Enemies perturbed over rapid nd progress under Shehbaz: Tarar
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting and National Heritage and Culture Attaullah Tarar on Monday said Pakistan’s fast-track progress under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had stunned its enemies who were dreaming its economic downfall.
“The disappointed elements are fully perturbed as the prime minister has charted the country on path of progress and development,” Attaullah Tarar said while addressing a press conference.
The minister said a so-called leader while being at the helm of affairs in 2018 had adversely affected Pakistan’s relations with the brotherly countries, causing serious problems on the diplomatic front.
On the other hand, the government led by PM Shehbaz Sharif had not only mended relations with the brotherly states, besides restoring the country’s prestige in the global community, he added.
Tarar said the prime minister’s historic visit to China was “highly successful”, which had been marked by an unprecedented level of enthusiasm and mutual cooperation.
A multitude of issues, he said, were addressed during the visit, fostering the dawn of a new era in the bilateral relations of two countries which had been enjoying exemplary bonds for decades.
Their unparalleled friendship stood steadfast against all odds over the years, he added.
The minister said the Chinese leadership congratulated Pakistan on securing a seat in the United Nations Security Council and achieving 182 votes in the 193member General Assembly. China had played a significant role in helping Pakistan achieve the feat.
Chinese President Xi Jinping during the meeting that lasted for over three hours, personally felicitated Prime Minister Shehbaz on the achievement, he added.
The prime minister, he said, had discussed the revival of Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) and the Mainline 1 (ML-1) projects during the meeting. A committee was formed to extend the ML-1 from Karachi to Multan and potentially beyond, he added.
The minister said a total of 32 B2B agreements were inked among various business enterprises of the two countries.
Moreover, he said, some 500 entrepreneurs attended a business conference where many agreements and memorandum of understandings (Mous) were also signed to enhance business cooperation between the two countries.
IT (information technology) exports would be enhanced with the visit of the prime minister to China, he said, adding that China had agreed to train 200,000 IT students.
Establishing smart cities were also discussed during the meetings, the minister noted.
Tarar said that training of the youth would further increase IT exports by encouraging the tech startups to contribute to the national economy, positively.
He said Pakistan’s tech companies were competing with its foreign counterparts and it was the responsibility of the government to create a conducive environment for them.
“Pakistan-china friendship is in our blood,” he said, lauding China for persistently supporting Pakistan which was being reciprocated in the same manner.
He said that the benefits of the upgradation of CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor) would reach the people of both countries.
He said Pakistan had already achieved economic stability, witnessed a reduction in price hikes with inflation declined from 18 to 11 percent, and experienced overall economic improvement. The foreign exchange reserves had increased to $14 billion, he added.
Terming the CPEC a lifeline of Pakistan, he said the Chinese leadership had vowed to upgrade the flagship project and now its process was moving forward at fast pace.