Title: Karachi visit: PM eyes doubling exports’ volume in five years
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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Karachi on Wednesday for a day-long visit, his first after assuming the office of premier.
After arriving in the port city, the prime minister visited Mazar-e-Quaid and offered fateha. Shehbaz also signed the guestbook and prayed for the betterment of the country.
Meeting at CM House
Following the arrival of the premier at the Chief Minister's House, a high-level meeting was held under the chairmanship of Shehbaz.
Federal Ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Owais Leghari, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Musadik Malik, Jam Kamal and Ataullah Tarar accompanied the premier.
From Sindh, the meeting was attended by provincial ministers Sharjeel Memon, Nasir Shah, Saeed Ghani, Jam Khan Shoro, Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Asif Haider Shah and Principal Secretary Sindh Agha Wasif were present along with other secretaries.
Murad congratulated the premier on his re-election and noted the substantial representation from Sindh in the PM's cabinet, highlighting the presence of federal ministers Muhammad Aurangzeb, Jam Kamal, and Qaiser Sheikh, along with Khalid Maqbool who reside in Karachi.
“I believe that now, the issues of Sindh will receive prompt attention,” said Murad while expressing confidence in Shehbaz's ability to swiftly address major challenges.
Read more: Drone cameras banned for seven days in Karachi
Briefing the premier on the aftermath of the 2022 floods, Murad elaborated on funding agreements and said 70pc of funding was allocated by donor agencies while the provincial and federal governments shared the remaining.
“Donor agencies had provided Rs557.79 billion, while the Sindh Government had contributed Rs 18.25 billion for flood relief efforts.”
He also mentioned a $500 million initiative for constructing houses for flood affectees and a multi-billion school construction project, underscoring delays in promised federal funding.
The chief minister lamented that Sindh was ignored in federal schemes during the last few years, citing disparities in project allocations compared to other provinces. Murad further highlighted the disparity in project awards, particularly in the transport infrastructure sector and mentioned that Punjab received significant allocations compared to Sindh.
“In the last four years, Sindh has been ignored by the federation regarding new schemes.”
“In 2022-23, the federal government awarded 21 new projects worth Rs51 billion to Punjab, however, Sindh only received Rs5.4 billion for the transport sector,” the CM added.
Drawing attention to the pending projects, Murad highlighted delays in the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) and ECNEC for critical initiatives such as the augmentation of K-4 and various infrastructure projects.
Additionally, the chief executive of the province mentioned that initiatives such as the school rehabilitation project, the Sindh barrage project, and the solid waste project are awaiting approval from the federal government.
During the meeting, Murad urged Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal to expedite the approval process.
Murad added that he has appointed the National Highway Authority (NHA) chairman and directed the immediate completion of the Jamshoro road project. Additionally, he conveyed to the premier the significance of the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) project for the city.
The chief minister also urged PM Shehbaz to resolve the right-of-way issues for the KCR project and commence its execution.
Shehbaz is also expected to meet prominent personalities of the business community and a delegation of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce.
In these meetings, the premier will take suggestions from the business community regarding the improvement of the country's economy.
PM eyes doubling exports’ volume in five years
Meanwhile, addressing the business community in the port city, the premier expressed confidence that Pakistan's export volume would double over the next five years with the support of the country's business community.
He stated that the government, in consultation with the business community, would devise a comprehensive policy framework to increase exports, ultimately ensuring export-led growth.
He emphasised that export-led growth would also help resolve Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves issues. "You are the backbone of the country's economy, and without your support, the government cannot pull the country out of its economic crisis," he said.
He invited the business community to collaborate with the government to resolve their issues and challenges, asserting that this was the only way to progress and bring development and prosperity to Pakistan.
"We should come together in the larger interest of the country, and our brilliant minds should work together to find ways to resolve the challenges and problems hindering the country's development and prosperity," he added, noting that this was the only path to regain lost glory.
The prime minister highlighted the government's focus on revolutionising sectors such as agriculture, mining, minerals, information technology, and industry.
He also expressed the government's determination to reduce unemployment, poverty, and inflation in the country.
Also read: Public holiday announced in Karachi on Tuesday
Regarding the sugar situation in the country, the prime minister stated that the government would consider exporting the commodity if there is a surplus stock. He also emphasised the government's efforts to curb smuggling of the commodity.
PM Shehbaz pointed out that due to the efforts of interim and current governments, positive news was emerging in macroeconomic indicators. "The current account is in surplus, remittances are increasing, inflation is declining, and the stock exchange is making record progress," he remarked.
He also assured that the privatisation process would be concluded transparently, without bureaucratic delays, and the government would consult the business community before finalising any transactions.
He reiterated that it was not the government's role to run businesses, as the private sector was responsible for business operations and playing its due role in the country's development and prosperity.
The prime minister highlighted that the government had disbursed rebates worth Rs65 billion immediately after taking office. He urged the business community to adopt modern techniques, technologies, and high-quality marketing in their businesses.
He mentioned that an amount of Rs2.7 trillion in tax money was stuck in litigation, and the government was striving to expedite the resolution of these cases.
Published Date: 24-Apr-2024
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