President General Pervez Musharraf called on Monday for measures to transfer benefits of improved economy to the common man so as to bring about a qualitative change in their lives.
He was talking to Hernando de Soto, a world renowned Peruvian economist and president of a leading international think tank, here after attending his lecture on improving the quality of life of the common man by empowering the less privileged.
The president said that while substantial progress had been made during the last four years in stabilising the economy of Pakistan, there was a need to expedite the transfer of these benefits in order to improve the quality of life of the common man.
Hernando de Soto, who is also the president of The Institute of Liberty and Democracy (ILD), is currently visiting Pakistan at the invitation of President General Pervez Musharraf.
The lecture was attended by the president, federal ministers, services chiefs, senior civil and military officers. The lecture by de Soto focussed on the latest modes and techniques for transferring the fruits of economic achievements of the government to the poor masses and alleviating poverty in the country.
The lecture was followed by a question and answer session.
The president thanked de Soto for his thought-provoking lecture. He also appreciated his suggestions to accelerate the growth of the construction industry and small and medium enterprises in Pakistan.
Hernando de Soto, has also worked as an economist for GATT (now WTO) and as the governor of Peru's Central Reserve Bank. He is currently working in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America on the practical implementation of the measures for bringing the poor into the economic mainstream. He is also a best-selling author on economic aspects, 'The Mystery of Capital' being his most popular book.