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| October 23, 2003 | Thursday | Sha’aban 26, 1424 |
Pakistan can defend itself: Jamali
TEHRAN, Oct 22: Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali said on Wednesday Pakistan is alive to the border security and capable to defend itself.
Allaying the fears of Pakistanis abroad, Mr Jamali said: “Pakistan’s defence needs are paramount and all steps have been taken to secure country’s borders.”
Speaking at a gathering of Pakistanis here at the Esteghlal hotel, he said that they need not to worry as the country was in safe hands.
He said: “Pakistan which came into being on the basis of Islamic ideology is a country of 150 million people strong enough to defend itself.”
He said the country would continue to strengthen with its strong economic policies. “We have borders with India on the east and Afghanistan on the west and there are other challenges as well, but we did not increase our defence budget,” he added.
On the contrary there had been a substantial increase in defence spending by India.
“Our priority is the welfare of the people and we want to see all areas of the country develop equally,” he said.
The funds for human resource development have been doubled and allocations for science and technology had increased. “We are striving for the uplift of our people and will continue to do so,” he assured.
Mr Jamali said: “The days of political victimization are over. Neither we have done it, nor we intend to do in future.”
The government, he said, had completed eleven months and had continued to carry forward the economic, defence and foreign policies initiated by President Gen Pervez Musharraf.
In an apparent reference to the protest in the parliament by the opposition, he said: “We have tried to take them into confidence and hopefully they too will act in a way to raise the stature of the country and the parliament,” he added.
He was appreciative of the expatriate Pakistanis for their remittances and said they helped the country in meeting the balance of payment.
The prime minister also asked the Pakistanis to inform him of their problems, and said the government would pay $100,000 for the Pakistani school in Tehran.
He also asked the Pakistan embassy in Tehran to prepare a feasibility report of a school in Mashhad, where a large number of Pakistanis reside.—APP
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