Economy will shift from agriculture to industry: President performs ground-breaking of steel mills
KARACHI, March 30: President Pervez Musharraf said on Thursday Pakistani economy would gradually shift its focus from agriculture and textile to heavy industry and engineering sector to achieve a quantum jump in the country’s exports.
He was speaking at the ground breaking ceremony of $130 million state-of-the-art Tuwairqi Steel Mills (TSM) in the Port Qasim area.
The president said going into heavy industry and engineering sector was the future of Pakistan.
“Since we are in the process of enhancing our exports, it becomes very clear that the country should go into heavy industry and engineering sector which is 60 per cent of world trade”, he added.
Referring to the training programme of Al-Tuwairqi Group for Pakistani engineers and technicians, he said that was the real transfer of technology which would enhance quality of manpower in Pakistan.
Pakistan, he said, had embarked upon a programme to enhance quality of its human resources. “For this purpose, we have planned to establish six engineering universities with the help of Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Austria,” he added.
President Musharraf said that the universities would start functioning in 2008 and offer courses in heavy industry to enhance expertise of their young engineers.
“To enhance expertise of our technicians, we have set up a separate body in the form of the Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA),” he said.
He said that technical education was taken away from the education ministry and it would be looked after by the TEVTA which would ensure quality training to technicians.
“The government is also looking into the present and future needs of the industry and these universities will design disciplines according to these requirements.
“This is the spectrum how we want to take our youth forward. At the end of the day, it is human resources development which will propel us forward,” he said.
The president said that the power potential of a nation was based on its population and the quality of its human resources. Human resource was the area where they were lagging behind, he pointed out.
He said Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoyed brotherly relations for years.
Talking of business and economic relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, he said that both the countries would cement the bonds in the 21st century.
He said that the century was not about geo-politics but about geo-economics. “It is economic, trade and commercial relations which cement bonds (between the nations),” he added.
President Musharraf said that trade was improving between the two brotherly countries and investment was to be further encouraged.
Referring to the policy of deregulation, liberalization and privatization, he said that it had paid dividends and caused economic growth.
He asked Chairman Al-Tuwairqi Group Dr Hilal Al-Tuwairqi to participate in the privatization of the Pakistan Steel Mills and modernize it. “This is the need of the country,” he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Industries Jahangir Tareen said that the country’s requirement for steel was about five to six million tons and would increase to seven to eight million tons in 10 years.
He said that the government wanted to pass on fruits of economic growth to the people by providing them education, healthcare and clean drinking water.
Dr Hilal said that his company had selected Pakistan for the modern steel mill for its investment-friendly rules and regulations.
Calling President Musharraf as the strongest leader in the Islamic world, he said that the president had changed Pakistan which had become a leader of the Muslim world.
He said that the mill with state of the art technology would start production in 18 months.
Vice Chairman Al-Tuwairqi Group M. Tariq Barlas said that the plant using the directly reduced iron technology would produce one million tons of steel in the first phase and the production could go up to three million tons.
He said that the mill would directly employ 3,500 engineers and technicians and create massive job opportunities in services sector.
Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad, Chief Minister Dr Arbab Rahim, Saudi Ambassador in Pakistan Ali S. Awadh Asseri, senior civil and military official and diplomats were present on the occasion. —-APP
KARACHI, March 30: President Pervez Musharraf said on Thursday Pakistani economy would gradually shift its focus from agriculture and textile to heavy industry and engineering sector to achieve a quantum jump in the country’s exports.
