The Pakistan Overseas Employment Promoters Association (POEPA) said on Saturday that the business community unconditionally supported economic and energy vision of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who put the country on the path of progress and prosperity.
Economy was growing, investors’ confidence continued to improve while energy import and manpower export deals with Qatar were highly significant, said POEPA Chairman Chaudhry Muhammad Afzal.
Talking to POEPA leaders Rashid Sheikh, Ishaq Janjua, Aqeel Awan, Raja Sultan and others, he said the LNG deal would benefit industry, agriculture and domestic consumers while the government would be in a position to reduce tariff to provide relief to masses. He said the deal over such a reduced price was great achievement of the government and now government should focus on consistency in supplies and establishment of more terminals to cater for the needs of different sectors. He said that issues like Thar coal, exploration of oil and gas, establishment of mega dams and gas import deals from Iran and Turkmenistan should continue to get attention of policymakers.
Ch Muhammad Afzal lauded the manpower export deal with Qatar which would double the volume of remittances being received by Pakistan. He said one hundred and fifteen thousand Pakistanis were already working there playing active role in development of brotherly country, adding that one hundred thousand more manpower would reduce poverty and unemployment at home. It will also help Pakistan improve forex situation, he said, adding that overseas Pakistanis must be facilitated and foreign exchange services must be improved.