Pakistan is Asian tiger in the making: Iqbal

• Minister says govt is working on early end to power load shedding

Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal has said their government is striving hard to make Pakistan the Asian tiger under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

He said the government’s economic policies were bearing fruits and helping a lot in providing financial relief to the people. He said this while talking to different delegations in Narowal on Sunday.

The minister said the PML-N had a great economical boost plan to increase exports of the country to $150 billion until 2025 as the government would soon launch a nation-wide awareness raising campaign with an active cooperation of all the chambers of commerce and industry in the country besides ensuring an early provision of business-friendly atmosphere and enabling exporters to utilize their energies and capabilities to boost exports with full devotion, dedication, enthusiasm  and complete peace of mind.

The minister said the development of human resources was a priority of the government as they were intending to divert a direction of
development to national resources instead of depending on foreign resources.

He said an early development of basic structure in the country had become vital and the PML-N government would allocate huge chunks for development of seven different sectors, including electricity, water, science and technology, in the budget for the fiscal year 2014-15.

Iqbal said the government was successfully implementing its economical revival agenda by putting the country on a way to economical and political stability.

The minister said the government was planning for the next 20 years and making some effective measures to overcome the burning issue of the water scarcity in the country, adding that steps would also be helpful in curbing the menace of energy crisis by giving the maximum relief to the people.

He added that the energy crisis inherited by previous regimes now had made the country hostage economically due to which the government had been focusing on an early end of the power load shedding.

He said the government would also bring about reforms in pension and salaries sectors, adding that the federal government would spend Rs 122 billion on means of communication, including motorways and highways.