ISLAMABAD, Feb 13: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Friday that despite global recession, economic indicators in Pakistan were showing signs of improvement and this would help the government to provide relief to the masses.

Talking to reporters after attending a briefing on economic situation and development at the Planning Commission, Mr Gilani said the global economic meltdown had affected Pakistan, but it had managed to meet IMF’s targets.

Asked about his government’s policy of not passing on to people the benefit of falling crude prices, he said that for the first time in country’s history prices had been proportionately lowered.

Answering a question about the situation in Swat, the prime minister said that problems could not be solved only by military means; other measures were also required to be taken.

Asked if Pakistan would seek a response from India over the Samjhota Express tragedy similar to the action taken by it in the case of the Mumbai attacks, Mr Gilani only said that additional information had been sought from India.

Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance Shaukat Tarin told reporters that the government had to take some tough decisions in view of the state of economy it had inherited. The economy, he added, would take some time to stabilise.

Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Sardar Assef Ahmed Ali said the prime minister had been briefed on the Rs600 million National Human Resource Development programme for training highly-skilled technicians.

He said that people completing the training would get international certification and job assurance. Courses under the programme will be launched next year across the country, Azad Kashmir, Northern Areas and Fata.

Sardar Assef said that there would be no reduction in the Public Sector Development Programme and projects worth Rs100 billion would be carried forward under the rationalisation programme.