Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday asserted that the country was \u201con its way\u201d to overcoming the myriad of economic challenges it has been facing for the past few months because of the \u201ctough decisions\u201d taken by the government at the cost of its political capital.
\nAddressing the passing out parade of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Academy Asghar Khan in Risalpur, the premier said, \u201cLet me assure you that we are making all efforts to bring our economy back on track. Thanks to tough decisions at the cost of our political asset, we are on the way to overcome these challenges soon.\u201d
\nThe incumbent coalition government has been making tough policy decisions in the past few months \u2014such as fuel price hikes, increase in gas rates and rising living costs leading to all-time high inflation \u2014 to meet the conditions for a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund. (IMF).
\nDue to the resulting criticism, the government has been wary of the IMF-mandated tough decisions ahead of the general elections that are set to take place later this year.
\nDuring today\u2019s address, Shehbaz noted, \u201cWe live in challenging times that are being shaped by an evolving regional and global environment. The interplay of geopolitical and geo-economic factors is having a profound effect on the world.\u201d
\nHe admitted that the \u201ccost of living has added to people\u2019s woes and adversely affected all walks of life\u201d, adding that the people could not be left \u201cat the mercy of disruption in the global markets\u201d.
\nThe prime minister said the country needed to \u201cbuild resilience and protect our economy from global shocks\u201d, which he said was possible by introducing structural economic reforms.
\nShehbaz further said it was the reason why he has been a \u201cstrong proponent of a charter of economy\u201d.
\nThe premier also reiterated Pakistan\u2019s stance on the issue of India-Occupied Kashmir.
\nNoting that Pakistan was a \u201cpeace-loving nation\u201d that wished to maintain \u201cfriendly ties with all countries, especially our neighbours\u201d, he warned that \u201cour desire for peace must not be misunderstood as weakness\u201d.
\n\u201cThere can be no peace in South Asia without a just and fair settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, in line with the UN resolution and the aspirations of the people of Kashmir,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cWe condemn the human rights violations in India-Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, and urge the world to take note of the illegal changes introduced by India post-August 2019,\u201d he said.
\nPraising the PAF, Shehbaz said it had been a \u201cprincipal instrument of our national power\u201d and had \u201cjealously guarded our air frontiers\u201d.
\nReferring to Operation Swift Retort when the PAF shot down two Indian planes that had violated Pakistani airspace in 2019, the premier said, \u201cThe most recent example was our befitting response to the Indian aggression in February 2019.
\n\u201cThe world saw how our brave sons humiliated the Indian Air Force in a show of exceptional skill and expertise,\u201d the prime minister remarked.
\n\u201cNo other nation has been tested by a combination of challenges \u2014 such as terrorism, extremism and militancy \u2014 the way we have.\u201d
\nHe termed the PAF\u2019s performance in \u201cneutralising threats to national security\u201d as \u201csimply outstanding\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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