MIANWALI: Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Sunday his government was laying the foundation of a true democratic system in the country in which every ruler would be held accountable and they would have no opportunity to fritter away public money.

Addressing the sixth convocation of the Namal College, he said China had made 400 ministers accountable on corruption charges. President Xi Jinping rose to prominence after a 30-year-long struggle whereas Prime Minister Li Keqiang made a similar effort because the country had respect for merit, he added.

In Pakistan, he said, military dictators brought Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif to power corridors. However, the former had struggled a lot but the latter was first made a chief minister and then way was paved for him to become prime minister through formation of the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad.

Referring to Leader of Opposition Shahbaz Sharif’s criticism of Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, the prime minister reiterated his confidence that unlike his predecessor, Mr Buzdar would emerge as the best chief executive of the province.

Mr Buzdar, he said, would not misuse his office for setting up sugar mills or amassing wealth. “He neither uses huge protocol nor flies in special planes. His son-in-law is not an absconder. He will not go abroad for treatment. Instead, he will set up quality hospitals in the province.”

Chief Minister Buzdar, the premier added, belonged to a tribal area which lacked basic amenities, including power and hospitals. “He is cognisant of the issues and in the best position to tackle them.”

System must not allow ruling class to squander nation’s resources; PM foresees Buzdar as the best chief minister

On the other hand, Shahbaz Sharif had assumed the charge of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz by default, he said in a clear reference to disqualification and imprisonment of his elder brother.

The prime minister, in an allusion to the Pakistan Peoples Party leadership, said “a father and his son are carrying papers” to claim that they had inherited the party.

He compared despotic regimes with governments under democratic system and said the West had progressed due to continuity of democratic system.

“Pakistan was created with an objective and that was to follow great principles of the state of Madina and the ideals of the country’s founders the Quaid-i-Azam and Allama Iqbal.

The Riasat-i-Madina had laid the foundation of the first modern welfare state in the world in which there was parity among all citizens who enjoyed complete religious freedom, and the rulers were held accountable, he added.

Muslims founded the world’s greatest civilisation on the basis of Riasat-i-Madina, but they lost glory when they deviated from their basic principles, he said, citing the fall of the Mughal and other Muslim empires. On the other hand, he added, the West gained by enacting Magna Carta which attempted to hold the rulers accountable.

Prime Minister Khan said only that nation could rise to greatness which took pride in its traditions, whereas if an alien culture was imposed, it developed slavish thoughts. “Only independent minds can rise.”

He said under the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government, the country was now heading towards a merit-based culture and expressed the confidence that it would soon rise economically.

Referring to the state of Madina, he said its principles were rooted in lifting the downtrodden and stress was put on seeking education even if it was in China. “Seeking education was equated with performing a religious duty.”

Narrating the long political struggle of the PTI, he said life never marched on a straight line as there were ups and downs. “A successful person never nurtures fears after his failures, but takes the bull by the horns.”

The prime minister said Pakistan was blessed with natural and mineral resources, but in the past no efforts were made to explore them. Even investors fled the country due to rampant corruption.

Referring to the speech of Professor James Hills, a visiting professor at Namal College, he said California produced crops in abundance despite poor water resources.

He said through a proper mechanism and modern techniques, Pakistan could be able to export its crops. He also stressed proper exploration of mineral resources, including oil and gas.

“Pakistan is the seventh biggest producer of dairy products, but it still imports dry milk,” Imran Khan regretted.

The prime minister told the students that they had immense potential to excel in life. “The challenges in life will give you courage to face them by using your innate talents. Hard times can challenge you and there will be ups and downs, but the university’s education will equip you to better analyse yourself.”

Imran Khan, who is also the chairman of Namal College, advised the students not to make amassing money their objective as the people whose only aim was to make money could never enjoy life.

“You have to always ask yourself what is the purpose of your birth,” he said, exhorting the students to serve humanity instead of pursuing their personal gains and reject the materialistic view.

He cited a report that the 62 richest persons in the world owned the same amount of money as 3.5 billion people on earth had, questioning the worth of such mind-boggling sums.

The prime minister further said artificial intelligence was new frontier of knowledge and hoped that Namal College would become a pioneer in this and other fields. He also expressed the confidence that Namal College would soon emerge as the latest knowledge-based institution and serve as a model for other institutions.

He also thanked those people who had contributed for the university despite criticism and lack of resources and particularly mentioned contributions of Rehman Mir, Ameer Musarat and visiting professors Ashar Aziz and James Hills.

Among others who were present on the occasion were Punjab Governor Muhammad Sarwar, Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, ministers and Special Assistant to the PM on Political Affairs Naeemul Haq.

Inauguration

Prime Minister Khan inaugurated the first academic block of Namal Knowledge City. The vision behind Namal Knowledge City is to create “a hub of knowledge exchange and research” in Mianwali.

A total of $200 million will be spent on construction of the Knowledge City. It will be built on the concept of zero carbon footprint and completed by 2027.

It will be spread over four million square feet and accommodate 7,000 students and 600 faculty members.

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2019