(Pakistan Point News - 23th August, 2016) The Prime Minister also mentioned the past pace of work on Metro Bus services, Orange Train, upgradation of the Pakistan Railways and the Premier Service of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). He said soon the PIA would capture large market share and acquire new aircraft. New routes to China and Canada would also be launched at a later stage, he added. The Prime Minister also dwelt at length on the various road building projects across the country and said a network of motorways and expressways was being built to link all major commercial, industrial and agricultural centers.
He said the north-south connectivity under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor would usher in an era of prosperity in the country. He said work on several road projects was underway and the Manshera to Khunjerab road would be completed in 30 months. He said the road network was also being linked to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and onwards to Afghanistan and the Central Asian Republics, while similar linkages were being built across Balochistan to provide connectivity with Iran.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif pointed to the overwhelming success of his party in the general election in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and said despite the fact that he was not able to supervise the campaign, his party got an astounding success that reflected the people's trust in his party policies. He said it was his party's policy to take along all the political parties on important national issues and he would continue that policy of reconciliation.
He said the PML-N government had a chance to form its own government in KP, but opted to let the PTI make the government. Earlier, the Prime Minister also inaugurated the Capital House of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI). Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar told the gathering that the Prime Minister had fulfilled his promise made with the exporters, regarding zero rated tax regime on five major export sectors and payment of Rs 21.
44 billion sales tax refund. He said today symbolic cheques were being distributed among some top exporters whereas other cheques would be sent by courier service. He said efforts were being made and next time, the funds would be transferred online directly into the bank accounts of exporters. The international monetary and financial institutions had acknowledged the robust growth rate in Pakistan, which now stood among the top 10 most growing economies of the world, the minister added.
He said Pakistan was the fourth country in the world which had parliamentarians' tax directory. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan on the occasion said the government was committed to resolve all the issues confronted by the exporters and business community. He said the major economic indicators of the country had witnessed great improvement in the last three years. He said the history would remember Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for bringing about $46 billion investment to the country in the form of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). FPCCI President Abdul Rauf Alam and Federal board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Nisar Muhammad Khan also spoke on the occasion and highlighted the achievements made in the economic, revenue and business sectors.
