Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Senator Nisar A Memon on Tuesday urged the youth to rise to the challenges being faced by the nation. Talking to a 20-member students' delegation from Peshawar University, the Minister said the youth can play a pivotal role in raising voice against terrorism, injustice, inequality and illiteracy.
He said that youth should play a proactive role in elections so as the nation could elect better representatives. They should analyse all the issues and come up with better proposals, he added. The Minister said the NWFP is a frontline province as it falls alongside the tribal areas. He said the people from tribal areas are safeguarding the borders of the country and that is the reason the entire nation holds them in high esteem.
Highlighting the geographic importance of the country, the Minister said Pakistan is located at a strategic location and its people have to play a significant role in development of the region. He said Pakistan is a frontline state in the war on terror and wanted peace in the South Asian region. Having a robust economy, he said, Pakistan is marching forward on the path of development despite the fact that its economy has absorbed many shocks in recent years.
"Our economy is so robust that it absorbed the natural and man-made crisis including the October earthquake in 2005, damage to the public, private assets soon after the unfortunate assassination of PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto, and the following wheat crisis," he said adding that the administration skilfully handled different situations and the issues were settled amicably. The Minister said the country had no external threat and terrorism was the worst enemy of the nation as the terrorists wanted to derail the economic and democratic development of the country.
"The government wants to develop the living standards of the people of NWFP and Fata and for the same purpose mega development projects have been launched. A 155-kilometers-long M-1 project and Kurram-Tungi Dam has been completed while work on Bhasha Dam is in process.
These achievements would benefit the people at large. The terrorists are against this development and they want this development process to derail. The people of the area should get united to thwart such designs and the youth should lead this campaign," Memon said.
He said that suicide bombings have no relation to Islam and approximately all leading Ulema from all schools of thought have declared the suicide bombings un-Islamic. Memon said the international media outlets were being used by the elements opposed to the country's development and an international media drive had been launched against Pakistan.
The Minister asked the national media to resist the international propaganda against the country and take care of the strategic national interests. Senator Memon said President Pervez Musharraf has recently completed his successful tour of European countries and foreign investors are willing to invest in the country.
Ruling out any possible dialogue with the terrorists, the Minister said the government is holding talks with the tribal elders but no talks would be held with the terrorists. Senator Memon said despite facing difficulties, Pakistan can never compromise on its sovereignty or territorial integrity.
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