RAWALPINDI, Oct 7: President Gen Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Thursday pledged all out facilitation to the private sector in driving Pakistan on the path of high economic growth , and said that the government and entrepreneurs should move in tandem to diversify and bolster country's exports by focusing attention on all sectors.
Addressing a gathering of business leaders, the two leaders also reiterated the resolve to ensure continuity of policies besides providing a level-playing field for both the local and foreign investors.
The two leaders expressed the hope that increased attention to faster growth in agricultural, industrial, engineering, textile sectors would create more jobs and reduce poverty and help increase the country's exports manifold.
In his opening remakes, the President said: "We have to perform exceptionally well, as we not only have to make up for the lost time in the last half a century but also meet the future WTO challenges.
"We have to improve the quality of products, concentrate on value added exports, find new markets for exports and convert challenges into opportunities - we must eye an export target of US dollars 50 billion in the not too far future."
The President appreciated the Punjab government's initiative for setting up the Sundar Industrial Estate and said similar projects should be set up elsewhere in the country.
The President also underlined the importance of success of small and medium-scale enterprise initiative for poverty reduction and expressed the hope that a new industrial estate sprawling over 250 acres in Karachi would help boost growth in the sector.
Responding to suggestions of the entrepreneurs, President Musharraf promised that all problems facing them would be straightened out. "We have the right people at the right places, I am confident that we will forge ahead ... to achieve the goal of fast-paced development."
He called for more focus on agro-based industry, including dairy and its by-products and engineering sector, adding that textile cities were being set up in Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad for boosting the sector.
President Musharraf called for exploring markets in the Far East, Central Asia and Africa, adding that the country had a tremendous scope for exports to Afghanistan and India.
He expressed the hope that his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held last month would lead to normalization of relations through resolution of outstanding dispute, including Kashmir and result in increased trade and economic cooperation. The next few months, he said, would be very important in the context of progress towards settlement of long-standing issues. -APP