Youm-e-Takbir is one of the few days which the whole Pakistani nation cherishes and celebrates with great pride and rightly so because the successful detonation of nuclear weapons on this day back in 1998 not only made the country’s defence impregnable but also manifested the capability and ability of our people to achieve great milestones regardless of all odds and pressures.
In his message on the 24th anniversary of nuke tests on Sunday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to move forward and make Pakistan an economic power.
Undoubtedly this country has the resources both natural and human to register successes on the economic front.
A country which can become an atomic power – the capability which cannot be achieved easily as it requires a lot of hard work and research, can also become an economic power by exploiting its potential in different fields.
It is really unfortunate that we did not pursue that path with the same zeal and determination that was shown by successive governments in making Pakistan a nuclear power, and the result is that today we are too much dependent on international financial lenders which dictate their terms and thus we are compromising our economic sovereignty.
Time has come to revive the spirit that was shown in the development of nuclear weapons and missile technology to make Pakistan economically strong and self- reliant.
The political leadership will have to play a lead role in this endeavour. No country can achieve progress without political stability and it is lamentable that our country is once again marred by political uncertainty.
If we want to set the country’s direction right, the political leadership will have to give precedence to the national interests whilst keeping their petty political interests aside.
There should not be any politics on economy and the political leaders need to sit together and agree upon a Charter of Economy which should also suggest a clear pathway to exploit the potential of the country in different sectors be these are the natural resources, industries, agriculture and Information Technology.
Strong economy is important for national security and strong defence of Pakistan. Current situation clearly warrants that we are left with little time to take the right decisions and our political leaders will have to demonstrate sagacity and farsightedness for a better future of our nation.
