ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said “giant” initiatives would be undertaken this year to put Pakistan on the path to realisation of the vision of a welfare state based on the principles of rule of law, meritocracy and social equality.

Addressing a ceremony held here on Wednesday to mark the ground-breaking of a campus of the Air University, he said humans are blessed with the capacity to achieve their goals, visions and dreams irrespective of the hurdles involved.

“Great people and institutions nurturing great visions always make progress,” the prime minister said.

He said he had a vision of transforming Pakistan on the pattern of state of Madina, which model was based on the creation of a humanitarian system that in turn led to the rise of a great nation.

It was in the state of Madina that an administration for the first time in history took responsibility of taking care of the weaker segments of society, including widows, orphans and the poor.

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The welfare state of Madina, Mr Khan said, had three basic principles: social security, rule of law and an emphasis on seeking knowledge.

However, the past governments did not strive to maintain high standards of education and research. During the 1960s, the degrees awarded by Pakistani institutions were recognised internationally and foreign students used to study here.

Mr Khan said the world today was moving ahead at a fast pace in terms of achievements in the fields of science and technology. The countries that understood this are making progress by leaps and bounds.

He referred to artificial intelligence, which was bringing about a revolution, and said that Pakistani institutions should benefit from the technology.

The prime minister said there should be some “out of the box strategy” relating to the education sector, as the nation was capable of excelling despite limited financial resources.

Expressing optimism about the country’s future, Mr Khan said difficult times would soon be over as the nations that underwent trials always emerged successful.

The country was facing economic problems but it had a huge human resource potential.

His government’s “basic target” was to introduce a system of meritocracy in all spheres of life, he said.

In 2019, the government succeeded in bringing about an “economic turnaround” even though in the middle of the year the country’s foreign reserves shrank, and the rupee slid downwards.

“People went through difficult times with high inflation and hike in the prices of petrol, electricity and edibles, although hoarding was one of the reasons for price increase,” he added.

The country, the premier said, had huge potential in every sector and was gifted with mineral wealth. Food security could be achieved through research and technology, besides enhancing production of food grains and dairy products.

He said the government was giving a boost to the construction industry with its low-cost housing initiative, which would benefit about 40 allied industries as well. Currently, a case is pending with the Lahore High Court over the foreclosure law.

Enumerating the steps the government planned to take for providing relief to the public, he said the poor and middle-income families would have the facility of buying items at subsidised rates from the outlets of Utility Stores Corporation.

A network of Panahgahs (shelter homes) had been established in Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the free-of-charge lodging and dining of poor people, he added.

The prime minister said the tourists’ flow in the country had doubled in the last two years due to improved security situation, the premier said. Malaysia was earning $20 billion, Turkey $40bn and Switzerland $80bn annually from the tourism sector.

Mr Khan lauded the establishment of a university campus by the Pakistan Air Force and praised its leadership for maintaining high educational standards.

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2020