Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday said that Pakistan was against terrorism in all its manifestations and forms, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
Addressing the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in New York, he said that a blatant violation of human rights was committed in Gaza. “Every country will have to play its role in the reconstruction of the territory,” he emphasized.
Dar also stressed the need for applying brakes to Israel’s aggression in the West Bank. “Israel must ensure that it adheres to the ceasefire agreement,” he asserted.
The minister called for the resolution of Kashmir and Palestine issues in the light of the UN resolutions.
Earlier, talking to the members of the Pakistani community in New York, Dar said it would take 12 to 15 years for the country to stand on its own feet. “Even if we have to put our political future at stake for the purpose, we will do that,” he added.
He further said that the entire world was presently passing through tough times.
The minister said that Pakistan had become the 24th strongest economy in the world in 2017. “But later it reached the brink of default.”
He said that when the coalition government took over after the ouster of the PTI government in April, 2022, it had decided to save the country rather than saving its political future. “It was after a great effort that finally I, as a finance minister, succeeded in saving the country from default.”
Now, Dar went on to say, the country’s economy was on the right track. “There is a marked reduction in the inflation rate,” he said, adding, “It has come down from 38 per cent to four per cent. Reduction in the policy rate has also stabilized the economy. The interest rate has dropped from 22 per cent to 12 per cent in just one year. The economic indicators are improving.”
The minister claimed that the world had now acknowledged Pakistan’s improving economic situation.
On the country’s relations with other countries, he said that the government improved ties with other countries. “The country is no more isolated in the world.”
Reporter: Anwar Abbas