Imran Khan urges for food security, economic stability

Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan this week said it was time for Pakistan to get stronghold of national security by expanding its domain inclusive of climate change, economic stability and food security, besides focusing on military strength.
Addressing at the launch of first annual Islamabad Security Dialogue themed ‘Together for Ideas’, the Prime Minister stressed the need for addressing the challenges of several non-traditional security threats confronting the general population.
“A secure State is where common people own it and believe that they have stakes in it,” he said, pointing that the “goals of national security could not be achieved in an environment with handful of affluent and a sea of poor populace”.
The Prime Minister paid tribute to the country’s armed forces and law enforcement agencies for their “remarkable role in making the nation feel secure” during tough situations, particularly in the wake of 9/11.
He termed food security a big challenge for Pakistan in the coming decades and expressed concern over the situation of importing 4 million ton wheat in a year.

In April, he said, the government would launch a comprehensive strategy to address availability of food through accurate mapping of exact demand of the commodities.
Prime Minister Imran Khan addresses at the Islamabad Security Dialogue here at PM Secretariat.
On economic prosperity, he said the dollar inflow must be consistently greater than dollar outflow in order to expand the national resource pie for its use for human welfare and robust defence.

He added that deficit leads to a weakening of the rupee, thus leading to inflation and poverty.
The Prime Minister said under his government, the country was able to fight a debilitating current account deficit, increase exports and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
On climate change, he warned that Pakistan was among the most vulnerable countries and said his government was making strenuous efforts in protecting the country.

He mentioned the dedicated climate security programmes including the internationally acknowledged Ten Billion Tree Tsunami project and expressed satisfaction for its inclusion in the Comprehensive Security Framework.
Imran Khan said his government had prioritized human welfare through Ehsaas programme where largest cash transfers was made in the country’s history to poor during pandemic.

On regional peace, he said economic prosperity could not be sustained without peace in the neighborhood, adding that Pakistan was poised to become trade and transit hub for the extended region.
He mentioned that Pakistan was situated at the confluence of two big markets, namely Iran for petroleum and also Central Asia besides an economically strong China.
The Prime Minister called upon India to give Kashmiris their right to self-determination as per the United Nations Security Council Resolutions.

He said India’s unilateral and illegal action of August 5 had strained environment for bilateral negotiations with Pakistan, adding that for an enabling environment, “India must take the first step forward”.
Resolution of Kashmir through negotiation would be beneficial for both India and Pakistan, he said.
On Afghanistan, he said Pakistan had highest stakes in the Afghan peace and vowed to continue extending assistance for the political settlement.

“Peace in Afghanistan is the key to unlocking the connectivity potential of the region,” he added.
Earlier, the Prime Minister on the occasion launched the first of its kind Policy Advisory Portal developed by the National Security Division to engage over 100 think-tanks and academia in policy-making.