September 11, 2007	Tuesday	Sha'aban 28, 1428

ISLAMABAD, Sept 10: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Monday International Monitory Fund (IMF) had played an important role in Pakistan’s economic turnaround and would continue to maintain fiscal discipline and conformity to its structural reform agenda.

He was talking to an International Monitory Fund delegation headed by Director for Middle East and Central Asia Mohsin Khan who called on him at the Prime Minister’s House. The prime minister appreciated IMF’s help and technical support in fostering economic growth in Pakistan.

He said the successful implementation of wide ranging structural reforms and good macroeconomic policies had transformed Pakistan’s economy into a stable and resurgent one. As a result of the high economic growth, he said, the energy demands have also increased manifold.

In order to improve the transmission, distribution and generation of electricity Wapda and Pepco have been separated and hoped that this restructuring would improve the efficiency to help address consumers’ need to get reliable and continuous supply of electricity.

He said that after having gained economic strength the government was now in a position to transfer the benefits of economic growth to the people and as a result there had been a visible improvement in the living standards of the people. Per capita income has been doubled, index of human development is improving and unemployment is decreasing.