PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif recently met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the fifth time in six months during the Water Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital. This meeting marks a positive development in the bilateral relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, reaffirming the shared commitment of both leaders to fostering cooperation. The Saudi Crown Prince expressed great joy, describing the meeting as a testament to the mutual respect and deep connection between the people of both nations.
Discussions during the meeting highlighted several promising opportunities, including the possibility of the Crown Prince visiting Pakistan. As Pakistan grapples with significant challenges, the government’s efforts are being bolstered by support from friendly countries such as China, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE which remains a source of encouragement. In addition to ensuring debt payments of $100 billion over the next four years and meeting the conditions associated with each IMF installment, Pakistan faces the challenge of 40.5% of its population falling below the poverty line. Efforts are underway to improve living conditions and accelerate the country’s development. Several measures are being implemented, including achieving tax targets, reducing government expenditure and rightsizing various government departments.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, during the Riyadh summit, presented a six-point collective agenda aimed at addressing global threats. He called for the international community’s immediate attention to critical issues such as melting glaciers, water scarcity, and the risks posed to agriculture. These efforts underline the urgency of reducing environmental threats and securing sustainable development.
The economic challenges of Pakistan make the situation more troubling. This is a situation which the present government is fully active to deal with. The Prime Minister is visiting different countries to bring ease for the country. The Army Chief is also active while taking advantage of every forum to communicate with friendly countries. The arrival of the Prime Minister and the delegation of the Russian Federation at the Shanghai Conference led to important developments in many respects. Moscow’s proposal to supply crude oil at subsidized rates from next month and Pakistan’s agreement to this is part of this development. Last week, during the visit of Belarus President Alexander Kashinok to Pakistan, 15 memorandums of understanding were signed on cooperation including trade, education, health and environment.
In such a world that the current government’s focus is on economic stability, the Prime Minister’s complaint against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf is not out of logic and rational that it is creating problems regarding economic stability in the form of unnecessary and untimely protests. Those who dishonour and break the law during the sit-ins, damage government property and injure and martyr the officials of the law enforcement agencies should be punished according to the law so that no one dares to take the law into their hands in the future. The progress on the legal proceedings should be reviewed on weekly basis. The situation that was seen in the form of demonstration and sit-in on the occasion of the visit of the President of Belarus requires that such a code of conduct of demonstrations should be implemented in the style of many countries including the United Kingdom, which must not be accessible to the country and the people.
Pakistan cannot afford derailment of political process and economic development. The country has already suffered a lot. The nation is under debt. Besides tireless struggle of the government the country is still facing multiple challenges. Saudi Arabia at this stage is extending best of its favours to Pakistan. It is collective responsibility of every Pakistani to steer the country to safeguard harbour. Being the part of the parliament Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf should raise its legitimate concerns in the parliament which is a right forum in a democratic system. The government may allow the PTI protesters to even raise their voices out of parliament if the protesters remain civilised. Ablazing the trees, vehicles and government buildings make no sense. The protesters should never damage country and the nation in any capacity. This way the protesters distort the soft image of the country. Such situation always shatters confidence of the foreign investors. Such sort of Instability is seriously harming the country. Pakistan is our sweet homeland and everyone should contribute positively for the uplift of country’s economy.
—The writer is author of several books based in Islamabad.
