Shehbaz Sharif On Pakistan Economy: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has once again raised concerns about his country’s struggling economy. Addressing Pakistani army officials, he admitted that even Pakistan’s allies are now hesitant to provide economic assistance. This statement came during a morale-boosting address to the troops following a recent military clash with India following Operation Sindoor.
‘Friends Expect Business, Not Charity’
The Pak PM undescored China as country’s oldest ally, while calling countries like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, and the UAE as its most trusted partners.
However, he acknowledged a shift in expectations, with these nations now focusing on trade, innovation, education, healthcare, and investment, rather than simply offering aid. “But let me point out abundantly here that they expect us now to engage them in trade, commerce, innovation, research and development, education and health, investments, and profitable ventures mutually. They no longer expect us to go there with a begging bowl,” he said.
“These countries expect mutually beneficial agreements from us, not one-sided help,” he said while addressing military officers at the Command and Staff College in Quetta, Balochistan.
‘Shared Responsibility’
During his address, the Pak PM also said that he and Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, are the “last ones” to carry the burden of the country’s economic crisis.
“This burden now falls on the shoulders of the entire nation,” he remarked, suggesting that the responsibility for economic recovery extends beyond the government and military to the entire country.
Not First Admission
This is not the first time Shehbaz Sharif has acknowledged Pakistan’s economic hardship. Previously, he has stated that even as Prime Minister, he doesn’t want to go around the world with a “begging bowl”. Pakistan recently received economic aid from the IMF (International Monetary Fund), but it is not considered sufficient to stabilise the country’s dire economic situation.
