ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday expressed concerns over the projected low economic growth for the current financial year.
Speaking in the National Assembly, he claimed that during the last year of PML-N government, economic growth was registered at 5.8 percent. India was growing at 7 percent while Bangladesh had similar level of economic growth and now its exports were more than those of Pakistan.
He said according to the World Bank, the economic growth of Pakistan was projected at four percent amid inflationary pressures. He feared high inflation and low growth.
He claimed that the PML-N government had increased power generation by 12000 megawatts that led to end of load-shedding and motorways were constructed across the country with the vision to make Pakistan an economic corridor and hub of trade.
He said the Multan-Lahore motorway project was complete, which should be opened for traffic.
Ahsan said his party had strong differences on political and economic issues with the government, but if India tried to look at Pakistan with an evil eye, the party would stand united with the rest of Pakistan.
Read Top Stories
He said former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was termed friend of Modi but his government did not release the Indian spy Kulbhushan. On his invitation, Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee came to Pakistan in 1998 and went to Minar-e-Pakistan – the monument which had high symbolic value for Pakistanis, he added.
He observed that Vajpayee told his associates that Pakistan had become a reality and India had to go along with it.
Nawaz Sharif and Vajpayee signed the Lahore Declaration with the intention to resolve the Kashmir issue.
Ahsan said the opposition avoided politics when Faizabad was besieged by the extremists.
