Web Desk (LTN NEWS): Ahsan Iqbal, the federal minister for planning, said that it is not true that corruption keeps Pakistan from growing.
At the launch of a report called “Private Investment and Benefiting from CPEC,” a federal minister said that people who say corruption makes it impossible for Pakistan to grow are wrong. He also said that Pakistan is just as corrupt as any other country in the world.
Iqbal said that after 75 years, the country should think about whether or not it has reached its goals.
“Why have other countries gone further than we have? As a country, if we get the right diagnosis of the disease, we will also get the right treatment,” the minister said.
He said that foreign capital can’t come until the end of the day if there is uncertainty, alignment, and polarization in the country.
Iqbal also said that a country can’t get better if its government is unstable.
He said that when the economy is stable, more imports make it harder for payments to stay stable. He said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was just a piece of paper in 2013. He also said that the Chinese government and investors invested in Pakistan when local investors were not ready to invest.
The minister said that Pakistan’s economy has been like a roller coaster for the past 75 years. “We focused on imports, not exports,” he said, adding that investors from any country, including Europe and the United States, were not ready to come to Pakistan.
“In five years, China invested $29 billion,” he said. “China is willing to invest more if it can get access to its own markets.”
Iqbal said that Thar Coal can be used to make electricity for 400 years. He was talking about the energy crisis. He also said that Thar Coal is the cheapest way to make electricity in Pakistan.
“China came to Thar Coal and put money into it. In 2013, there were problems with infrastructure and energy. “CPEC is not just a plan for power and infrastructure; it’s also a long-term plan,” he said.
The federal minister said that every year, Pakistan sends $2 billion worth of goods to China. He also said that the government of China is ready to help Pakistani exporters.
He said that the last four years were “wasted” because of the previous government. “We have to learn from our mistakes so we don’t keep making them. Chinese businesses and investors are trying to find solutions to visa issues. If we all work together, CPEC will definitely change the game,” he said.
