MUHAMMAD SALEEM

LAHORE: Federal Planning and Development minister Ahsan Iqbal has said, “Country is well on the road to economic recovery and peace and stability is in her best interest.”

He said this while speaking to Business Recorder after making a speech during a launching ceremony of a book, “Pakistan-The Way Forward”, written by Afnan Ullah Khan, the son of the senior ruling party leader and a former federal minister, Mushahidullah Khan, at a hotel. Ahsan Iqbal said, “Pakistan wants peace in the region because we want to stay away from any sort of confrontation in the interest of the country.”

In reference to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the minister claimed, “This mega project will be a game changer and will change the destiny of all the countries in the region. People will get job opportunities and as a result unemployment will reduce. Gwadar is basically a backward area and the government has planned to make it a beautiful city. This port will become the busiest port in the future. This project has changed the world’s perception about Pakistan.”

He talked about his party’s projects and plans, claiming, “The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government has provided a solid base to develop infrastructure in the country. China is investing $46 billon in Pakistan in various mega projects because of the efforts by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The execution of the Corridor projects will start a new era of progress and prosperity in all the four provinces, including Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.”

When asked about the Indian media propaganda, he said, “The Indian media is playing up a recent handshake between the prime minister and his Indian counterpart during an environment conference in France. Both internal and external elements are spreading baseless reports, but the current government is moving in the right direction and working in the best interest of the country.”

Before talking to Business Recorder, the minister’s speech during the book-launching ceremony almost contained the same chief ingredients of the economics. “The political stability and continuity of economic policies are must to lead the country in the comity of the developed nations. The government is moving in the right direction to reap the economic benefits in the larger interest of the country.”

He then went on, “Only those countries in the Asian region have achieved progress which have political stability and continuity of policies. We are moving on the right track and set to reap the benefits of progress by foiling all conspiracies. The Vision 2025 envisages leading the country as 25 developed nations. Pakistan possesses a huge potential to grow and the government is devotedly working to make it a developed and prosperous nation.”