Not corruption but instability is the basic problem: Ahsan Iqbal

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said that the basic problem in Pakistan is instability and not corruption.

“If corruption was the basic course then why despite too much corruption India and Bangladesh have progressed,” the minister expressed these views during a one-day conference organized by Pakistan Institute of Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) titled, “Image Building of Pakistan; A Whole Nation Approach” at the PNCA.

The conference was addressed by Ahsan Iqbal Federal Minister for Planning and Development, Khurram Dastgir Khan Federal Minister for Power, Senator Sania Nishtar, Chairman PICSS Major-General Saad Khattak (retired), Yousef Bashir Qureshi along with several others.

All the speakers were resolute that the need to have a collaborative effort across the board is crucial to build a better stronger and economically flourishing Pakistan. Based on the fast-changing times, the will to stay ahead in the technology race will be pivotal for the success of Pakistan. The event included critical points like the use of mass and social media to depict the positive aspects of Pakistan.

On the occasion federal minister Ahsan Iqbal said, “We are a great nation of excellent people but we failed because we were unable to compromise and understand each other, in order to succeed and build a better Pakistan.”

“I wish that the coming generations will be able to achieve what we were unable to do so, and that is to make Pakistan among the top 20 economies of the world. Some people are trying to build a narrative that everyone is corrupt, this is not the case.”

He said that Pakistan’s basic problem is not corruption rather than it is political, economic, and social instability which is not letting us progress in the right direction and restricting our positive image.

“If corruption would have been the basic issue countries like India and Bangladesh despite having huge corruption would have not progressed.”

Federal Minister for Energy Khurram Dastgir Khan said that Pakistan has a lot of positive things but misuse of religion, extremism, and terrorism has shown a negative face of the country in the world.

“Think Tanks need to research what happened in 2006 and 2015 and how terrorism forced foreign businesses to leave the country. He also said that we don’t need to hire companies and should fix the problem ourselves by saying the truth and accepting that we are not allowing modernity in the country.”

Senator Sania Nishtar said that, “We need to bring in accountability in all aspects in the country, government of any nation sets the perimeters for all its representatives and departments. For a good image, Pakistan needs accountability.”

Chairman PICSS Major-General (retd) Saad Khattak said, “Pakistan has the potential to become a regional leader in terms of economy, technological resources, heritage and cultural history, and all the stakeholders of the country must work in seamless collaboration to give a better more promising future to the coming generations.”

Guests who also delivered key speaking notes included Abdullah Khan, Ghalib Iqbal, Shabana Fayyaz, Abu Zafar Sadiq, Azfar Ahsan, Farah Naz, Puruesh Chaudhry, Taranjeet Singh, and Bakhtawar Memon.

PICSS is a think tank that focuses on identifying, researching, and presenting the untapped potential of Pakistan while making efforts to provide solutions to internal and external conflicts of the country.

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