KOTRI: President Mamnoon Hussain on Saturday described the Panama leaks as “a natural disaster” and said that nations involved in corruption could not make progress.
“The Panama Gate is a natural trap. The bigger the thief is, the more luxuriant his life is. The corruption has adversely affected every institution of the country and now there is a need to launch collective efforts to eliminate this menace,” he said while addressing a ceremony organised by the Kotri Association of Trade and Industry.
This is the first time that the president has commented on the Panama leaks. Hundreds of Pakistanis have been named in the Panama leaks, including some leaders of the opposition parties. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family members are among the Pakistanis who own offshore companies. The opposition has launched a movement for accountability of those who own offshore companies, especially the prime and his family. The prime minister is expected to address the parliament on Monday and clarify his position on the Panama leaks.
The president said that youth constituted 50 to 60 percent of the Pakistani population and young people should come forward to fight corruption. He said that completion of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would transform Pakistan into a regional trade hub. “The mega project of the CPEC envisages not only construction of motorways but also many power plants, including a nuclear power plant,” he said. He said that Central Asian States were taking interest in the CPEC, which would generate hundreds of thousands of new jobs for the youth.
The president said that corrupt people should repent their deeds or they should be thrown out of the system. “You will see, many people will be caught now,” he told the gathering in Kotri. He said the journey of national progress was satisfactory till 1970s and corruption stunted the pace of development after that. He said that Pakistan had no shortage of talented and capable people, but corruption and favouritism affected the performance of the country.
Hussain said that Pakistan offered tremendous investment opportunities and investors should benefit from these opportunities. He said it was the duty of the trade organisations to guide the investors. “This way, our products will meet the export standards and we will be able to succeed in the international markets”, he added. He called upon traders and industrialists to explore new markets to enhance national exports and bring more foreign exchange. He called for concerted efforts to achieve the national goal of collective development.
The president said the Gwadar deep seaport would be functional this year. He said that a modern airport would also be built there. He said that work on power projects was underway under the CPEC and expressed the hope that the issue of power load shedding would be resolved by 2018. He said that no water reservoir was built after the Kalabagh Dam became controversial. He said the Kalabagh Dam dispute caused Pakistan a huge loss.
Hussain said that efforts to eradicate terrorism from Pakistan were under way with full political commitment. He said these efforts were showing positive results and creating an atmosphere conducive to economic activity in the country. Due to certain problems in the past, he said, the business environment in the country was affected and the national economy suffered. He said the government had controlled terrorism to a great extent through a comprehensive strategy and bold steps.
