ISLAMABAD:Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that the PTI economic team, under the leadership of Finance Minister Asad Umar, has taken many steps for economic uplift of the country during the first six months of the government.
Addressing the Business Leaders Summit here on Wednesday, he said when Prime Minister Imran Khan ascended to power six months ago, he inherited a lot of challenges, including corruption, flight of capital, and other socio-economic ills, which had to be overcome.
He said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has been elected on the agenda of change and the people will see change by the end of the tenure of the present government.
He said the government is taking steps to create investment opportunities in the country and these steps have already paid the dividends.
He said the United Arab Emirates is taking keen interest in making investment in different sectors in Pakistan while Qatar also plans to invest in the country’s food processing industry.
He said the government plans to make Pakistan a hub of business and investment in the region. He thanked the European Foreign Ministers and parliamentarians for supporting Pakistan in securing GSP Plus facility for its exports.
The Foreign Minister said our government focused on economic diplomacy and to increase bilateral trade as Pakistan is situated at a geo strategic location. He said we are increasing bilateral trade with Iran, China and other countries of the region.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi said China is our strategic partner and we want to transform this relationship into an economic partnership. He said we are negotiating with China to help Pakistan in the agriculture sector and in establishing of economic zones.
He said Pakistan wants peace in Afghanistan and government is facilitating peace process in the country. Speaking about relations with India, he said Prime Minister Imran Khan assuming the charge offered New Delhi a hand of friendship and asked for Foreign Ministers meeting at the sidelines of UN General Assembly to resolve all outstanding issues between the two countries through dialogue.
Addressing the Business Leaders Summit, Federal Minister for Commerce Abdul Razak Daud said the incumbent government is taking all measured for strengthening the economy. He said small-to-medium enterprise has a significance role in the economy.
He said government is decreasing duty on SMEs products and providing them extra facilities. He said we are also trying to increase of imports. Speaking on the occasion, Finance Minister said Pakistan is a safe country for the investment and government is implementing on several schemes for the restoration of economy.