Upbeat about future: PTI dharna will fizzle out, says PM
Taking a dig at Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif predicted on Monday that the sit-in of a political party in Islamabad would ultimately fizzle out and the country would continue its march on the road to progress and prosperity.
“Those espousing immature politics of sit-ins should realise the grave challenges facing the country. Let the government overcome the challenges of poverty, terrorism and unemployment. Sit-ins will not waver our commitment to serve the masses,” the prime minister told reporters after inaugurating the first-ever international investment conference in Islamabad.
Referring to the Pakistan Awami Tehreek which called off its dharna in Islamabad after 67 days, the prime minister said another political party has already left the scene of sit-in. The leaders of the protesting parties must rethink their actions that were causing a great damage to the country and pushing it backwards.
He mentioned the postponement of the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping due to the sit-ins. “Had there been mature politics in Pakistan, our great friend would not have postponed his visit,” he added.
Without naming the Pakistan Peoples Party, the prime minister said democratic forces have set a good tradition of smooth democratic transition of power in Pakistan. “I’ll try to carry on this fine tradition,” he added.
Premier Nawaz claimed that Pakistan was moving ahead on the road of development and progress. He mentioned the success of Euro bonds that fetched around $2 billion. The rupee has appreciated against the dollar and there is no scandal of the PML-N government since it came into power after the 2013 elections, he claimed.
He told investors that incentives in Pakistan were diverse and business-friendly. “We offer prospects of co-production, joint ventures with local partners and joint marketing arrangements. The taxation regime is one of the lowest in the region and its collection is undertaken through very well dedicated large taxpayers units.”
A multiplicity of tax concessions was available along with provisions of tax exemptions to specific businesses, he added. “We also provide exclusive economic zones and infrastructure subsidies as well as research and development support.”
The prime minister said Pakistan’s projected GDP growth ranges between 4% and 6% and was considerably higher in comparison to the past where it consistently failed to cross the 3% barrier. “I expect that our economic policies will bring about capital formation that in turn will create employment opportunities and increase Tax-GDP ratio currently counted as the lowest in the region.”
He said being mindful of the vast gap between production and requirement of energy, his government planned installation of all kinds of power generation units to boost energy production. The government has added 1500MW of operational capacity to the national grid, and has put in pipeline numerous projects whose production will soon outstrip demand. “We plan privatising the power distribution network along with rationalisation of tariff that will make investment in power sector very attractive.”
The prime minister said his government believes in no-holds-barred foreign investment regime, and “I have mandated Board of Investment as the high-level one-window agency empowered to facilitate investors in planning and implementing their ventures. “We have reserved a large competitive and accommodating space for foreign investment that forms an integral part of our development drive.”
Speaking on the occasion, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that the government has achieved successes in war on terror.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 28th, 2014.
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There is no threat to the govt either from Imran or anybody else.They are creating problems for themselves. I am an old supporter of Nawaz Sharif but this time I am going to vote against him only and only because of unbridled excessive electrcity billing.I can assure PMLN this is going to be the only reason for their downfall whether it takes place by elections or by agitations
@Dija: Spot On. The nation has awaken.
GNGPeople who gauge the strength of the Dharna merely through the number of people present on the site are the ones who in reality living in a fools paradise - the existence of Dharna at the D-Chowk has now become only a symbolic factor - the real message that was actually meant to be spread across the nation through this Dharna has been achieved; whether people now make it to Dharna at D Chowk or not carries no significance - the real message across the nation has not only been delivered but also been understood even at the grass root levels: an accomplishment that is beyond imagination!.......but one requires wisdom to sense this change.