Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif's recent visit to Turkey should be taken as a welcome step in the wider economic context. We all know that Pakistan is a continued victim of the 9/11 incident, which has weakened us from within. We are the target of terrorism and victim of economic compulsions due to lack of energy resources.
In this situation, there is a need to find new friends and cement new partnerships, which could reciprocate in befitting manners. Therefore, the Punjab Chief Minister's Turkey trip is a step in the right direction. He has achieved many successes. Punjab signed multiple agreements with Turkish government in different fields like environment, education and trade.
Turkey has agreed to set up a 150 megawatt power plant in Punjab, besides setting up a new university in Lahore and Turkish Fateh University will provide technical support for the improvement of education sector under a memorandum of understanding (MoU).
It is also expected that Punjab will get necessary technical support and assistance to dispose of its rising solid waste management in big cities. We are living in an age of endless possibilities and economic co-operation; yesterday's foes are becoming new trade partners and the world is experiencing new avenues of business co-operation between the countries of the world. On the other hand, Pakistan has been left alone due to our inept rulers and their consecutive failures to reap new opportunities vis-à-vis India.
In this situation, a leader like Shahbaz Sharif is a ray of hope for the people of Pakistan. His zeal for reaching out to new regional partners in South Asia like China, Iran and now Turkey for bilateral co-operation will be especially beneficial for Punjab as it badly needed energy to run its industry. Punjab also needs more economic opportunities to provide jobs to the jobless.
It is hoped that these tours will help the people and the province of Punjab will emerge as bastion of good governance. It is expected that his economic diplomacy will also help in improving other sectors like environment, industry and education. With his efforts for improving trade, agriculture and industry, he has proved that public welfare is the real fruit of democracy and genuine leaders toil for the masses.
Chief ministers of other provinces should also learn a lesson from the tireless efforts of Shahbaz Sharif, which he is making during the last two-and-a-half years to ameliorate the lot of the people. I wish national leadership should espouse this option of economic diplomacy in their foreign tours, which are made at the taxpayers' money.
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