By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said that Pakistan needs to have a larger vision similar to the model state of Medina, as opposed to the previous government’s idea of “Asian Tiger”.PM Imran made the statement while addressing a ceremony celebrating the laying of the foundation of a new campus of the Air University in Islamabad. “Do not be afraid of dreaming big,” the premier told students. “Education is a scared duty. We [people of Pakistan] have to move towards understanding that,” the premier noted, adding that education was also the vision of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him). PM Imran lauded the efforts made by the administration of the university for the new campus, saying that the new establishment would be a campus of the ‘space age’. Addressing the students studying at the university, the prime minister said that students needed to dream big and realize their potential. He noted that those who dreamed big went a long way in life. “My life experience tells me humans have been given the power to turn into reality whatever they can picture. Mankind is the best of creations (ashraf-ul-makhluqaat),” the premier said on the occasion. “We live all our lives without realizing our potential. We do not dream. We are afraid of dreaming big and going after big things,” the premier lamented, in a bid to motivate the students present at the ceremony. “The vision for a person determines how far he/she will go in life. Nations also have visions, and unfortunately, previous leaders had a vision that Pakistan would become an Asian Tiger,” PM Imran said, apparently in reference to the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz government. “It is a small vision. In my vision, I dreamed of making Pakistan a welfare state like Medina. My vision is based on the lessons of history, and there is a reason we should learn from history,” he remarked. “Pensions were started first in the state of Medina,” PM Imran noted, adding that the rule of law, humanitarian principles and education were the basis of the welfare state of Medina. “The people of Pakistan faced harsh times in 2019, but now, thanks to the Almighty, the economy is stable and I foresee 2020 to be an year of growth for Pakistan,” the premier said, reinforcing the statement he had made a day earlier. PM Imran talked at length about the economic policies of his government, noting that the rupee was about to crash when the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf came into power and corrective measures were needed.
