Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif says Pakistan will not prosper as long as Karachi remains a hostage to strikes, shutdowns, and wheel-jams. "Karachi is shut down even if a fly dies here. This is counterproductive to the economy of the country," the prime minister said while addressing the members of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) here on Friday. "I have directed Governor Sindh Dr Isharatul Ebad not to allow anyone to bring life and business in Karachi to a grinding halt every other day," said he.
Nawaz Sharif said the culture of strikes in Karachi should be discouraged as it affects the industry and commerce. Nawaz Sharif has said the Government would consider the proposal to waive off duties on import of new plants and machinery. He said the duties can be recovered when the plant becomes operational. The Prime Minister said work is about to begin on Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway, which would later he extended to Sukkur, Multan, Lahore and Peshawar.
He said it is the effort of the present government to connect Pakistan with Central Asian States. He said construction of Gwadar-Quetta-Chaman and Kandhar route would open the entire Balochistan to development. The Prime Minister said massive investment of 46 billion dollars would be made by China under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. He said two power plants of 330 MW each are to be established at Thar which would use Thar coal. He said the ultimate objective of the Government is to eliminate load-shedding and bring down prices of electricity. Nawaz Sharif said the Government is also addressing issues of security in Karachi, Balochistan and overall in the country.