LAHORE, Sept 22: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Wednesday that he would unfold his priorities and plans in an address to the nation before the Ramazan after consulting various ministries and allied departments.

Addressing a select gathering of people from all walks of life at the Governor's House here, he said that there was a need to set a direction of running the country so that the problems of people could be resolved.

Shaukat Aziz said that the real award of his endeavours would be the prayers of the common man. "We have enormous challenges and great opportunities," he said. He said on Wednesday that Pakistan was striving for peace with all the countries and good relations with its neighbours.

"Pakistan has no aggressive designs against any country and wants good relations with all the countries," he said while addressing a select gathering of people drawn from different walks of life at the Governor's House here.

Shaukat Aziz said that guiding principles of conduct of foreign policy of Pakistan was mutual respect and safeguarding the national interest. He said that President Pervez Musharraf would meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New York on the sidelines of UN General Assembly meeting which would unfold the directions of relations between the two countries.

He, however, emphasized that the progress in relations with India in all other fields should be in tandem with progress on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir. "We will never compromise on the Kashmir issue," he vowed.

He said that China was a time-tested friend of Pakistan and the economic ties with this friendly nation were increasing. Shaukat Aziz said that a number of Chinese companies had invested in different sectors of Pakistan's economy. .

On Pakistan-Iran relations, the prime minister said that the economic ties with this country were getting strengthened. "On the sidelines of ECO summit in Tajik capital, Dushanbe, I met with President Mohammed Khatami and discussed the ways to further strengthen Pakistan-Iran ties in all the fields," he said.

He said that previously the critics used to say that IMF dictates Pakistan's policies. He wondered what they would say now when Pakistan had bade farewell to this international donor agency.

He said that there was a wrong perception that Pakistan's policies were run by dictation. He said that Pakistan enjoyed very cordial and long-time relations with the member states of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Entrepreneurs from these oil-rich states were investing in different sectors of Pakistan's economy, giving a new boost to Pakistan-GCC economic cooperation.

Talking about Pak-ASEAN relations, the prime minister said that the inclusion of Pakistan in ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) had enhanced the role of Pakistan in the region. "We are trying to boost economic cooperation with the member states of ASEAN," the prime minister said.

Shaukat Aziz said that he believed in consultation with all political parties and stakeholders on issues of national significance. "We want to develop a culture of consensus and take along all the political parties," he said.

The prime minister said that he did not have any exclusive preserve on wisdom and would consult all the concerned. He referred to a briefing given to the federal cabinet earlier in the day where the issue of Wana (Waziristan) was discussed in detail and it was decided to consult all the political parties in this regard.

Talking about Balochistan, he said that a bipartisan committee had been formed comprising the members from National Assembly and the Senate, representing both the treasury and opposition benches.

The prime minister said that the greatest challenges facing his government were the unemployment and inflation. Dilating on government's efforts to control inflation, he said that the prices of fuel had been frozen by providing subsidy despite the fact that there was an upswing in the prices of this commodity in international crude oil market.

He said that he would soon give the figures about the amount being borne by the government to maintain the oil prices. He said that the subsidy was reflective of the fact that government was aware that raise in fuel prices would contribute to the inflation.

He said that the government attached high priority to education, considering it a best investment. He said that the health sector would also receive top priority of the government with the emphasis on the provision of clean drinking water and preventive healthcare.

Prime Minister said that the government was fully aware that good law and order was not only necessary for creating a conducive investment climate but also incumbent upon the government for the protection life and property of its citizens.

He said that mere allocation of huge funds were not a solution to the problems. " We have to take steps to change the status quo," he said. He said that majority of country's population was living in the rural areas and their livelihood was directly linked to agriculture.

He hoped that the country would pick a bumper cotton crop this year and added that sugarcane crop was also in a satisfactory condition. He said that availability of irrigation water had improved significantly lately.

He said that the government was formulating short-term and long-term plans to help improve the availability of water resources in the country as it was the most important agricultural input.

He said that agriculture had the potential to improve the income of the farming community and could be instrumental in bringing down the incidence of poverty. The prime minister said that the biggest challenge for his government was the implementation of policies and added that he would ensure that the targets and goals set by his government were implemented in letter and spirit.

He said that National Highway Authority (NHA) had been provided huge funds to build roads and related physical infrastructure. He said that two separate comprehensive packages were being prepared for Lahore and Karachi for improving transport facilities, provision of clean drinking water, good drainage system and a pollution-free environment.

He said that last year's Nobel Laureate de Soto was invited to Pakistan and added that the government was planning to adopt the de Soto model by customizing it with environs in Pakistan.

He said that free land was a dead capital and added that revamping of the land record system, presently revolving around a patwari, could help bring about a fundamental revolution.

He pledged that all his actions would be motivated by the national interest and not by the personal interest. Shaukat Aziz urged the people to play their due role in the process of nation building and provide the government with their valuable suggestions. "We will welcome these suggestions with an open mind," he said. -APP