CHAKWAL, May 14: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Monday that Pakistan was emerging as a major cement exporter for the neighbouring countries and the Middle East. He was speaking here at the inauguration of DG Khan Cement's Khairpur environment-friendly plant, around 150 km south of capital Islamabad. The plant has a production capacity of 7,000 tons per day.

The prime minister said the operationalisation of three cement plants in the area within two years spoke of the government's successful policies that have brought in an investment of around Rs500 million.

He said owing to consistency and continuity in policies, record investments had been brought in and hundreds of industrial units were rapidly coming up all over the country.

The prime minister, who laid the foundation-stone of three cement plants near Chakwal two years ago, said commissioning of these modern plants generated numerous employment opportunities and created several associated industries.

The prime minister earlier unveiled plaques of the cement plant, a 33MW power plant and a plant for production of over 350,000 paper bags per day for the cement industry. Prime Minister Aziz appreciated the Nishat Group for its role in the country's development and progress and noted that around 70 per cent of the plant's machinery was locally manufactured.—APP