Country won't head towards 'knowledge economy' until it spends on education and research: PM

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan says the country won’t head towards “knowledge economy” until it spends its resources on education and research.

Speaking at an event at COMSTECH, he said the ongoing coronavirus crisis has brought many things to light for them.

“We have a dependency syndrome, we lack self-belief,” the prime minister said, adding it is this crisis that made us realise that producing ventilators is not difficult. He pointed out the country had the capacity to make nuclear bombs but found it hard to make ventilators.

He said it is the self-belief that takes a nation forward and brings it at a stage where it can overcome any challenge.

Prime Minister Khan said the coronavirus pandemic doesn’t differentiate between the rich and the poor, lamenting the ruling elite didn’t spare a thought for developing the country’s health infrastructure in the past and went abroad for treatment at the taxpayers’ expense.

Now, they can’t go abroad because the situation is more dangerous there than in Pakistan, he added.

The prime minister stressed the need for strengthening the health system so as to face any challenges in future.

Towards the end, he lauded Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry for making endeavours to produce hand sanitisers, disinfectants and ventilators in the country.