MULTAN: Minister for Interior Ahsan Iqbal said Saturday that continuity of policies was essential to take the rising Pakistan to its destination of matchless progress.
Pakistan is rising and political stability would help country win a place among top 25 economies of the world by 2025, he said while addressing a press conference here.
He said that the country witnessed record development in current tenure of the PML-N government. The gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate is continuously improving, he added.
Last year, it was 5.3 per cent, and now it has jumped to 6 per cent. The country could have made more progress, had Muhammad Nawaz Sharif not been removed from prime ministership. The stock exchange witnessed downward trend and the country faced loss of $14-16 billion after the disqualification decision. However, he added that stock exchange had started improving gradually.
Ahsan recalled that the country was faced with energy, communication infrastructure, weak economy, and terrorism crises when the PML-N assumed power in 2013. The incumbent government successfully eliminated the menace of terrorism, electricity load-shedding and strengthened country’s economy.
Within a short span of four-and-a-half years, the government completed 1600-kilometre long motorways, which was also a record.
In the previous tenure, the PML-N made 550-kilometre long motorways. Quoting examples of one of the neighbouring country in the region, Ahsan Iqbal said that it had only 1400-kilometre long motorways.
The federal minister said that during the PNL-N government, the country witnessed high foreign investment and industrial growth rate.
Ahsan Iqbal observed that NATO supplies had badly damaged country’s road infrastructure and the incumbent government paid special focus to improvement of the infrastructure as the country could not make progress without infrastructure.
Investment of billion dollars helped strengthen country’s economy. Ahsan Iqbal maintained that former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif visited China in 2013 and finalised different projects.
Ahsan Iqbal also stated that completion of Sukkur-Multan motorway would bring massive level development in south Punjab and Sindh.
About contempt of court notices, served on the PML-N leaders, Ahsan said that masses, legal fraternity and many foreign analysts had expressed reservations over disqualification of Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. He said that Pervez Musharraf violated the Constitution, but he was not punished by the courts.
Many people believe Nawaz Sharif would be convicted by the accountability court before general elections, said Ahsan Iqbal in response to a question, and added that it would be pre-poll rigging to keep Nawaz Sharif away from masses.
About nomination of candidate for upcoming prime minister, Ahsan Iqbal said that Nawaz Sharif was leader of Pakistan Muslim League and he had nominated Shehbaz Sharif as candidate for prime minister-ship for the next term.
