Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said his government is determined to lift the country out of morass it finds itself in after years of neglect and mismanagement and will bring the hard-working Pakistanis much-deserved economic progress.He was addressing a large gathering of Pakistani-Americans at a reception hosted in his honour by the Consulate General of Pakistan here.Amidst resounding applause, the Prime Minister said he and his party had weathered some very difficult times but had now been returned to power through ballot. “Every Pakistani should be proud of the unprecedented transfer of democratic power that has recently taken place in Pakistan,” he said. The wrongs done to the country under dictatorial rule would be fixed and the government has drawn an elaborate plan to step up economic development through a series of projects in infrastructure, energy, educational fields, and intra-regional economic corridor, he added. “We are determined to face off the challenges, which are big and difficult, as they have accumulated over the years --- we have to improve the law and order, we have to curb terrorism --- for which we will hold dialogue as the priority way, improved security environment will help bring investment in to the country and bolster growth.” The Prime Minister said the Motorway project would be completed right up to Karachi, dams would be built to overcome nagging blackouts and provide smooth supply of power to the industries that would open up jobs. He cited his interaction with the Chinese and Turkish leaders and said economic corridor from Khunjrab to Gawadar and then establishment of road linkage between Pakistan, Kabul and Central Asian countries onward would also help spur trade and economic activity in the country. The government also intends to connect Abbottabad and Islamabad with a tunnel, he added. “I know we will have to arrange finances for these projects but we will be steadfast in pursuit of our development plans,” he said. In the regional context, he expressed his desire for regional peace,including with neighbouring countries Afghanistan and India. He said he raised the issue of US drone strikes in his UN address as well as in a meeting with Secretary of State John Kerry as such operations on Pakistani soil were in violation of the country’s sovereignty and they were counter productive.
Posted on: Sun, 29 Sep 2013 03:55:17 +0000
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