from China will open the door to abundant opportunities for Pakistan, create thousands of jobs, and general boost Pakistan’s economy.
A promising future
So this year, when we celebrate our Independence Day, we do so with a growing sense of pride as we see our country emerging as a stable democracy that believes in empowering its people through education, employment and entrepreneurship. Our political and military leadership are on the same page and working closely together in building a stable and crime free Pakistan with a zero tolerance for extremism and corruption. Our economy is showing visible changes of improvement, our trade is on the increase, our foreign exchange reserves stand at the highest level in excess of $18 billion. International investors are showing growing confidence in the opportunities in our country. So as a nation of 200 million people, as we celebrate our independence we do so with a sense of pride in our nation ever more than before.
Ambassador Javed Malik is Prime Minister’s Special Envoy based in the Gulf region and can be contacted on jm@ambassadorsoffice.com or Twitter: @JavedMalik