PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif delivered a pragmatic speech at the meeting of the Federal Cabinet on Thursday.
He welcomed staff level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) but at the same time once again expressed the hope it would be the last programme and that time has come to free ourselves of the debt burden. The PM also declared that Islamabad was ready to talk if Kabul agreed to fulfill Pakistan’s “justified” conditions following recent hostilities between the two countries. He expressed hope that the latest situation between the two countries would be resolved on a long-term basis, including the elimination of the Fitna al-Khawarij from Afghan soil so the neighbouring country’s territory would no longer be used by terrorists.
The PM speaks for the nation when he expresses resolve to say goodbye to the IMF as the debt trap has become one of the major challenges for the country. However, it is also a fact that similar announcements were also made by successive rulers of the past but the country was forced to revert back to the IMF in the absence of any prudent strategy to put the economy on strong foundations. A national debate should be held on the issue of debt and a comprehensive but sustainable long term policy should be formulated to manage debt and reduce dependence on foreign loans as repayments eat up a major portion of our resources. As for Afghanistan, the Prime Minister has rightly pointed out that after the ceasefire, now the ball is in the court of Afghanistan, which should take verifiable measures against the presence of terrorist outfits on its soil. However, the Afghan side does not seem to be sincere as yet another infiltration attempt was made by a group of militants on Thursday while taking advantage of the ceasefire. Credit goes to Pakistan Army for neutralizing 45 to 50 militants belonging to Indian proxy “Fitna al-Khawarij”. This was another indication that instead of addressing concerns of Pakistan vis-à-vis the presence of TTP elements in Afghanistan, the Taliban Government is using them as a tool against Pakistan. In this backdrop, the Prime Minister has reiterated his hope that the ceasefire be maintained for the future on the basis of “solid demands” and if this was only done to buy time then Pakistan won’t accept it. On Palestinian issue, contrary to the propaganda by some circles, the PM emphasized that Palestinians should get their own state, adding that Pakistan would continue to strive and make efforts towards this end.
