February 26, 2007	Monday	Safar 8, 1428

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ISLAMABAD, Feb 25: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said that wide-ranging structural reforms and continuity of policies have put the country on a high-growth trajectory leading to sustainable development and prosperity.

Talking to a delegation of DLA Piper Associates here on Sunday, the prime minister said that the stability had enabled the government to regain its economic sovereignty and make decisions which were in the best interest of the country.

Lord Clement Jones, Member of the House of Lords, led the delegation.

He said that in the first half of current year Pakistan received foreign investment of over $3 billion and by the end of the current financial year it was expected to cross $5 billion.

The prime minister said Pakistan was one of the fastest growing economies in the region and hoped to sustain a growth rate of six to eight per cent.

He said the success of the reform agenda was being increasingly recognized by various stakeholders and Pakistan had been included in the world’s 10 best reformers by many surveys.

The delegation specifically mentioned investment and privatization policies pursued by the government and said that the country’s economy was showing healthy results which were globally appreciated.

Minister of State for Information Tariq Azeem and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Khalil-ur-Rehman attended the meeting.

Meanwhile, talking to Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker, who called on him here on Sunday, the prime minister thanked the government of Qatar and Qatar Airways for donating Air Bus A-310 to Pakistan.

He said the gesture was a symbol of close existing ties and the desire on the part of both countries to strengthen the relations.

The prime minister said the progress made by the Qatar Airlines in a short span of time was commendable.