LAHORE: Federal Minister for Development Ahsan Iqbal has said the government wants to keep political temperature down for economic stability.

“This is a government with an economic agenda, committed to keeping the political temperature of the country cool. Successful na­­tions establish peace and achi­eve political stability,” Mr Iqbal said while speaking at the National College of Arts here on Saturday.

He said democracy did not mean putting people against each other. “The time for political long marches is over — what we need now is an economic long march,” he stressed. He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has launched the “Uraan Pakistan” initiative to drive Pakistan towards progress through eight key sectors, boosting exports and economic growth.

“The creative industry has become a $1.5 trillion sector globally. Sixty per cent of Pakistan’s population consists of youth. It is essential to equip them with the tools and opportunities to play their role effectively. One of the biggest challenges for Pakistan’s future is how to grow exports from $30 billion to $100bn. If we can achieve this within the next eight years, we will be on the right track; otherwise, we may face difficulties,” he said and added that the question was how could “we move forward as one nation despite holding different ideas and beliefs”.

The minister said the greatest challenge would be in 2047 when our neighbour (India) would celebrate its centenary, whereas “we might be hanging our head in shame?”

He said: “Over the past 77 years, we have made several attempts to rise, but three times our efforts did not bear fruit. Now, for the fourth time, we are trying again.”

He said the government was focusing heavily on education of the youth. “By promoting art, culture, design, the film industry, dramas, and movies, we can advance our national identity and cultural heritage.”

Ahsan Iqbal said he himself was a victim of extremism. “Extremist ideologies fill minds with bullets of hatred. Our political ideologies may differ, but we are all Pakistanis. We are facing a new wave of terrorism. The previous government (PTI) is responsible for allowing terrorists to resurface. On Friday, the apex committee met and decided to confront this wave of terrorism with an iron fist. Operations like Zarb-e-Azb and Radd-ul-Fasaad were successful because the entire nation was united to eliminate terrorism,” he said and added the government had always tried to ensure that Afghanistan prevented its territory from being used for terrorist activities.

“Our country is facing a growing drug and gun culture. If any group from Afghanistan seeks refuge for terrorism, it is the responsibility of the Afghan government to stop them,” he added.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2025