ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) welcomed the 14-point “future roadmap” announced by by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to improve economy and make Pakistan globally a competitive country.
In a statement issued here, ICCI President Muzzamil Hussain Sabri called upon the government to start taking practical measures to ensure implementation of the roadmap in letter and spirit to achieve fruitful results for the country.
He said that the government had announced some laudable targets in the future roadmap which include achieving over 7 percent economic growth, increasing forex reserves to $ 22 billion, investment-to-GDP ratio to 20 percent, industrial sector growth by 8 percent, tax-to-GDP ratio to 15 percent, exports to $32 billion and spending 4 percent of GDP on education and health sectors by 2018 to improve the living standards of the people.
He, however, said that the ruling party had also announced many good targets in its manifesto like reviving the closed industrial units, ensuring steady supply of energy to industrial hubs, making available ample credit on low interest rate to private sector, reducing bureaucratic procedures to speed up decision making, developing SMEs clusters at districts level, encouraging regional trade, making larger investment in human capital, creating Ministry of Energy to focus on energy and bringing reforms in Discos & Gencos etc.
He regretted that no visible measures could be taken so far to implement these measures despite the lapse of more than one and a half year.