ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday said that mainly due to China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the Country could sustain 8-10 percent economic growth for next three decades.
While addressing a gathering of international business leaders at a Business Summit in Islamabad, the minister said this high growth rate could bring Pakistan among the top 25 economies of the world by 2030. He said CPEC was providing huge opportunities to the international investors who could take advantage of the opportunities.
The two-day Summit was organized by the Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms in collaboration with Martin Dow and Nutshell Forum with the aim to provide a platform for leading business figures across the world to present their ideas and effective business strategies.
Ahsan Iqbal said the whole world was now looking at this project and concerned ministers of almost all European Union (EU) Countries had met with him and expressed their wish to join Pakistan by investing in CPEC.
The minister said CPEC could create connectivity in the region and connect three billion population of South Asia, Central Asia and China. He said nine industrial zones being built under CPEC, 85 million new jobs would be created.
The planning minister urged upon the international business leaders to play their role in making Pakistan an Asian Tiger by exploiting huge opportunities offered by the CPEC.
Highlighting Pakistan’s relationship with the United States, the minister said when Pak-US relationships were on their peak, the past governments had not the vision to understand the real strength of the US.
Ahsan Iqbal said the actual strength of US lies in their education system therefore the current government had established a knowledge corridor with the US under which 10,000 Pakistani students would be sent to the US in next 10 years who would study in top 200 universities of the US.
Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador of the US to Pakistan David Hale said Pakistan and US were enjoying long standing bilateral relations in various sectors including business, trade, education and agriculture.
David Hale said Pakistani entrepreneurs were capable of developing innovative business ideas and they could compete any one on the global scale.
The ambassador also expressed his condolence over the terrorist attack on a census team in Lahore on Wednesday in which six people including four security personnel killed.
The Chairman Martin Dow Group Jawed Akhai said it was vital to focus on developing the leadership in the country as the world on the cusp of change and Pakistan was rapidly attaining its status as a key economic hub.
“I hope that all the participants will take complete advantage of the summit and learn from each others experiences”, he added.
As the world continues to recognize Pakistan’s potential in different economic sectors, Martin Dow, pharmaceutical company, continues to play a lead role in developing high quality of leadership.
This has been further endorsed with the recent inauguration of the company’s manufacturing facility in Meymac, France by President of the French Republic Francois Hollande, he added.
