May 14, 2003	Wednesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 11, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, May 13: Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali on Tuesday expressed the hope for peace between Pakistan and India, saying that it would be in the larger interests of the people of both the countries.

He was speaking while inaugurating the three-day-long meeting of the Pakistan Development Forum, which began its deliberations on Monday.

Informing participants of the meeting about his telephonic discussion with Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpaee, Mr Jamali endorsed Mr Vajpaee’s overtures for improving the economic conditions in India and Pakistan, saying that the proposed dialogue could help usher in a new era of prosperity for over one billion people of the region.

Terming improvement in trade and economic relations between the two countries, Mr Jamali said that it was imperative for the enforcement of the WTO regime in 2005. “We have bogged down in the past but now both the countries should not miss an opportunity to improve the relations.”

Prime Minister Jamali earlier assured international donors that there would be continuity in policies to strengthen the country politically and economically.

“Continuity is the name of the game and I assure you that economic policies will be unchanged,” he said while formally inaugurating the three-day meeting of the Pakistan Development Forum (PDF), which began its deliberations on Monday.

The prime minister’s speech seemed to be aimed at pacifying representatives of the donor agencies, who had expressed fears about the continuation of government policies a day ago.

Reiterating his commitment to keep the economic policies outlined by Gen Musharraf’s government to achieve good governance, Mr Jamali said that the present government wanted to improve broad economic indicators.

Criticizing the previous democratic governments, he said that their failure to adhere to financial discipline had created problems for the country. “But since 1999, things continue to improve, which is a good thing for Pakistan”.

Mr Jamali called for a change in the culture of politics, saying: “I assure you, prosperity will emanate from this change.”

Stressing the need for consensus between the country’s parliamentarians, Mr Jamali said that the government was holding talks with the opposition parties to forge unanimity of views on key national and international issues.

On the economic front, he said the completion of Gwadar port in Balochistan was vital for linking Pakistan with the Central Asian republics via Afghanistan, helping Russia to reach warm waters. He appreciated the role of the Chinese government as well as the Asian Development Bank to help build Gwadar deep sea port and other coastal regions in Balochistan.

Commenting on the “fast changing” scenario in the wake of the Sept 11 incident, he said that it was imperative for every country to shape its policies with utmost care. “We want our country free from all kinds of encumbrances and pressures,” he said, adding that Pakistan also wanted to get rid of its foreign debts.

Mr Jamali said that the country’s collective interest would not be compromised for self-interest as had happened in the past.

Earlier, vice president of the World Bank Ms Meiko Nishimizu said that while Pakistan had improved its financial conditions to some extent the country needed to reduce the poverty level. “Poverty is not just a development issue, but an issue of national security for Pakistan.”

She also stressed the need for changing the country’s political culture to achieve the objective of good governance.

Representative of the International Monetary Fund Klaus Enders, while stressing the need for reducing corruption, said that the government should remove various tax exceptions to improve its revenue collection position.

He also expressed his concern over non-implementation on power sector reform.

Director general of the Asian Development Bank Mr Iwaski and the president of the Islamic Development Bank Dr Ahmad Mohammad Ali also spoke on the occasion.