LAHORE: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday said that no nation in the world could aspire to excel or become successful without industrialization and vowed that the government would fully facilitate the small and medium industries, businesspeople and industrialists with initiatives like ease of doing business.
The prime minister was speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of Quaid-e-Azam business park as a chief guest.
During the 1960s, the country had been leading the region in terms of industrialization but afterwards lagged behind due to certain short-term policies, he added.
Referring to Singapore, he said it has a $50,000 income per capita. "Those countries had planning but we lacked it. The countries like Malaysia and South Korea borrowed the plans of industrialization and excelled, but Pakistan lagged behind.
Our only focus was on winning elections and short-term planning. I have strong conviction that our nation possessed huge potential in the whole region. During 1960s, predictions were right that Pakistan could lead the region," he added.
The prime minister appreciated the business-friendly steps taken by the Punjab government and said setting up nine economic zones and incentives-laden package by the provincial government were the steps in the right direction.
He also appreciated the Punjab chief minister for the selection site of the park with Faisalabad and Lahore as being the two major hubs of business and assured him that the federal government would resolve all their issues.
Referring to complexities of systems in the country, the prime minster further regretted that unfortunately, it was hampered with red tape leading to its degeneration. Such hurdles created holdups in the way of development.
Sharing his experience while spearheading the affordable housing projects initiative for the common man, he said an inbuilt system existed which did not let anyone to work easily and without hurdles. The prime minister said construction of 5 million affordable houses for the low-income groups was his government's flagship programme and to expedite it, Naya Pakistan Housing Authority was created.
He further said that during the last few months, he was personally supervising the initiative and regretted that difficulties in the system had chocked the development pace.
"There was a battle within the system. For the common man wanted to start his small business, difficulties had been created through intricate system which often led to individuals' discouragement," he added.
The prime minister said when he was in the UK during his stay for studies or cricket activities, he saw how common man from Pakistan excelled after setting up their small business there, because the system had facilitated them.
He said for the first time in the country's history, his government had given incentives to the construction industry.
The prime minister assured that the government would provide all possible facilities to the small and medium industries to grow, adding the results of these policies might take some time but a right direction had been set.
He further said that numerous Chinese companies showed keen interest in this park, but wanted simplification of procedures. He termed the setting of one-window operation in the Quaid-e-Azam business park a right step to facilitate the investors and industrialists.
Earlier, speaking on the occasion, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Uman Buzdar said that Quaid-e-Azam business park is spread over an area of 1536 acres with a space for 653 small and medium industrial units and located near to Lahore and motorway.
About 5,000 people would get jobs from this initiative, he said and added that Rs 56 billion tax relief was provided by the provincial government due to coronavirus.
Other initiatives aimed at ease of doing business were taken, besides Rs 12 billion was being provided to young people to start their businesses. Different development projects were in the pipeline, including Khanki and the Thal canal, he added.
Buzdar said due to efficiency and transparency of these projects, the opposition could not single out any scandal.
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