Gilani pledges nation to take country out of crises

Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani pledged to the nation on Saturday to render every sacrifice to meet the challenges facing Pakistan and urged people to support the government in steering the country out of the crises.

In his first address to the nation, after taking oath three months ago, the Prime Minister said, long years of dictatorship have plunged the country into crises.

“We will take out this country from all the crises. We will give the people confidence, we will give the nation not just their dream but its fulfilment,’ he said in his address telecast live on television and radio.

Gilani gave an overview of the problems the government had inherited and various steps that have been taken to stem the economic down slide and provide immediate relief to the common man.

Gilani said Pakistan was facing the crisis of flour shortage, load-shedding, terrorism and extremism, restoration of judges, economic down slide and, above all, the inflation and unemployment which had their roots in the past.

“This situation sapped people’s confidence and kills their hope,” he said and added in this situation the government had only two ways; either to surrender to these problems or face them upfront.

“Like my political predecessors, I have chosen the second path (to fight against these challenges).”

Prime Minister attributed these problems to external factors, like rising oil and food prices in the international market.

Secondly, he said during the last eight years, neither the gravity of international challenges were realised nor any future planning was made that created multiple problems and plunged the country into crises.

He described inflation as the biggest challenge and part of a global crisis, saying Pakistan today is faced with an economic turmoil.

“Abundance of automobiles and mobile phones are not a yard-stick of progress,” he said and added that the previous government instead of setting up new industries, preferred imports and made Pakistan a consumer economy.

He said agriculture was totally ignored and inflation, the country faced today, was the result of running the country by printing money and heavy borrowing from the State Bank of Pakistan.

Outlining efforts of the government to counter these problems, the Prime Minister said the government was trying to overcome inflation while avoiding past mistakes.

Instead of cosmetic presentation of the economic situation, the priority of the government is to improve the situation in real terms, he added.

He said industrial and agriculture production would be increased to counter inflation and reduce financial deficits. Hoarding and profiteering will be done away with, he added.

Gilani asked the traders, industrialists and investors to make maximum investment in Pakistan.

“I appeal to my business community to keep their capital in Pakistan. We assure them every protection.”

He also appealed to the nation to reduce consumption of those items which were costing the country hugely in terms of foreign exchange.

The Prime Minister said that reduced consumption of fuel and edible oil can save billions of dollars in foreign exchange, which will not only reduce trade deficit but also gradually reduce the external debt.

Being an agriculturist, Prime Minister said he was fully aware of the problems of the farming community. He regretted that an agrarian country like Pakistan was facing the problem of food shortage.

The Prime Minister underlined steps the government has taken to overcome the problem.

The Wheat Support Price has been increased to Rs 625 per 40 kg from Rs 475 and the government will significantly increase the minimum support price before the next harvest.

The government is importing 2.5 million tonnes of wheat to ensure adequate supplies, he added.

Agriculture loans for farmers have been increased by Rs 30 billion and an amount of over Rs 20.50 billion has been allocated for the agriculture development programme.

He said the government has already announced a new policy for import of agriculture equipment and cheap tractors. Sizeable subsidy is being given on fertiliser and sales tax on it has been abolished, he added.

The insurance scheme for crop loans has been approved and he announced that the government will pay the premium for small growers.

The Prime Minister said water reservoirs will be constructed on priority basis as development of agriculture sector was impossible without adequate water supplies.

Prime Minister informed that the government was giving incentives to some 10,000 dairy farmers to increase milk production to bring about a White Revolution in the country.

Pakistan was facing the acute power shortage which, the Prime Minister attributed to neglect of the sector in the past eight years that created an imbalance in supply and demand.