ISLAMABAD: The government had made payments for the $500 million Eurobond which was issued in Musharraf’s tenure in 2006.
This was revealed by Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar while talking to a delegation of National Management College. The delegation included NSPP Rector Ismail Qureshi, members of NMC faculty and participants of the 104th National Management Course.
Speaking on the occasion, the minister said the government having successfully attained macro-economic economic stability and re-engagement of international financing institutions was now firmly pursuing the goal of economic growth and employment generation.
The minister said apart from due focus on economy, the government had also paid full attention to development of energy sector to alleviate the problem of energy shortage in the country. It has given due focus also on anti-terrorism operation to ensure a peaceful and secure environment which is key to ensure economic progress.
Ishaq Dar also mentioned about government’s efforts for strengthening the social security network. He said all the macro-economic indicators were positive; foreign exchange reserves stood at over $20 billion, inflation rate was under 3%, there was 18% growth in revenue generation during the current fiscal year and the government was all set to achieve the revenue target set for 2015-16. He said the government was determined to achieve 6 to 7 percent growth rate within its tenure.
He also briefly touched upon country’s debt profile and said some vested interests were maligning public opinion against the government by portraying a fabricated picture of the debt situation.
The minister wished all the participants success in the training course and said they had an important role to play in the country’s economic development and social uplift.
Special Secretary Finance Dr Shujaat, Economic Advisor S Ejaz Wasti and Economic Reforms Unit Director General Dr Khaqan Hasan Najeeb gave presentations to the visiting delegation about the working of the Ministry of Finance and budget making process.
