Tariq Saeed
Peshawar
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday, addressing concerns about the resistance being faced by the government in implementing reforms in several sectors, motivated the general public to not worry, and stated that bringing “the change encounters resistance”.
Addressing the inauguration ceremony of the 42nd annual winter meeting of the Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America and Khyber Medical College Alumni Association, the premier remarked that the government would never back down from the reforms it intends to implement. “Pakistan cannot progress without [bringing] change,” he said.
He urged the overseas Pakistani doctors residing in North America to step up their efforts to effectively counter the Indian propaganda and highlight the plight of the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
“Overseas doctors should raise their voice against Indian brutalities in IOK and expose discriminatory policies against the Muslim minority in India,” he said while addressing the inauguration ceremony of the 42nd annual winter meeting of the Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America and Khyber Medical College Alumni Association in Peshawar on Saturday.
He urged the overseas Pakistani doctors residing in North America to step up their efforts to effectively counter the Indian propaganda and highlight the plight of the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Terming APPNA the ‘most powerful and influential overseas Pakistani group’, the premier said, “You are the most educated and aware”. Speaking on domestic issues, Imran reiterated his resolve to eliminate the “status quo” resisting his government’s reform agenda introduced in different sectors of the country.
Imran Khan said he saw economically strong and prosperous Pakistan in the year 2020 adding his government would continue with its institutional reforms despite resistance from the elements with the vested interest.
“The corrupt mafia has destroyed the system, due to which bringing reforms has become imperative to reverse the rot that has set in every institution as Pakistan cannot progress without change”.
Talking about his determinations the PM said when he started constructing the cancer hospital, everyone said it could not be built but he continued with his missions and even went to North America for raising funds to build the cancer hospital.
The PTI supremo said the beneficiaries of the corrupt system were complaining of privatization adding his government wanted to provide improved medical facilities to a common man in government-run hospitals. He also clarified that government was not privatizing government-run hospitals but introducing reforms to bring them at par with private sector hospitals. He said that the government has been bringing these reforms in hospitals of Punjab as well.
The government, Imran regretted was facing hurdles in implementing reforms in all sectors, including bringing automation in FBR and tax collection. He however, expressed his resolve to defeat these mafias come what may.
He said those Pakistani who have been living abroad were the best talent of the country adding he himself had lived abroad for 20 years hence he could very well understand problems of overseas Pakistanis adding PTI the government was sincere to effectively resolve all the issues confronting overseas Pakistanis.
Prime Minister Khan said 2019 was a difficult year as the government faced tough challenges on the fiscal side but it muddled through somehow and brought about stabilization. He said 2020 is the year of prosperity, job creation, and a high growth rate adding in the upcoming year the stock market and investment would bring betterment for the general public.
Imran said Indian Prime Minister Narinder Modi was following the ideology of Hitler in his country and the BJP was enforcing its ideology on the ideology of RSS. He said India was being criticized for the first time by the international community as well as the international human rights organizations adding the citizens of India have been protesting all over the country against the Citizenship Amendment Bill and the Modi administration was left with no option but to review the controversial bill. Earlier, talking to members of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Prime Minister directed for enhancing employment opportunities in the erstwhile FATA areas to ensure socio-economic progress of the region. He said creating job opportunities for the youth in the merged areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was among top priorities of the PTI government.
The Prime Minister said the present government has provided record funds for the merged areas, and it is a big achievement of the PTI government to take forward the merger process.
He said the real objective to merge the erstwhile FATA areas into KP is to provide facilities to the people of those areas on the pattern of other parts of the country. He said unfortunately, these areas were ignored in the past.
The Prime Minister said Saudi Arabia has expressed interest to invest in tourism sector and the KP Government should focus on fully exploiting the tourism potential in the province.
He said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has the great tourism potential that needed to be exploited fully.
