PM Imran terms 2020 the year of development
Imran Khan said government has achieved a number of economic targets during the current year.
KARACHI (Dunya News) – Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday while reiterating the government’s vision to bring Pakistan among the developed countries said that we are on the path to stability and year 2020 is the year of growth.
Addressing a ceremony in Karachi on Friday, he said that there were two basic principles of the state of Madinah as it stood on the principles of justice and humanity.
The prime minister said that the government is responsible for the rights of the weaker sections, adding that there should be one law for all human beings and one justice system for all in the country.
Imran Khan said government has achieved a number of economic targets during the current year. He said economic team of the government will remain in touch with business community to facilitate them and all obstacles are being removed in ease of doing business.
The Prime Minster however said the inflation rate is currently high and it will bring down in coming months. He said that 2019 was our year of reforms and these reforms have started producing results that will be much more visible in the next year.
Highlighting the importance of traders and investors in turning Pakistan into an economically strong and welfare state as envisioned by the country’s founding fathers, PM Imran said the government would extend all possible facilities to the business community in that respect. “Our holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) was also a trader,” he said.
Referring to the fear of any action or probe by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against traders, the prime minister said the government had promulgated an ordinance, insulating the businessmen from any NAB action. “Our contention is that NAB’s job is to hold the scrutiny of public office-holders. For the scrutiny of businessmen, there are other institutions, including the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR),” he said and congratulated the business community on this development.
The prime minister said the present government during the last one year alone had got the country improved in terms of ease of doing business in the world by 28 points as against the previous government’s 2013-18 tenure when Pakistan was put on the brink of economic and institutional collapse.
Rejecting the criticism over him for referring the past situation, he said his government did not inherit the economy of Sweden, rather the country was faced with the situation of Rs30 trillion loans.
Imran Khan said besides presenting his government’s performance before the nation, he would continue to remind the people of past economic situation over the next four years.
Assuring the traders of more steps for ‘ease of doing business’, Prime Minister Imran Khan said if the businessmen and investors prospered, the country would flourish, and achieve economic growth and development. He said the introduction of socialist system, though it was better in terms of welfare of masses, in 1960s changed the mindset and profit-making was considered as a bad thing. “There is a difference between profiteering and profit-making,” he said, adding, his government was changing that mindset to attract the investors.
The prime minister said 2019 was a difficult year for the government, which despite the challenges of depleting foreign exchange reserves, pressure on rupee, repayment of $ 10 billion loans and fear of default, stabilized the economy. But now with the incentives for industry and specially focusing on the revival of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), 2020 would be the year of growth and jobs creation through encouraging investors, he added.
Imran Khan referred to a report of the United Kingdom based Conde Nast magazine, which listed Pakistan as a top travel and tourism destination, and stressed on the need of exploring and exploiting that huge potential. Only the Northern Areas of Pakistan were double in size than Switzerland that earned $ 80 billion per annum from tourism he said, adding Pakistan having historic religious and heritage sites across the country as well as sandy beaches at the Makran Coast had a lot of tourism potential.
Besides the significant increase in domestic tourism, he said millions of Pakistani expatriates, due to Islamophobia in the West, were showing interest in the country’s tourist sites and wanted to come with their families during the holidays. The prime minister urged the business community to explore and exploit the avenue of tourism by investing in the development of tourist resorts in the country.
