January 23, 2020: Prime Minister Imran Khan says to stabilize the economy, the government has taken tough decisions resulting in the upward trajectory of the stock market, stabilization in value of rupee and increase in foreign reserves.

In his keynote address at Special Session of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland today (Wednesday), he said his government inherited fiscal and trade deficits at huge scale.

He said in one year, ease of doing business improved by 28 points as per World Bank estimates.

The Prime Minister said Pakistan has a population of 210 million people and sixty per cent of our population comprises of youth.

This has a huge potential to play an important role in the economic development of the country.

Imran Khan said we have started skill development programs encouraging youth to start their own businesses and entrepreneurial projects. We hope to harness the potential of our youth for economic prowess of the country.

Imran Khan said Pakistan is endowed with rich mineral resources including gold and other deposits and we are now focusing to exploit these fully. He said apart from minerals, Pakistan is blessed with fertile land whose full potential has yet to be explored. He said with the help of China under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, work is being done in enhancing the agricultural productivity of the country.

The Prime Minister said Pakistan is placed at a very important geostrategic position. He said with the peace in Afghanistan, Pakistan can tap the benefits of energy-rich Central Asia besides acting as a bridge between East and West Asia.

Referring to Pakistan's relations with its neighbours, he said with the normalization of relations with the biggest neighbour India, development and prosperity can be achieved.

He said the biggest challenge for his government is to bring reforms in state institutions to improve governance and work is being undertaken in this regard.

Replying to a question, he said there is no terrorism in Pakistan and 2019 has been the safest year in the country since the 9/11 incident. He said we are taking steps to exploit the tourism potential of the country after the restoration of peace.

Dilating upon the huge potential of tourism in the country, Imran Khan said apart from some of the most fascination mountains, the country is dotted with religious sites of various faiths. He said we are inviting foreign investment in the tourism sector of the country.

Radio Pakistan

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