No peace in world sans peace in Gaza: PM

RIYADH (APP): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Monday said permanent peace in Gaza was imperative for peace in the world. He was speaking at the plenary meeting of the special session of World Economic Forum on the theme of “Rejuvenating Growth”.

He said, “The world will not be in peace unless there is a permanent peace in Gaza.” As he talked about Gaza, the audience in the hall responded with resounding applause. He said the conflict in Ukraine brought to the world skyrocketing commodity prices, and Pakistan could not import and procure vital raw materials for industry and agriculture. “On top of that inflation is breaking the back of developing countries,” he said. Coupled with that, Pakistan faced devastation in 2022 due to huge unimaginable floods.

The prime minister said, “Pakistan is one of those countries which have nothing to do with the reasons leading to climate change. Our contribution to emissions is not even fraction of one percent.” Due to the catastrophic floods in Pakistan, large swathes of land were submerged, millions of houses and animals were washed away, and stagnant water brought water borne diseases all across the country, he continued.

He said his government spent Rs 100 billion from scarce resources for relief and rehabilitation of the flood affectees. “We are grateful to the friendly countries including Saudi Arabia, Gulf countries, the United Kingdom, the United States and many other countries for their support at a difficult time.” Pakistan’s economy suffered losses of 30 billion dollars because of the floods and then it approached international entities in Geneva and other places and had to borrow loans at expensive rates due to the natural disaster which was not its fault, he mentioned.

“Our country was hit in a way which I had not seen in my life time,” he remarked. He gave the example of his family to express his determination and resolve to put Pakistan on the road to progress and prosperity. He said his father and his brothers were sons of a poor farmer in undivided India and they migrated to Lahore, Pakistan at the time of partition.

With the sheer dint of hard work, in 1965 his father and family raised the largest steel engineering company in Pakistan but it was nationalized on January 2, 1972, he said, adding his family stood up and accepted the challenge and in next 18 months set up six new small factories to avoid further nationalization. He said global north and south were dependent on each other and had to work together to face the present challenges.

The prime minister said after taking over reins of the country early this year, he was determined to put things in order. Talking about the issues facing Pakistan, he said the power sector was in a shambles due to massive electricity theft and an elitist culture was doling out to those who did not deserve it. He told that for the first time in the country’s history after getting credible input from agencies he removed high level officers who were not functioning well and had grey records.

“Our revenue sector is in tatters and what we receive annually in revenue, we lose four times due to leakages in the system. Unless we plug loopholes we will not recover from our problems in revenue collection,” he explained. He said there were also problems of inflation and debt trap which was a “death trap”. He said, “I acknowledge from the core of my heart the support of Saudi leadership for Pakistan for overcoming economic challenges. A friend in need is a friend indeed.”

He appreciated the UK’s Department for International Development for its outstanding support for Pakistan in sectors of health and education in the past. He said his government was going for deep rooted structural reforms and meaningful austerity. Pakistan had a very young population – millions of boys and girls – which was not only a challenge but also a great opportunity, he added. “Youth is our biggest asset and we have to provide them will modern tools and technology including education in information technology and artificial intelligence and vocational training so that they can become self earners and establish small and medium size businesses and contribute in the nation building efforts in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.”

Talking about his goals to achieve economic progress, he said his government would promote agriculture through modern technology and by providing the best seeds and fertilizers to farmers. “A huge task is ahead of us and we have to go for higher exports and incentivize our exporters and utilize our mineral resources and fertile land,” he added. He reiterated that Pakistan could achieve its rightful place in the comity of nations with hard work and untiring efforts.

Meanwhil,e Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim recalled the historical ties between Pakistan and Malaysia, especially in the fields of education, science & technology and trade, and undertook to further enhance the cooperation in the future.

The prime minister invited a trade and business delegation from Malaysia to Pakistan to discuss enhancing trade and investment relations between the two countries. The prime minister met his Malaysian counterpart on the sidelines of the Special Meeting of the World Economic Forum, the PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.

This was the first in person meeting between both leaders since Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was re-elected in March. The two leaders have, however, spoken twice on telephone, i.e. on March 4 when Prime Minister Shehbaz took office as well as on April 10, this year on Eid ul Fitr.

Following up on their warm conversations on telephone, the prime minister appreciated the leadership of Malaysian premier and also commended his knowledge of art and literature – particularly about the National Poet of Pakistan Allama Iqbal. The two sides also agreed to have the next meeting of Joint Ministerial Commission in Islamabad soon. Prime Minister Shehbaz reiterated his invitation to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to undertake an official visit to Pakistan later this year.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also said that the economic ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had entered a new era as both countries were set to take concrete measures to boost the volume of bilateral trade.

The prime minister, in a meeting with Saudi Minister of Commerce Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi on the sidelines of the Special Meeting of World Economic Forum here, said the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) was playing an active role in promoting and facilitating the foreign investment in the country.

The Saudi minister told the prime minister that on the directives of Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, the Kingdom was prioritising trade and investment in Pakistan. A delegation of Saudi businessmen, traders and investors would soon visit Pakistan, he added. The Saudi minister said that the targets were being set to take the bilateral ties to a new height within one or one-and-half years.

Prime Minister Shehbaz said that the Pakistani nationals had played a significant role in the progress and prosperity of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Minister Al-Qasabi stressed the need to further promote the sentiments about the Pak-Saudi ties among the youth and new generation.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan, Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar, Petroleum Minister Dr Musaddik Malik and Special Assistant to PM Tariq Fatemi also attended the meeting.

Moreover, the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met the founder and co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, wherein he called for a sustained efforts by all the partners to reach the ultimate goal of a polio-free Pakistan. In the meeting held on the sidelines of the WEF Special Meeting here, the prime minister highlighted that Pakistan was working tirelessly to eradicate polio from the country, a PM Office press release said.

Earlier, both leaders had featured in a WEF’s high-level panel discussion titled “Redefining the Global Health Agenda.” The prime minister thanked Bill Gates for sending him a warm congratulatory letter upon his re-election. Bill Gates recalled the immunization and polio vaccine program in Punjab province under the leadership of Shehbaz Sharif as chief minister and emphasized replicating the same practice across the country to make the immunization program a success.

While fondly recalling their interactions during his previous tenure, the prime minister reaffirmed his commitment to continue working closely with Bill Gates to ensure a stronger partnership between Pakistan and the Gates Foundation. He thanked the BMGF for its longstanding support for polio eradication in Pakistan.

Bill Gates acknowledged Pakistan’s efforts and said polio eradication was vital to protect future generations from this crippling disease. In addition to polio, Prime Minister Shehbaz and Bill Gates also discussed progress on ongoing activities between Pakistan and the Foundation in the areas of immunization, nutrition, and financial inclusion.

The prime minister said that the Gates Foundation was a trusted partner in Pakistan’s socio-economic development and sought collaboration in other areas including IT, STEM education and disaster management. Recalling Bill Gates’ visit to Pakistan in February 2022, the prime minister extended an invitation to him to visit Pakistan again at a time of his convenience.