May 17, 2003	Saturday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 14, 1424

KARACHI, May 16: State Bank Governor Dr Ishrat Hussain has said the government is now focussing on growth to provide socio-economic infrastructure and promote investment, production and export on one hand, and to create new jobs on the other.

In a visit to Atlas Honda Plant at Sheikhupura which celebrated the production of over 100,000 bikes in a single year, the governor said the government had achieved the macro-economic stability.

He said indigenization not only added revenue to the government but also provided employment and developed know-how — a key to sustained growth, says a press release issued from Karachi by Atlas Honda.

Chief executive officer, Atlas Honda, Saqib Shirazi, said the company in the last few years had invested Rs1 billion in core technologies, which included manufacturing of hi-tech engine components and state-of-the-art treatment technologies. The company intends to invest a further Rs1 billion during the current year in low pressure die casting and in the expansion of its plant capacity.

Atlas Honda, having 6,000 sales and service outlets and over 200 vendors, provides jobs to more than 50,000 people directly and indirectly.