ISLAMABAD, March 20: President Gen Pervez Musharraf said on Friday that Pakistan had moved forward in all aspects of economy and was following the policy of reducing poverty through job creation. Talking to the delegates of the Pakistan Development Forum at a dinner he hosted for them , the president vowed that the country would remove misperceptions about itself and project its image as a dynamic, progressive and vibrant state.

He said Pakistan was addressing the issue of extremism and tackling Al Qaeda.

He said the nuclear issue had been addressed and it had been proved that some individuals were involved in proliferation and not the government.

He said Pakistan and India had started the process of dialogue to address outstanding issues.

"We have to remove all these misperceptions, and we are doing that. We will keep addressing the issue of extremism and remove misperceptions about the country and move forward to sustained economic progress," he said.

The president said the government had initiated a number of major projects, like raising the level of Mangla Dam and construction of water channels for creating jobs at the grassroots.

Growth in the industrial and telecommunications sectors and enhancement in the earning potential of farmers would be vitally helpful in alleviating poverty, he maintained.

He said human resource development was imperative to leading the country to long-term prosperity.

He said the completion of the Gwadar port project and the construction of the Makran Coastal Highway would boost the country's economy and help make it a regional hub of trade and economic activities.

He said the present rulers were pursuing the policies and reforms initiated during his previous three-year government. "All we need to do is to maintain the forward momentum and also gain more momentum," he said.

He said the government had focused on poverty reduction, ensuring the availability of water through the construction of reservoirs and channels and power generation.

He said the country would cross the targeted gross domestic product growth rate of 5.3 per cent during the current financial year, increase its exports to $12 billion and meet the revenue collection mark of Rs510 billion.

He said decrease in debt service liability had led to increase in allocations for development.

He referred to the Karachi Stock Exchange's crossing the 5,000-point mark, against 900 points in 1999.

He said the international financial institutions had confidence in the robustness of Pakistan's economy.

The country, he said, had seen unprecedented development of the information technology sector, with Internet access having reached over 1,400 cities and towns.

He expressed the hope that the textile industry would meet the future challenges as it had seen $3 billion investment in the form of modern machinery and improved facilities.-APP