RAWALPINDI, Oct 28: President Gen Pervez Musharraf has urged the commerce and foreign affairs ministries to make coordinated efforts for bolstering the country's exports to European countries and the United States and said the resultant increase in economic activity would help reduce poverty and curb extremism through socio-economic development at the grassroots.

"The two ministries should have greater interaction with the EU and the US and ask them to reduce tariffs on Pakistani goods so that the country's exports witness a quantum leap in the near future," he said during a briefing by the commerce ministry on the country's market access strategy for future.

The realization of better economic opportunities for the common man would not only alleviate poverty but also assist the government in bringing about a societal change as across-the-board development would wean away extremist elements from indulging in anti-social and anti-state activities," he emphasized.-APP