No progress without rule of law: PM

Imran says overseas Pakistanis require ease of process and opportunities for investment

ABOTTABAD:

Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Monday that the government was endeavouring to strengthen the rule of law in Pakistan to attract foreign investment and promote tourism, because, without it, the country could not move forward.

Addressing the ground-breaking ceremony of a five-star hotel in the mountain resort town of Nathia Gali in Abottabad district, the prime minister said that influential figures who had amassed wealth abroad were launching attacks on the government because they didn’t want rule of law to prevail.

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“We are fighting a battle to reform the system and establish rule of law. No country can prosper without the rule of law. Many countries with sufficient resources are in poverty just because of the absence of rule of law there,” Imran told the ceremony.

Earlier, the prime minister unveiled the plaque and also planted a sapling under his government’s 10 Billion Tree Tsunami in the presence of federal ministers Shibli Faraz, Azam Swati, Ali Haider Zaidi, State Minister Farrukh Habib, Parliamentary Kashmir Committee Chairman Shahryar Afridi and others.

The prime minister stressed that wealth creation was the biggest need of the country as it could generate job opportunities, increase tax collection and help repay foreign debt. He added that tourism could also help Pakistan get rid of its debt.

Read Punjab to host Overseas Pakistanis Convention

Imran criticised the opposition for attacking the government, saying that they did not want the rule of law to prevail. “They take advantage of the corrupt system which does not let foreign investment come to the country. These people want to continue benefiting from a corrupt system,” he added.

In order to attract investment from overseas Pakistanis, Imran emphasised the need for introducing incentives and ensuring the protection of their investment. He said that the overseas Pakistanis had lost trust due to corrupt practices in the country in the past.

“Nine million overseas Pakistanis have income equalling to that of 220 million population of the country, but unfortunately their potential was never tapped,” Imran said. “The overseas Pakistanis require ease of process and opportunities for investment,” he added.

The prime minister said that Pakistan’s exports would reach $30 billion this year. He added the country was moving ahead with a record sale of cars and growth of large-scale manufacturing this year. “We will be progressing forward with every year.”

Referring to the inauguration of the international-level hotel, Imran said that tourism could help Pakistan get rid of its debt. He added the construction of the hotel would attract more investment and promote high-end tourism particularly skiing. “Pakistan had great potential for skiing owing to prolonged snowy conditions.”

He said owing to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s efforts for the promotion of tourism, the poverty level had declined the fastest among all provinces as had also been recognised by the United Nations. He added that the K-P government had introduced zoning regulations in the province to provide land for hotels and resorts at a low cost.

 

(WITH INPUTS FROM APP)