ISLAMABAD, Aug 25: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Thursday said that Pakistan was faced with the challenges of controlling inflation, developing infrastructure, distributing growth benefits to common citizens and creating more employment opportunities.

Talking to International Monetary Fund’s executive director Abbas Mirakhor on Thursday, he said the government hoped to counter these challenges with better strategy and management along with prudent economic policies.

According to an official statement, the prime minister appreciated the IMF for extending support to Pakistan in the past and hoped that it would now focus on support to the country with a view to stimulating high growth.

He said the IMF programme had helped Pakistan implement its reform agenda. He pointed out that the country no longer needed the IMF programme and it was pursuing its economic policies in line with its own development priorities.

He said Pakistan would continue to raise funds from development institutions and international capital market to meet its needs, particularly for the development of infrastructure and social sectors.

“We propose to go for Euro Bond early next year for which selection of lead managers had been undertaken and our improved credit ratings have aroused strong interest all over the world,” the PM was quoted as saying.