‘Pakistan’s energetic, vibrant economy attracts investment’

BEIJING—Pakistan’s Ambassador to China has said that country’s economy has turned into one of the most energetic and vibrant economies and was attracting investments from across the world.
“The economic growth rate has averaged 7 percent for 2006 and 2007, especially with a remarkable performance in manufacturing and capital market”, Ambassador Salman Bashir said in an interview published in the current edition of “China’s Talents” magazine.
“We have a buoyant stock market and splendid achievements in Information Technology and Telecommunication as well as banking sectors”, he noted.
The Ambassador, however, pointed out that the two major challenges the country faced with was infrastructure and social development that means there is need to bring improvement in education, public health and social welfare.
“Pakistan is right now experiencing the transformation from agricultural to an industrial economy”, he said adding therefore, there is a need to put more efforts on infrastructure like transportation, etc.”
Currently, he said that Pakistan was undergoing a period of transition and transformation in politics, economy and society, therefore there were certain transitory problems which were being overcome.
“What is the most important for Pakistan is to ensure social stability, sustain economic development and fight against poverty, extremism and terrorism, he said adding that “we are optimistic about our future.”
Underlining the importance of various future plans, the Ambassador said that we have both long-term and medium-term plans with the objective to build Pakistan as a modern and developed country, ensuring progress and prosperity for the people.
Ambassador Salman Bashir said that Pakistan has excellent relations with China, adding that the two countries have concluded Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and established Joint Five-Year Plan for Pakistan-China Economic Cooperation, that would further enhance the Sino-Pak cooperative ties especially in economic sector.—APP