ISLAMABAD, May 16: President General Pervez Musharraf has said that with rapid growth of telecom services people are benefiting constantly from declining telephone and Internet tariffs. The president made these remarks in his message on the 104th World Telecommunication Day being observed in Pakistan and throughout the world on Tuesday.

Gen Musharraf said the government has achieved “tremendous success” in the telecom sector by its policy of liberalization and opening up of the telecom sector.

“These measures have generated considerable interest among both local and foreign investors ... evident through the rapid growth in the number of telecom service providers,” he said.

“An intense competition has resulted in constantly declining telephone and internet tariffs — a major benefit for the population,” the president added.

In a separate message Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said Pakistan has emerged as “one of the leading developing countries introducing reforms and the lightening-fast pace of the sector picking up as a result of these reforms is a proof of the soundness of the government’s policies”.