"The country is facing multiple challenges and only wise policies of the government can steer it out of the prevalent crisis," he added. Talking to a youth delegation here on Sunday, he said owing to advent of computer and the Internet today youths had become more conscious about events around the world.

"The future of Pakistan depends on young and energetic people," he added.

He recalled that in 1999 the Pak rupee had a higher value than currencies of SAARC countries while the development rate was around 8 per cent which, he said, was higher than any of the South Asian countries.

But he said dictatorship had halted national progress. "If the country had continued progress at the same pace it would not have been facing unemployment, loadshedding and terrorism," Shahbaz observed.