Policies to be continued to bring further macro economic stability, Dar

Finance Minister, Senator Ishaq Dar said that the government would continue to pursue its policy to bring further macro economic stability, reduce energy shortages and help in a transparent manner the vulnerable segment of society through Income Support Fund which has increased from 30 Billion cash to 95 Billion cash in first 13 months of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Government. The future way forward is nothing but all Political Parties and Stakeholders should work towards a consensus "Charter of Economy" in order to ensure consistency and implementation of Economic Policy for the betterment of the People in the years ahead.

Senator Dar in a statement issued today went on to say the government is equally focusing on the electoral reforms agenda through a Parliamentary Committee and it's Sub-committee which combined, have held 16 meetings till date. Currently, speedy work is in progress in reviewing and finalizing the recommendations on 1,283 proposals received from different stakeholders of the society for amending 6 Election related laws and for making appropriate changes in the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Mr. Dar however regretted that some elements continue to harp on some whimsical issues and do not contribute positively in this futuristic reform agenda by physically participating in the process. The Minister said that he always avoids to bring in personal issues of anyone but emphasized that politics too has its own norms and should be driven by minimum ethical benchmarks which are globally followed in the Political Arena. 

He said that recent successful conclusion of 4th and 5th Reviews with the IMF have boosted our economic standing as reflected by recent statement of international Rating Agency "Standard & Poors" which has bolstered investors' confidence in Pakistan aswell as abroad. Consequently, Pakistan's Sovereign Euro Bond is traded at Premium in the international markets. The Economy is again moving in the right direction as indicated by growth and revenue generation, sharp decline in CPI (inflation rate), increased foreign remittances in the first 4 months of the current Fiscal Year 2014-15. Now it is the duty of all stakeholders to contribute positively on the subject instead of making repeated attempts to disrupt the positive gains which the economy has made so far, Mr. Dar remarked.

While we are busy building Pakistan's economic standing, there are elements who are out to thwart our efforts, but with Allah's Kindness and help of the people of Pakistan, we would be able to defeat these elements, the Minister said.