IMF programme accepted with heavy heart,PM

Pakistan eyes GCC’s $40bn investment in agri sector in five years,

PESHAWAR  – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that his government had to approach the IMF due to difficult economic conditions.

The prime minister said, “We accepted the IMF programme with heavy heart, not willingly.”

Premier Shehbaz Sharif inaugurated the Phase One of FATA University in Peshawar. In the opening ceremony, Mr Sharif also distributed laptops among the youth.
Governor and Caretaker Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federal Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb were also present on this occasion.

Addressing the ceremony, the prime minister said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was a land of brave people. “The people here defended Pakistan with their blood, this province also has a big role in the war against terrorism,” he said.

Mr Sharif said the past years were very difficult. “Pakistan will definitely stand on its own feet, prosperity will come, and agriculture will change the economy of Pakistan.” “If we want to end begging, we will have to stand on our own feet,” he said.

The prime minister said, “Today we got two billion dollars from Saudi Arabia. I thank my brother Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman. Saudi leadership always supported Pakistan in difficult times. I also thank Ishaq Dar and Commander Asim Munir.”

Sharif said the time had come to shape the future of the nation. A comprehensive plan had been made for agriculture, IT and minerals.

He said, “Today our neighbour is going ahead of us, which is due to our own fault. Today we have to sweep before our own door. Today we have to decide whether to keep our self-esteem and dignity or live like beggars.” He said that there was a time when Pakistan was ahead of India in terms of cotton export.

“We have to learn from the past. Countries prosper because of hard work. We have to bring revolution in agriculture and industry. I am sure that in the next few years, Pakistan will become a great developing country in the region and the world.”

Sharif said laptop distribution started during the period of Nawaz Sharif. “We will distribute 0.1 million laptops in future. Laptops will be given on merit only. If we are voted to power again, we will distribute laptops in each province according to population,” he said.

He said recommendation and corruption was rampant in country nowadays. “The corruption has shaken the foundations of Pakistan,” he added.

Earlier,

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said the government aimed to fetch investment of billions of dollars from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries into the country’s food and agriculture sector

In a tweet, he said, the GCC countries imported food items and agriculture products to the tune of $40 billion annually. Mr Sharif said the step would be taken under the supervision of Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), for which the ground has been prepared.

In the next four to five years, he said, there would be an investment of approximately $40 billion in addition to the creation of four million new jobs.

The prime minister mentioned that at the national seminar on agriculture and food security held Monday, he stressed the importance of revitalizing agriculture as a harbinger of the second Green Revolution.

“The second Green Revolution is about making agriculture the major driver of our economic growth, leading to food security that reinforces our national security,” he said.

He said the seminar was not a routine event meant for churning of rhetoric, but it represented the beginning of a long overdue national effort for the economic revival of the country owned by all stakeholders.

“The future holds the promise of departing from loans to building a resilient economy, which stands on its internal strengths,” he said. “Together, we will make it happen.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday urged the stakeholders to invest in empowering communities by building their capacity through better health and educational facilities and ensuring an enabling environment to unlock their potential.

In his message on the World Population Day being globally marked today, the moment draws the attention to the vast disparity between the requirements of increasing population and availability of resources.

Also, he said, it highlights the need for affirmative policy actions to empower our communities and the people. PM Sharif said population remains at the heart of effective national planning.

He said for developing countries in particular, managing population growth is key to socio-economic development. He said no country, howsoever resourceful, can deal with population explosion. “Thus drawing a balance between population and resources is fundamental to the fulfilment of the needs of teeming millions,” he said.

This year’s theme ‘Unleashing the power of gender equality’ is a powerful reminder of the imperative to empower our women, girls and men and end discrimination.

“Their mainstreaming in the national life will automatically help in achieving the development goals and increasing human productivity,” he said.

The prime minister said gender equality was not just a human rights issue, but also an economic requirement.

“The idea of balanced development is grounded in the empowerment of communities, who are enabled in not only fulfilling their aspirations of a meaningful life but also becoming a shareholder in the process of development of their societies,” he said.

He mentioned the significance of the multifarious factors such as climate change, geostrategic upheavals and dysfunction of markets, the countries are finding it hard to stay on course for achieving Millennium Development Goals.

Add to this mix the issue of gender inequality and discrimination and humanity gets farther from Sustainable Development Goals, he said.

The prime minister said the concept of development was not abstract but rooted in the welfare of the people.

“Hence all the more reason to invest in effective communication between the policy makers and the people at large for better outcomes,” he said. “We need to demonstrate greater political will to deal with the challenge.”