Islamabad, 20 August 2022 (TDI): A student delegation from Harvard University, United States of America (USA), called on Prime Minister of Pakistan, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, on Friday.
PM meets Harvard University students, shares vision for Pakistan @PakPMO@Marriyum_A @MoIB_Officialhttps://t.co/n6jICyPFkj
— External Publicity Wing (@epwing_official) August 19, 2022
The Prime Minister welcomed the delegation and held discussions on contemporary challenges faced by Pakistan. While discussing Pakistan and India’s situation, he undermined that the country wants permanent peace with India through dialogue.
Further, the Prime Minister added that both countries should have competition in the economy, and trade, and improve the conditions of their people. Moreover, he shared his vision for the development of Pakistan with the students.
Discussions on Pakistan’s Economy
During the meeting, Prime Minister highlighted that Pakistan’s economic crisis roots back in structural problems as well as political instability.
He added, “The first few decades since the inception of Pakistan witnessed impressive growth across all sectors of the economy.”
The Prime Minister also said, “we had plans, national will, and the implementation mechanism to produce outcomes.”
He was of the view that lack of focus and policy led to a decrease in economic productivity. He further said that all resources and efforts have been deployed to stabilize the economy.
The Prime Minister also shared his economic action plan with the students. The Plan focuses on has 3 elements: revitalization of agriculture, promotion of IT & making the economy export-driven.
In an interactive session with students of Harvard Business School today, my core argument was that the state of economy is directly linked to political stability. My economic action plan has 3 prongs: revitalization of agriculture, promotion of IT & making economy export-driven.
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) August 19, 2022
He further highlighted the program of providing free laptops to high achievers in the previous tenure of his political party.
In addition, he said that the program helped the students to continue their education in COVID-19 times and also helped the youth of the country to get a strong foothold in the global freelance market.
The Prime Minister emphasized that development of Pakistan, there is a need to focus on vocational, scientific, and skilled education.
Discussions on Pakistan-China Relations
The Prime Minister, while responding to a question about Sino-Pak ties, said that China and Pakistan are time-tested friends. He added, that the friendship between the two states strengthened with the signing of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif underscored that the relationship with China remains a significant element of Pakistan’s foreign policy. He further added that CPEC also started a new era of socio-economic development.
Also Read: CPEC is modernizing Pakistan, Prime Minister
Apart from this, the Prime Minister discussed Pakistan’s commitment to maintaining stability and peace in South Asia.
He highlighted the fact that regional peace is linked with the resolution of the Kashmir issue, according to UN resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
Federal Ministers for development and Information & Broadcasting, Ahsan Iqbal and Marriyum Aurangzeb also attended the meeting.
Lastly, the delegation of students appreciated Prime Minister’s approach to uplifting the country’s economy and bringing peace to the region as well.
They also expressed gratitude for the hospitality extended to them by the Pakistani Government during their visit.
Senior year student of International Relations at Kinnaird College.
