PESHAWAR: Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms, Ahsan Iqbal said here Thursday the Federal Government has embarked upon a comprehensive reforms agenda under vision 2025 to put the country on path of socio-economic revitalization and road to sustainable growth and development.

Addressing the inaugural session of Provincial Consultative Workshop jointly organized by the Ministry of Planning and Development Islamabad and P&D KP on vision 2025 and 11th Five-Year plan 2013-18 as a chief guest here at a local hotel, the Federal Minister said the major objectives of the vision 2025 is to prepare a comprehensive road map with the consultation of all stakeholders and provinces for sustainable and long terms socio-economic development of Pakistan.

He said Pakistan vision 2025 would serve is a roadmap based on long-term country's development aimed at creating a globally competitive and prosperous country by providing a high quality of life to people.

Under the reforms agenda, he said PML-N government was primarily focusing on seven key sectors keeping in views of its paramount importance for sustainable socio-economic growth. Focus is being made on uplift of energy sector as without it the dream to make the country prosperous on economic, social, industrial and agriculture sector was not possible, he remarked.

In PML-N last government, he said we had achieved the status of energy surplus country and there was no load shedding in the country. However, he regretted that no major energy project had been installed during last 14 years, resulting of the current energy crisis in the country.

The present government concentrate to take full advantage of the country's internal resources for sustainable economic development keeping in view of its significant importance in enhancing exports and increase foreign exchange manifolds, Ahsan added.

For agricultural and industrial revitalization, the Minister said, an effective plan is being prepared to enhance our exports and augment economy on sustainable basis.

He said the government was concentrating on development of human resource and infrastructure development, adding Pakistan is situated in a very strategic geographical location and will take full advantage of this location through better roads/rails connectivity.

He said the Federal Government was committed to give boost to infrastructure development for regional connectively directed towards economic progress and prosperity of people of Pakistan.

In addition to good governance and public sector reforms for better service delivery to masses, the Minister said the government was encouraging private sector for bolstering of small and medium enterprise sector keeping in view its potential to generate employment opportunities for youth and will help alleviate poverty.

The Minister said the Government has started a number of energy projects including Dasu, Dia Mir Bash dam besides coal projects in the potential sites to generate inexpensive electricity for economic, agriculture, industrial and economic-social sectors consumptions. He said KP has rich potential to generate inexpensive electricity for peoples and domestic consumptions that needed to be fully tapped.

He said continuity in national policies and effective long, medium and short terms planning was very imperative to cope with global changes and information revolution. He said Pakistan vision would help to become an upper middle income country by 20

25 and will achieve top 10 positions in world economy by 2047. The Minister said the government would ensure that this programme should be action oriented and implementable and progress on it would be reviewed after every three months under well established monitoring and evaluation mechanism.

The Minister said training and high education of PhD scholars qualified from foreign universities and currently imparting education to youth in the national universities of Pakistan were possible due to PML-N last Govt's 2010 vision programme. Had this programme was not stopped the country would have achieved tremendous progress in all fields.

Ahsan Iqbal said 2013 year has achieved significant importance in our history as we have seen smooth transition of power from once civilian government to another elected government after general election.

He said political tolerance and maturity has started prevailing and democracy has stared flourishing in the country, adding despite split mandate of the people in last general election, the political leadership of diversified ideologies and programmes are united on national issues and working hard to take the country out of existing challenges.

Professor Ahsan Iqbal said that it was high time to raise above party politics and worked together for progress and development of Pakistan. KP Minister for Planning and Development Sirajul Haq and Additional Secretary Khalid Pervez also spoke on this occasion.

(APP)