PM Shehbaz urges push to make Pakistan an 'economic power'

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said Pakistan now needed to channel the same resolve that made it a nuclear power into transforming the country into an economic power.

Addressing a federal cabinet meeting in Islamabad, the prime minister referred to May 28, 1998, when Pakistan conducted nuclear tests in the hills of Chagai, Balochistan, and joined the ranks of nuclear-armed states. He said the capability acquired on that day would remain a defensive asset for the country.

"It is our national narrative that this asset is for defence, not offence. And this is the reason that the world knows Pakistan as a responsible nuclear power," he added.

The prime minister paid tribute to those he described as the heroes behind Pakistan’s nuclear programme. He specifically mentioned former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and former prime minister and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif. "[The initiative’s] founder was Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and my leader, Nawaz Sharif, saw it to completion," he said.

He said the country must now pursue economic strength with the same seriousness and dedication. "We have to turn it into an economic power with the same commitment and hard work," he emphasised.

Speaking to cabinet members, PM Shehbaz said the team had made several efforts over the past two years and that some results had gradually begun to appear, while adding that the path ahead remained long and difficult. He said nations that stay firm in confronting hardship and overcoming challenges are ultimately rewarded with success.

Regional tensions and economic pressures

The prime minister also referred to the Middle East conflict, which, began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. He said the situation had created economic difficulties for a number of countries, including Pakistan.

He also noted disruption to traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, described in the report as a maritime route through which one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas supply used to pass during peacetime. Addressing cabinet members, he said they had responded to those challenges collectively and were continuing to do so.

Reference to Marka-i-Haq and anti-terror efforts

At the start of his remarks, PM Shehbaz also spoke about Marka-i-Haq, described in the report as a brief military conflict between India and Pakistan that took place in May last year. He said Pakistan had emerged victorious because the nation stood united and the armed forces fought with bravery and courage.

The prime minister also highlighted sacrifices in the fight against terrorism. In that context, he made special mention of Muhammad Liaqat, a railway employee who thwarted a suicide attack in Attock. "They are heroes of the nation. The sacrifices being made [in the fight against] terrorism are unparalleled," the PM said.

The cabinet meeting remarks linked Pakistan’s past strategic milestone with what the prime minister described as the country’s next major national objective: building economic strength through sustained effort and collective resolve.