LAHORE: Dr. Deena Qadeer Khan reiterated her father Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan’s vision for Pakistan’s self-sustainability in all aspects of economic development, social progress, energy production, education, healthcare, and more.
She made these remarks during a discussion on ‘Nuclear energy’s role in addressing Pakistan’s energy crisis’ here at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on Tuesday.
LCCI President Kashif Anwar warmly welcomed Dr. Deena Khan and acknowledging Dr. Qadeer Khan’s invaluable contributions to strengthen Pakistan’s defence. He also commended Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan for his services to this nation. LCCI Executive Committee members and Chairman of Six B Foods Tahir Anjum were also present.
Dr. Deena Khan highlighted her father’s belief in the transformative power of nuclear energy, emphasizing that he considered it a solution to many of Pakistan’s challenges. She also lamented that he passed away with a sense of unfulfilled potential. She stressed that Dr. Qadeer Khan’s work was aimed at promoting peace, not war, and underscored the importance of striving for self-sufficiency in all aspects of the nation.
Kashif Anwar said that now nature of conflicts has changed and modern wars are fought on the economic front. He identified devaluation as a root cause of many issues, leading to challenges in boosting exports. He also emphasized the need for water reservoirs in Pakistan, and also expressed optimism regarding the decreasing disparity between the inter-bank and open market exchange rates and anticipated that the reduction in petroleum prices would have a positive trickle-down effect on commodity prices, electricity tariffs, and policy rates in the near future.
He stressed the importance of reducing imports through import substitution and raised questions about the cost and losses associated with nuclear energy plants, advocating for the exploration of nuclear energy as a source of power.