April 26, 2006	Wednesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 27, 1427

ISLAMABAD April 25: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said that there will be no U-turn in the economic policies, which have earned the country record foreign direct investment (FDI) of $2.2 billion in last nine months of the current fiscal.

Talking to a delegation of Pak-US Business Council, led by Citigroup CEO Jay Collins, which called on him at Prime Minister House on Tuesday, the premier said that the government was working to increase the absorptive capacity to prepare the country to gain from opportunities offered by globalisation.

He said consistency in policies had created a predictable environment for investors and record high FDI was a manifestation of restored confidence of foreign investors.

He claimed that the economic recovery achieved by the country was one of deepest and broad based reforms ever undertaken which had steered Pakistan out of economic wilderness.

The per capita income stands at $800, double to what it was six years back, he maintained.

He emphasised the need to further expand Pak-US business relations and expressed the desire of an early finalisation of Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) with the United States and the council could play an important role.

He said that the government was paying special attention to improve infrastructure and had most modern telephone systems in the world with 95 per cent fibre optic.