ISLAMABAD, June 14: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz told the National Assembly on Tuesday his government was seeking to take Pakistan forward to make it one of Asia’s top economies as he promised better implementation of development plans and not to allow misuse of loans. “We have already come a long way,” he said, comparing the turnaround with what he called near bankruptcy of the country six years ago before President Pervez Musharraf took power.

The prime minister also invited opposition parties to cooperate in the country’s march forward by constructive criticism rather than “criticism for the sake of criticism”.

Taking the floor immediately after Minister of State for Finance Omar Ayub Khan wound up the debate on the budget for fiscal 2005-06, he assured the house that his government’s policies would be transparent with a national rather than a personal agenda and there would be no victimization.

He said the 8.4 per cent growth of the country’s gross domestic product in the outgoing financial year was no mean achievement not matched by any other country in South Asia.

He disagreed with those crediting the country’s economic turnaround to the events of 9/11 — that won Pakistan favours as a partner in the US-led war on terrorism — and said this mainly because of “the continuity and consistency of policies” after President Musharraf took over in October 1999. “This is no playing with dolls.”

Mr Aziz, who has been finance minister from 1999 before being elected prime minister, said the government sought progress in all vital fields, including economy, defence, foreign policy, internal security, politics, and good governance.

He acknowledged inflation as one of the challenges facing his government that could be blamed on high world oil prices. Despite the high world prices, he said, petrol and diesel prices in Pakistan are 20 to 30 per cent lower than in India.

He said his government would take more steps to reduce people’s hardships after the recent decision to supply sugar at Rs23 a kg and flour at Rs11.50 a kg.