Daily Times

Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday said the bureaucracy has been left with no excuse to perform after the federal government amended the NAB ordinance to ebb away the procedural pressure from them.

Addressing the groundbreaking ceremony of Allama Iqbal Industrial City of Faisalabad being established under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the prime minister reiterated that the country can get rid of poverty only by doing away with the anti-investor mindset and promoting the wealth creation through industrialisation. He said Pakistan will follow the successful Chinese model of allowing the wealth creation that has made the country steer its around 700 million people out of poverty within three decades.

Terming the establishment of first SEZ in Punjab a giant leap towards accomplishment of his government’s vision to alleviate poverty through industrialization, the prime minister said it will beget job opportunities for the youth who will also be skill-trained to cope with the future needs. He said the industrialization is inevitable as agriculture sector cannot suffice the youth’s job needs. He said the country had been going through industrialization until 1960s when anti-investor mindset and policies were promoted what he said must be done away with. He said the industrialization should follow the special focus on enhancement of exports, agricultural productivity and promotion of tourism to truly exploit the existing potential.

The prime minister who earlier unveiled the plaque to launch work on the project called for special focus on technical education to skill-train the youth to enhance their productivity and value addition. Congratulating the Punjab government and allied federal and provincial departments for expediting the work on special economic zone, he said 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 told the gathering that the Chinese companies are not only ready to invest in Pakistan but also willing to transfer technology to enhance productivity by establishing technical training institutes in the country. He also asked the Punjab government to expedite working on other SEZs planned in the province and assured all-out support by the federal government.

He appreciated the newly posted Inspector General of Punjab Police Shoaib Dastgir for making a good start by arresting the notorious robber gangs from different cities who, he viewed, sometimes also enjoy the patronage of some politicians. The prime minister hoped that the province will be purged of such criminals within next two to three months.

He also spoke high of the Punjab chief minister for being available to the people and leading a simple life which is expected from a political leader of the country bearing the burden of foreign debts. Earlier, the prime minister also criticized the political leaders for unnecessarily speaking English to the Pakistani audience at public gathering or even at the parliament where majority cannot understand English properly. He viewed that English should be used in higher education but not as a tool of class distinction or to humiliate the poor people who could not speak or understand the language.