ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Minister for Finance Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar Thursday urged the business community to support the prime minister and his team’s economic policies for the socio-economic prosperity of the country.
Whatever promises made to the business community by the prime minister, including provision of sufficient quantity of electricity and gas to the industrial sector and business community, had been fulfilled, he added.
Ishaq Dar was addressing the 40th export award ceremony organized here by Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FPCCI).
He said the government would add 15,000 MW electricity to the national grid by June 2018 which would help propel economic growth, generate employment opportunities and boost exports.
Some 10,000 MW electricity would be added by March next year which would help reduce power shortage in the country, he added.
The ceremony was inaugurated by Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.
The finance minister said when the present government came into power, the economy was in a shambles and the country was on the verge of default.
The government, he said, took a number of bold decisions to stabilize the economy. As the country was now moving on the path of economic growth, it was focusing on further measures to boost it, he added.
Highlighting the steps taken by the government to exterminate the menace of terrorism, he said the government had spent Rs 300 billion on war against terrorism. As a result peace had been restored in the country, including Karachi and North Waziristan, he added.
He said the focus of the prime minister was on boosting exports and creating employment opportunities for the people.
He said some elements were trying to derail the country’s economic development and creating hurdles for the government to implement economic development agenda. Such elements would be rejected by the people in next general election because of their negative politics, he added.
