ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has urged for collective national efforts to bolster the country’s economy, emphasising the vital link between national security and economic stability.
Speaking at the 26th Security Workshop at the National Defence University in Islamabad, PM Shehbaz stressed that the two are inherently interconnected.
He explained that a strong economy—marked by growing exports, an expanding industrial base, productive jobs, and an efficient bureaucracy—would directly strengthen the nation’s security. “Economic security will automatically enhance national security, and vice versa,” Shehbaz Sharif stated.
The Prime Minister expressed optimism about Pakistan’s economic trajectory, highlighting that the country’s stock market recently crossed the 100,000-point mark, a historic achievement. He also announced plans to soon unveil a “Home Grown Plan” designed to transform Pakistan’s economic landscape.
Shehbaz Sharif also addressed the country’s security challenges, acknowledging the immense sacrifices made by the Pakistani military, law enforcement agencies, and civilians in the fight against terrorism.
The nation, he said, had paid a heavy price, with 89,000 lives lost and economic damages estimated at $130 billion in the war on terror.
However, he said that the threat of terrorism had resurfaced in parts of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with anti-Pakistan elements receiving support from the country’s enemies.
He condemned the recent killings in Parachinar and warned of the dangers posed by militias marching in Islamabad with weapons and ammunition, aiming to destabilize the capital.
The premier underscored that these elements were attempting to undermine the stability achieved by the current government, including efforts to control inflation, boost exports, and increase remittances. “They want to disrupt the progress we’ve made,” he said.
In response to questions about Pakistan’s economic challenges, Sharif acknowledged the difficulty of addressing external debt without boosting exports. He noted that increasing exports would be a primary focus of the upcoming “Home Grown Plan.”
The Prime Minister also highlighted the critical issue of internal debt, particularly in the energy sector, where circular debt has ballooned to 2.5 trillion rupees. He stressed that the government was actively working to resolve these challenges by addressing inefficiencies, leakages, and theft in the sector.
Shehbaz Sharif further called for an expansion of Pakistan’s tax base to combat widespread tax evasion, which he said amounts to trillions of rupees in lost revenue.
On security matters, the Prime Minister said that the National Apex Committee of National Action Plane had authorised an operation against foreign-funded secessionist movements in Balochistan. This operation, he said, would ensure the progress and prosperity of the people in the region, under the umbrella of the “Azm-e-Istehkam” operation.
