KUALA LAMPUR – Prime Minister Imran Khan says government is committed touplift the living standard of poor and downtrodden segments of society byimproving governance and ending corruption.
Addressing expatriate Pakistanis in Malaysia on Wednesday, he saidincumbent government is working on four areas on priority basis.
Of these, first is to increase the exports for which efforts are afoot inconsultation with all stakeholders.
Secondly, he said, the government is also urging the overseas Pakistanis tosend their remittances through banking channels.
He said 10 to 15 billion dollars additionally could be achieved if theformal channels are utilized.
The Prime Minister said the third priority is to lure foreign investmentinto the country as it is the main thing for job creation and spurring theeconomic activity in the country.
He invited the overseas Pakistanis to invest in the home country as part oftheir national obligation.
The Prime Minister assured them that government will provide them all outfacilities, and also improve ease of doing business by reducing thebureaucratic hurdles.
He said the government will facilitate them in creating wealth so that inreturn they create jobs and economic prosperity in the country.
The Prime Minister said stopping the money laundering is main concern ofthe government as every year 10 billion dollars escapes from the country.
He said the government will not spare anyone involved in corruption andmoney laundering.
He said trials will be held against the corrupt elements and they will beput into jails.
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The Prime Minister said the state of Medina became a role model for theworld because it gave the concept of welfare state to cater for the poorersegments of society.
He said as part of its vision to emulate the state of Madina, thegovernment has embarked on a path to reduce poverty and bring equality inthe society.
He said the government recently inaugurated shelter homes for homelesspeople and a comprehensive program on poverty alleviation will be launchedthis week.
Lauding the services of Pakistani diaspora in Malaysia, the Prime Ministersaid they are a great asset to the nation. They not only sacrificed theirfamily lives to work hard but also contributed greatly to the home countryby sending their valuable remittances.
Imran Khan said the people migrated to other countries from Pakistan due tobad governance in the country for years.
He said in 1960s people from Malaysia would come to Pakistan for highereducation, but the situation is reversed today.
He said nations also face roller coaster rides over their lifetime. He saidwhen an institution or nation ameliorates, things improve.
The Prime Minister said Malaysia developed due to good governance despitehaving limited resources. He said Malaysia is fortunate to have a greatleader like Mahathir bin Mohamad and that is why it enjoys today 220billion dollars of exports with 30 million population, while Pakistan witha population of 221 million has only exports worth about 25 billion dollars.
He said Pakistan is a country endowed with rich resources. The PrimeMinister expressed confidence that no other nation potential like Pakistanand it will be harnessed for best use of the country.
He appreciated the role of Pakistani embassy officials in arrangingmeetings with investors, Malaysian government officials and otherstakeholders with him and Pakistani delegation.
