We want Growing pakistan........

KARACHI: President Asif Ali Zardari said on Tuesday that Pakistan People’s Party was striving for a better future for the poor in concert with the coalition partners, and will go into the next elections on the basis of its performance.

Mr Zardari said the NFC award would be announced this year and decision about the future of the local bodies would also be taken shortly.

President Zardari expressed these views during exchanges with the media at Bilawal House.

He emphasised the need for giving more time to the government for clearing the mess of the past.

Responding to queries, Mr Zardari said the government had taken long-term measures for promoting trade and reducing reliance on aid.

He said that during his foreign tours and interaction with their representatives he had made it clear that his government believed in trade. He claimed the country was moving in the right direction.

About the federal budget, he said had the government not invoked the IMF option the meltdown effect would have been unbearable.

The president said that there was a lot of room to raise exports from a meagre 24 billion dollars to 200 billion dollars.

President Zardari said that democracy had been fostered in the country and Benazir Bhutto gave her life for the cause of democracy and he also went to jail for the cause of democracy.

He claimed that during 10 months public opinion around the world was swinging in favour of Pakistan especially after a consensus had been developed with regard to the war on terror and the people had started owning this war.

He said that with good wheat support price the government had managed to enhance its yield, but emphasised the need for adopting techniques to obtain higher per acre yield with less use of water.

In this context, he referred to deal with China for obtaining high yield seeds.

With regard to electricity, he pointed out that Benazir Bhutto during her government had come up with a good IPP policy for generating 14,000MW and out of that 4,000MW was installed as well however, the subsequent governments did not take advantage of this and there was a gap of electricity supply in the country.

About the performance of KESC, he said that during his previous visit he had held a meeting and that we were trying out and if it did not deliver then we would have no other choice but to take it over.

President Zardari said that he would announce a package for Lyari from where he was also elected in the past.

He said that after the budget session the prime minister would hold a meeting with the local government ministers of the provinces to decide about the local bodies system.

He said the PPP government was under pressure as the expectations of the people were so high who wanted jobs.

He said people did not expect the other political parties and that’s why the PPP was under pressure and we were trying our best to fulfil their expectations.