LAHORE - Central Secretary Information PML-N Ahsan Iqbal has said that we can build a new nation and revamp follies of our past with five-point agenda of vision, knowledge, justice, hard work and honesty so as to put the nation on the track. He was addressing a seminar organised by Press Institute of Pakistan (PIP) on 'national problems and the media priorities on Saturday. Honorary Director PIP Absar Abdul Ali introduced the topic and thanked the guest speakers. Ahsan Iqbal said the problems were created by autocratic rule. The military rule was cancerous which dragged Pakistan from its path of progress. The dictators imposed martial law and took over the civil rule when they felt their service in army was at stake. Gen Zia removed Bhutto and imposed martial law when he felt Bhutto was going to remove him as COAS. Gen Musharraf dismantled Nawaz government when the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif tried to remove Gen Musharraf who later ruined the psyche of the nation and distorted our image as a nation. Ahsan Iqbal said we need to revive the vision under which Pakistani nation had to unite like a rock instead of dividing into caste and creed. We had to revive the dream of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah to unite under one flag. He said no nation secured freedom, progress and self respect in charity but by a vision, hard work, honesty, knowledge and justice. If we act upon this five point-agenda, no one can hurt us or deprive us of progress and prosperity. Former foreign secretary Shamshad Ahmad Khan said that our problems were poverty, hunger, ignorance, law and order, loadshedding, price-hike etc. All these problems are to be addressed by the government as these were created by them in the past particularly by the Musharraf government. He said an officer of the DMG Group was posted as ambassador to France as if the bureaucrats were panacea for all ills. He said we had been isolated due to wrong decisions of the rulers. Musharraf brought the US war in Afghanistan to Pakistan for his lust to remain in power. Dr Hasan Askari said that Media has the responsibility to identify the problems and locate different options for their solution so that the people benefit from these options. He urged for analytical and investigative reporting to identity the problems. The Nations Mazhar Qayyum Khan said health, education, law and order and good governance should be highlighted but our media concentrates more on politics. The statements of politicians are often repeated and no one pays heed to social issues. He said the allocation in the budget 2009-10 in education sector was reduced and there was a need to hold seminars and pass resolutions against the cut. Ashaar Rehman of a local newspaper said that priorities of issues do not change unless the stakeholders change them. He said a strong media existed but nation did not. Instead, there were groups who had their own interests and convictions, he further said. Qudrutullah Chaudhry of another local newspaper said the electronic media effectively changed the public opinion and so did the national media. Terrorism is second priority after politics but we should have information of all ills and their solutions, he added. Shahzad Farooqi of Radio Pakistan said that media and government should work together on national issues.