He expressed these views while talking to journalists after laying the foundation stone of two new engineering blocks in NFC Institute of Engineering & Technology here.

To a question, the federal minister said that MFN status to India would be beneficial for both countries. To another question, Jatoi said that it was incorrect to suggest that work on the Pak-Iran gas pipeline had been stopped. He added that Pakistan needed gas and both sides were working for the gas project.

He said that industrial production had increased by 12 percent during the last three months. "Big coal projects have been initiated to exploit country's vast coal reserves for electricity generation," he added.

Murtaza said the government was planning to privatise 31 institutions to control losses and improve economic condition of the country.

He said the Kalabagh Dam was a technical issue and could be considered only after a consensus. Ghulam Murtaza said that law and order in Karachi had improved by 40 percent.

Vice Chancellor NFC Institute of Engineering & Technology, Prof Dr Akhtar Karloo, told the federal minister that NFC-IET was a self-earning institution and was generating its own resources.

He said that they had sent PC-1 worth Rs 3.4 billion to the government for development of the institute.

Source: APP