KARACHI, Nov 27: President General Pervez Musharraf said here on Monday that the government planned to increase the allocation for primary education from 2.6 per cent to 4 per cent of the GDP.

He was speaking as chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of the Latif Ebrahim Jamal National Science Information Centre on the University of Karachi campus.

The president said that the increase in allocation for primary education from 2.6 to four per cent of the GDP roughly meant more than Rs150 billion.

“The economy of Pakistan has to be sustained and it has to grow at a fast rate that we have maintained now over the last three to four years,” he remarked.

The president pointed out that over the last three to four years the economy was growing at the rate of seven per cent and this had to be maintained.

He said the government would also be financing establishment of nine varsities of engineering, science and technology in the country to be established with the help of developed countries.

“This means expenditure of Rs250 billion over the next 10 years,” the president added.

“I seek the support of the people of Pakistan, those who are more endowed, those who have more resources,” he remarked.

The president said that Pakistanis spent some Rs70 to Rs90 billion on philanthropic activities.

He stated that this expenditure was unguided so we needed to know where to place the money.

General Musharraf described the inauguration of Latif Ebrahim Jamal National Science Information Centre a historical event and paid special homage to the memory of Hussein Ebrahim Jamal and Latif Ebrahim Jamal.

The president also commended the efforts of their sons for carrying forward the mission of their father and uncle and for contributing so much for the country.

He also pointed towards the growing interest in philanthropy in the country, which was also inclined especially towards science, technology and engineering which was the requirement and demand of the day for Pakistan.

The president explained that the government policy was was based on the realisation that this was a knowledge-based world and that without knowledge the economy could not grow.

He said the total GDP of the entire Muslim world was hardly $2 trillion, whereas the GDP of Germany alone was far more than that and Japan’s was $5.1 trillion.

The president said that Pakistan was the fifth largest producer of milk in the world but not producing any butter, cheese or milk powder to export to the world.

“We have the best mango, apple and grapes and resources but when we talk of food or tinned fruits, it is all from abroad and none from Pakistan”, he deplored.

President Musharraf was of the view that we should also be processing fruits for export purposes and pointed out that in Turbat and Panjgur there were 120 kinds of dates and suggested that factories for producing date biscuits might be established for export to the world.

The president termed poverty, unemployment and illiteracy as the root causes of extremism. He stated that we had to promote industry in Pakistan so that jobs were created.He said our strategy for the industry was to create synergy between higher education, engineering, science and technology and technical education to produce technicians of high quality.--APP