Government has taken bold decisions to put economy of the country on right track: Prime Minister

Islamabad, February 26, 2014 (PPI-OT): Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has said that Economy is a challenge before the government and our government has taken bold decisions to put the country on the right track. Prime Minister said this during a briefing given to him by Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Planning and Development.

Prime Minister said that avenues for development have been made available and we need dedicated and innovative people to take on the opportunities and put our country on fast track development. Prime Minister said that the investment by Chinese in Pakistan is a good omen for the foreign investors who would now have more confidence to come to Pakistan to avail the available opportunities.

Ahsan Iqbal briefed the Prime Minister on his visit to China. He told that Pakistan and China have prioritized areas of investment. The prioritization is based upon significance to bilateral connectivity, socio-economic urgency and impact and quicker completion time. In Energy Sector, 16 projects have been identified where Chinese investors have shown their interest. It includes solar, coal and hydel power projects. These are short to medium term projects and the power generation will be available in 5 years, he added.

Ahsan Iqbal said that in infrastructure, Chinese have agreed to invest in upgradation of Raikot- Islamabad section of Karakoram Highway, construction of Karachi-Lahore Motorway and upgradation of Gawadar Port. In Gawadar an integrated development plan of Gawadar city has been planned which includes infrastructure facilities, and construction of Gawadar Airport, the Minister added.

Ahsan Iqbal told that both China and Pakistan have made their respective Planning Working Groups for jointly working on planning, identifying and prioritization of projects in different sectors.

Prime Minister constituted a six member committee including Finance Minister Mr. Ishaq Dar, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, and Secretary to PM to monitor the progress of these projects, ensure the completion of the projects on fast track and report to him on regular basis on the status of the projects.

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