ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Federal Minister Planning, Development & Reform Ahsan Iqbal has said that Pakistan will be among the top five fast growing economies of the world in 2018 by persisting the current growth momentum.
While speaking at the inauguration of “Semaual Un Dong Chair” at Pak-Korea CBC at Arid University in Rawalpindi on Friday, the minister said that Pakistan’s economy resurged by moving on positive growth trajectory for the consecutive last three years due to indigenous factors.
The minister said that the international community is reposing confidence in Pakistan which is presently in the top eight fast economies of the world.
Ahsan Iqbal said that Semual Un Dong movement in South Korea transformed its rural economy and Pakistan can learn lessons from it to boost up its own rural economy.
The federal minister said that Pakistan has huge rural population and needs to develop its rural areas to bring them at par with the ubran centers of the country. He said that creation of employment opportunities and provision of basis facilities in the rural areas is also priority of government to check the population movement to ubran areas.
“Pakistan needs inclusive development rather than creating islands of prosperity, we want an ocean of prosperity which touches all regions and groups.” he said.
Ahsan Iqbal said that present government is embarked upon implementation of its Vision-2025 to ensure sustainable and inclusive development.
The minister also highlighted historical growth and development patterns in the country and pointed out that these proved short-lived because of exogenous factors that drove the growth after country entered into geo-strategic alliances.
“Now the present government had devised the economic agenda, which is based on indigenous reform agenda and drivers of growth,” he added.
Today, Pakistan needs positivity and self-belief to continue build on the growth momentum Pakistan achieved in last three years , he emphasized and added that Pakistan of 2016 is much better than of 2013 after witnessing significant improvement in economy, energy and security situation.
“This turnaround should be reflected in our national psyche. We shouldn’t let cynics confuse us who always see glass half empty, he stressed.
Ahsan Iqbal impressed upon the youth to ignore voices of despondency by believing in the success of Pakistan and developing an approach to see the glass half full. He said that South Korean’s Samueal Un Dong Movement provides us the guidelines how positivity and self-belief can make the wonders in a nation’s life.
