LAHORE, Nov 20: US Secretary of Treasury Paul O’Neill called on Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool here at the Governor’s House on Wednesday, exchanging views on economic and social reforms introduced by the government and its impact on Pakistan.

Mr.O’Neill was accompanied by US economic experts. Officials relating to Punjab’s development planning were also present on the occasion.

The US secretary and members of his delegation later left for India in the afternoon.

During the meeting, the governor said President Gen Pervez Musharraf had put Pakistan on the road to democracy within the timeframe stipulated by the Supreme Court.

He said the president had honoured all his promises with the people right from their participation in the decision-making process to the transfer of power to their representatives through free and fair elections.

The governor said Pakistan was a moderate country, having an enlightened society that followed a religion of peace. It had no room for those who killed innocent people in the name of religion. Because of the effective steps by the government sectarian terrorism had now become an episode of the past, he said.

He mentioned various development works at local level under the poverty alleviation programme and said provision of additional facilities in the health and education sectors, establishment of seven new universities and three research centres, and revision of syllabi reflected progressive approach of the government.

The governor hoped that relations between the US and Pakistan would further strengthen in future through the Pak-America Joint Economic Forum.

Mr.O’Neill appreciated Pakistan’s role for the promotion of fraternity instead of the extremist behaviour and for ridding the world of terrorism after the plane attacks on America on Sept 11.

He offered full economic and technical cooperation for initiating the large-scale process of granting easy loans to industrialists and craftsmen through the Kushhali Bank and the Punjab Small Industries Corporation. The US secretary appreciated the introduction of the community supported evening classes in 6,000 public schools in just one year in the province.