KARACHI: Prime Minister Imran Khan assured the Pakistani business community at a Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) event in Karachi on Friday that the country’s antigraft body will not endanger their operations, as the government has amended its regulation.
Speaking at the PSX Top 25 Companies Awards ceremony, the Prime Minister said his cabinet wants the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to investigate public office holders only.
PM Khan said that members of the business community had always expressed their fear of NAB, as the anti-corruption agency has been seen as free to probe anyone it wants to probe. “It was important to take this step as NAB was considered a major hurdle,” the premier said.
He said 2019 was a difficult year for his government, but “2020 will be a year of growth for Pakistan,” and “need of the hour is to give incentives to industries, support the business community, and focus on small and medium-sized businesses.”
The PM assured members of the business community that his government’s economic team will always be available to assist them and that he himself will also continue to meet with them every two months.
“When we took over,” the premier said, “the current account was in deficit, foreign exchange reserves were depleting, dollars were short, there were debts to be repaid, and a serious risk of the country defaulting. Those who understand this know what would have happened.”
Recognizing that the country’s interest rate is too high, Khan told the PSX event participants that God willing it will go down. “The rupee is also stabilizing and investors are reposing their confidence,” he said, adding that “a country cannot grow until there is wealth creation” and “wealth creation is only possible when the business community prospers. The government’s task is to facilitate the business community with ease of doing business.”
