Pak keen to expand ties with Netherlands, says PM
By Muhammad Ali Malik

ISLAMABAD, Sept 07 (Online): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said that Pakistan is looking for more cooperation with Netherlands in the field of education, health and other social sectors besides promoting economic and trade relations between the two countries.
He said this while talking to Albert Gerard Koendrs, Minister for Development Cooperation, Netherlands, here at Prime Minister’s House on Friday.
While referring to economic growth in Pakistan, the Prime Minister stressed the reform agenda of the government based on de-regulation, liberalization and privatization. As a result, there had been an unprecedented increase in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Pakistan and a large number of multi-national companies including several Dutch companies were now operating in Pakistan, he added.
He said the economy of the country is growing at an impressive rate of 6-8 percent per year, the middle class is expanding and poverty as well as unemployment are declining. The Prime Minister said Pakistan has benefited from its reform process and economic management. Structural reforms in many sectors including banking, capital markets and telecom, he added, have attracted investment, created jobs and provided better quality of life for the people. While deliberating upon the prevailing political situation and the upcoming elections, the Prime Minister said the government was committed and holding free and fair elections and would welcome international observers to monitor the elections. The Prime Minister said that economic empowerment is essential to improve the standard of living of the people thus reducing the risk of extremism.
He also mentioned about government’s decisions to establish schools in the remote areas of Pakistan under the name of Dar-ul-Ilm to meet the need of poor families to educate their children free of cost. This would help imparting religious as well as modern education to the children of poor families, he added.
The Prime Minister highlighted the steps taken by the government for women empowerment. He mentioned that seats have been reserved for women at local, provincial as well as federal level to increase their participation in the decision making process. Emphasizing the need to promote interfaith harmony in the world, the Prime Minister said sustained efforts are required to bridge the growing divide between the people belonging to different faiths. Inter-faith, inter-civilization and inter-cultural harmony, he said, can be the best gifts we can bequeath to our future generations. While commenting on the situation in Afghanistan, the Prime Minister said that Pakistan desires a prosperous and stable Afghanistan and would extend all possible assistance and cooperation in this regard. Albert Gerard appreciated government of Pakistan’s economic reform agenda and said that his country is exploring possibilities to enhance economic ties and trade relations between the two countries. He appreciated efforts being made by Pakistan to curb the extremist trends which would help eliminate terrorism.
The meeting was attended by the Minister of State for Economic Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar and other officials.