It is
December and every December since 1971 brings with it some sorry memories for
the nation. We lost a hand in the very month and 90,000 of our soldiers were
made prisoners by the Indian Army. The humiliating ceremony of the surrender by
General Niazi in Paltan Ground, Dhaka, was given coverage throughout the world.
We failed to keep Bengal with us, true. It took away one of our hands from us
but what it couldn’t take away is our resilience. It couldn’t fade away our
resolve to struggle for a democratic country and our will to survive.
If there is
one thing that is displayed from every aspect of our lives as a nation is that
we know how to survive. Under situations when all the experts count our Cricket
Team out of a tournament, we somehow manage to sneak into the final four and at
a number of occasions we have even managed to win those tournaments. Such was
the case even with the World Cup that we won in 1992. And it happens all the
time. We survived from the Earthquake, we survived from the floods. We have a habit of lifting ourselves up whenever world starts to count us out. And that is what happened again yesterday.
Last night
when the news broke that the European Union has awarded GSP+ status to
Pakistan, the first thing that came to my mind was exactly this, ”It seems we’ll
survive … again.” There have been days in the past when our existence was
threatened from our Eastern borders. A mighty India just the other side of the border
with a nuclear strength and its media threatening that it could run us over any
moment, gave several of us a few sleepless nights. But just then, when the
entire world was against us, on May 28, 1998, we came up with five nuclear
explosions, letting everyone know that we, too, have the ability to destroy
India if we get attacked. And that we haven’t fallen yet and that … We have
survived!
This time,
unlike the military threats in the past, the challenge is much different.
However, it is probably more lethal than all the military threats that we have
had so far and this challenge is our troubled Economy. Just a few months back,
we all thought that this economy does not have the ability to bounce back. The
rising prices of dollar in the country made even the best of economists worry
and the investors’ trust seemed shaking. But while most of us were unable to
anticipate, the Karachi Stock Exchange continued to perform well. God knows
whether it was a gimmick or genuine, however, it seems to have paid off.
The massive
inflow of investment within just a few months and the continuous good
performance of the Stock market has brought trust into the market and with it
crossing new barriers every new day, the prospects seem to be good for the
foreign investment. At this juncture the support that the government has won
from the European Union is like a lifeline for our economy.
Pakistan,
through this opportunity, will be able to access 27 different countries of
Europe without paying the duty for its products. Quoting directly the message on Facebook by Hina
Pervaiz Butt, MPA from PMLN: “PAKISTAN WINS
GSP+ status by the Eurpean Parliament, which means Pakistan’s textile
manufacturers and exporters will now have access to 27 European countries
without having to pay duties. During last 5 months, PM Nawaz Sharif engaged
Ambassadors of EU, British govt. in particular, CM Shehbaz paid special visit
to Germany, Diplomatic channels were used to make US influence the EU in
support of Pakistan. 360 degree professional lobby finally worked for Pakistan
in winning GSP+ status. With this privileged status, our textile exports are
expected to touch the figure of $14.4 billion in next 5 years, millions of jobs
will be generated. Predicting the increase of demand of our textile which will
eventually need more energy for production, an LNG import deal is already done
with Qatar which will bridge the gap of gas demand/supply by Nov 2014. It’s the
WIN of Pakistanis and the acknowledgement of our Quality Products in the WORLD.”
This certainly is a great achievement and the months
and years to come will surely prove that this government has achieved one of
the most vital milestones in the form of this GSP+ status from European Union.
The efforts for the acquiring of this status and other trade agreements by this
government will certainly reap long term benefits for Pakistan and the future
will surely be much better than the past.
We can safely say that we have survived again. Thanks
to Pakistani public that it voted wisely and gave the mandate to the party that
has done wonders in the past and is capable of doing it again. May Allah help us all!
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