DND Report
Islamabad, Pakistan: At the end of the year 2024 and the beginning of 2025, it can be hoped that the new year will prove to be a year of optimism, prosperity and progress for Pakistan and its people.
At the beginning of 2024, the media and political parties, especially a certain political party, spread the assumption that Pakistan was heading towards default (God forbid). The situation in Pakistan was being compared to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Today, as the year 2024 is about to end, it is clearly seen that the mutual and positive thinking of the civil and military leaderships has proven all these assumptions to be wrong. Today, the question can be asked, where are those who used to talk about Pakistan’s default?
If we talk about the economic development in Pakistan, the year 2024 was robust for Stock market that has set new records, which proves that the confidence of not only Pakistanis but also foreign investors has been restored in the economic decisions taken by the state and military leadership.
It was a manifestation of this confidence that in November this year, the Pakistan Stock Exchange crossed the milestone of 93 thousand points for the first time. The series did not end here. On December 13, a new record was set in the Pakistan Stock Market and the Benchmark 100 Index reached a high of 115 thousand points.
Due to these achievements, according to a report by Topline Securities, the Pakistan Stock Exchange emerged as the second best-performing market in the region this year. Similarly, the dollar also remained stable due to the government’s excellent economic measures. To the end of the year, due to the completion of payments in dollars by large companies, investors and local traders, it will see a significant decrease in the beginning of the year 2025.
Remittances from overseas Pakistanis have increased by another 31 percent in 2024. Overseas Pakistanis sent $21.5 billion to Pakistan from January to November 2024, with Pakistanis living in Saudi Arabia sending the highest amount, $7.29 billion, a 38.7 percent increase over the same period last year. Pakistanis living in the United Arab Emirates sent $6.15 billion in remittances to Pakistan in the first 11 months of the year, a 55 percent increase over the same period last year, while Pakistanis living in the United Kingdom sent $4.71 billion.
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Pakistan has increased significantly by 48 percent during the first quarter of the current fiscal year. According to the State Bank of Pakistan’s data for September 2024, a total of $771 million was invested in the country, compared to $520 million during the same period of the previous fiscal year, which means an increase of $251 million has been recorded this year. The annual figures for foreign investment are encouraging.
The economic development of any country is related to its political stability and law and order situation. In Pakistan, anti-national elements in collaboration with terrorist outfits made every possible effort to disrupt the peace of the country, but the soldiers of the Pakistan Army maintained the peace of the country with their blood and responded to every attack by terrorists in a powerful manner.
If we look at it, this year 59,775 different types of intelligence-based operations were carried out by the security forces of Pakistan. During these successful operations, 925 terrorists, including Khoraj (the official name of TTP terrorists), were sent to hell while hundreds were arrested. This is the largest number of terrorists killed in a single year. To maintain peace in the beloved homeland, more than 169 operations are being conducted by the Pakistani armed forces daily, including the police and other law enforcement agencies. As many as 383 brave officers and soldiers of the Pakistan Army laid down their lives to secure the country.
This year, Pakistan’s identity was truly highlighted at the diplomatic level. Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir’s successive visits to friendly countries played an important and positive role in improving these relations. This year, Pakistan hosted the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit and proved that Pakistan is optimistic about using such a large and important forum to discuss and resolve regional issues healthily. Along with this, high-level delegations from Saudi Arabia, China, Malaysia, and other countries visited Pakistan during which various memoranda of understanding were signed.
The above facts and figures indicate that Pakistan is entering 2025 on a better and more optimistic note. We should hope and strive that the coming new year brings a new message of progress and prosperity for this country and its people. For this, there must be political stability in the country, the peace and order situation improves and the people should also stand firm with the narrative of progress and prosperity. Reject such anti-national elements who are enemies of the future of the country, especially the youth of Pakistan, by crafting a narrative of destruction through false and negative propaganda.
