‘Pakistan remains land of opportunities’

Islamabad : PML-N Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed has said that the creation of Pakistan was an achievement unbelievable for many and yet after 75 long years of independence, it is a land of opportunities with an unprecedented talent to rise and emerge as one of the most developed countries of the world despite confronting challenges.

Senator Mushahid was addressing the inaugural session of a 2-day national seminar on ‘Kaleidoscope: 75 Years of Pakistan’ organised by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) here Thursday.

Senator Mushahid said that 75 years into independence were a watershed moment to reflect on the series of challenges impeding the country’s path to growth and development. Some of the major issues still lingering on, he added, were education with a literacy rate of 58 per cent that needed to improve, political instability which was a precursor to several other challenges, and lastly, foreign policy adventures which had historically proven rather costly for the country and its people.

Despite these challenges and many others, Pakistan was a country that reflected a dichotomy of a soft state but a very strong society, he said adding that our leaders had significantly learned from the mistakes committed in the past while our people were a resistant nation, refusing to give in the test of time.

Dr Yaqoob Khan Bangash, the Fulbright Fellow at Harvard University, asserted that the biggest challenge confronting Pakistan at present was weak institutions and hence, not everything could be entirely blamed on the uncertainties within the political system. He said that democracy and investment in the democratic culture were imperative for Pakistan to move forward and compete with the world.

Major General Raza Muhammad, President of Islamabad Policy Research Institute said that Pakistan was amongst the most resilient countries across the globe to be standing tall despite having endured endless challenges including the menace of terrorism. He expressed his hopes for a bright future for Pakistan with its youth leading from the front.