Mr President, I am a fan of your politicking skills. Who is to say what would have happened to Pakistan when Benazir died. Moreover, your effort was critical in the 18th amendment and the Aghaz-e-Huqooq-e-Balochistan package. I would like to highlight two aspects which I know you can take care of.
Since you are the master of reconciliation, I would like to ask you to sit down with Nawaz Sharif and other political personalities from all over Pakistan and get a consensus on Kalabagh Dam. I can’t stress it enough how much we need Kalabagh dam. If anyone can do it, it is you, sir.
Secondly, Pakistan’s external debt is now around 52 billion dollars. And it is going to increase since we are borrowing to repay existing loans. I don’t need to mention the six trillion rupees that the government has borrowed from the State Bank.
I would request you to sit with Ch Shujaat, Nawaz Sharif and other wealthy politicians and ask them to sell their upscale properties in Pakistan and abroad and use the receipts to pay back Pakistan’s external debt. When that is done, we would not need to pay any interest and this would free up our budget for education, infrastructure, etc. You are capable of convincing others to do so, and I would request you to take the first step.
Thanks a lot, Mr President.
SAIM RASHID
Lahore