*Federal minister says government won’t let protest leaders to disrupt journey of development
Politics of sit-ins and street protests would neither resolve problems being faced by Pakistan nor transform the country into a strong economy in the region, said Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday while talking to journalists after addressing the South Asia Conclave and Golf Tournament.
Iqbal said that Pakistan is in dire need of political stability and steady pace in economic development as well as continuation of policies to maintain local and foreign investors confidence for investing in the country.
To a question, Ahsan Iqbal said that a single leader, party or institution could not make a ‘New; Prosperous; Enlightened or Strong Pakistan’ single-handedly, adding that this coveted goal could become achievable only after forging unity and ensuring stability.
He further said that his party welcomes Dr Qadri back to Pakistan and hoped that Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) chief would restore his talks with the government. “We do feel aggrieved over the Model Town incident and want the real culprits to be taken to task as per law of the land,” he said.
The federal minister said that Joint Investigation Team (JIT) was starting its investigation on the incident and hoped that the PAT would cooperate with the JIT.
To another question about Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s deadline of November 30, Iqbal said that people of Pakistan would reject all those who were hatching conspiracies to obstruct development course of the country.
He added that PTI Chairman Imran Khan had earlier sabotaged the Chinese president’s very important visit to Pakistan and now he was bent upon upsetting Chinese investment in the country.
He advised the PTI chief to refrain from politics of sit-ins and street protests and present his viewpoint in the Parliament.
He said that Khan should take up implementation of at least 10 percent of his “tall claims and rhetoric” first in the province of KPK.
The federal minister said that under the Pak-China Economic Corridor the government was working on a number of projects of infrastructure and energy, asserting that an additional quantum of 9000MW electricity would be available in the system by 2018. To a query, he said that government had allocated Rs 1 billion Innovating Fund that would ensure speedy development in the country through academia-industry synergy.
