'Unnecessary use of English language reflects slavery mindset', PM criticises opponents

Premier hails China's model while addressing groundbreaking ceremony of Allama Iqbal Industrial City

FAISALABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken a swipe at his opponents for "unnecessarily speaking English" during public gatherings and in the Parliament House, describing the act as a reflection of "slavery mindset".

"English [language] should be used in higher education but not as a tool of class distinction or to humiliate poor people who could not speak or understand the language," said the premier on Friday while addressing the ground breaking ceremony of Allama Iqbal Industrial City in Faisalabad.

He said there was no point in speaking English when majority of the people could not understand the language.

Highlighting the poverty alleviation and economic progress of the country, PM Imran said that China is not only willing to invest in Pakistan but also willing to transfer technology to enhance productivity by establishing technical training institutes in the country.

“China is taking keen interest in Pakistan and like Vietnam, Pakistan should create a conducive atmosphere to attract the Chinese industry looking for relocation,” he added.

The project is one of nine Special Economic Zones (SEZs) planned under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Industrial Cooperation Framework. Out of nine, three have been declared as Prioritised SEZs by the governments of Pakistan and China including Allama Iqbal Industrial City of Faisalabad, Rashakai SEZ in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Dhabajee SEZ in Sindh.

#IndustrialRevival

خوشحال پاکستان کی طرف مثالی اقدام علامہ اقبال انڈسٹریل سٹی فیصل آباد تاریخی صنعتی منصوبے کا شاندار سنگ بنیاد خصوصی معاشی ترجیحاتی زون "سی پیک" کے تحت تین لاکھ افراد کے لیے روزگار کے نئے مواقع اور 400 ارب کی تاریخی سرمایہ کاری pic.twitter.com/TMsaEZ24mP

— PTI Bahawalpur (@PTIOfficialBWP) January 3, 2020

The project is expected to create 300,000 jobs for the people of Punjab in next five years and would attract approximately Rs400 billion investment in automobiles, value added textiles, engineering, pharmaceuticals, food processing, chemicals, construction materials, FGCG and packaging sectors.

Pakistan would follow the Chinese model of allowing the wealth creation that had enabled the country to lift 700 million people out of poverty within three decades, said the premier.

Premier Imran reiterated that the country could only eradicate the menace of poverty by doing away with the anti-investor mindset and supporting the industrialisation for wealth creation.

Federal Planning Minister Asad Umar, Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razzak Dawood, Chief Minister of Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar, Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar and provincial ministers were also present in the ceremony.

With additional input from News Desk