BE READY FOR PAINFUL REFORMS, IMRAN TELLS HIS COUNTRYMEN

Pakistan’s prime minister lists plan to cut massive debt and push economy into recovery mode, makes strong pitch for investments

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan yesterday made a strong pitch for investments in his country and told his countrymen to brace for ‘painful’ reforms, on day one of the World Government Summit at Madinat Jumeirah yesterday.

“This is the time to come to Pakistan, when it is just going on the upswing,” said the former cricketer, who added: “Optimism and investors are coming into our country. We feel that this is the time that Pakistan will take off.”

In the same breathe he also warned of fierce economic reforms to cut back on his country’s massive debt.

“We’ve started our ambitious reforms programme,” he added. “We’re trying to improve all our economic policies, trying to cut down our fiscal deficit.

“I repeat, the reforms are painful. It’s like a surgery. When you conduct surgery for a while the patient suffers, but improves,” Khan said. “The worst thing that can happen for society is that you keep postponing reforms because of the fear that you would have opposition, the vested interests stand up and you don’t do reforms.”

Pope’s message

Later, a pre-recorded address by Pope Francis was also played to the audience on day one of the summit, in which three Nobel Laureates took centre stage, along with the heads of the International

Labour Organisation and the World Economic Forum.

“We cannot speak of sustainable development without solidarity,” the pope told the

delegates from 140 countries, speaking less than a week after his visit to the UAE along with Grand Imam of Al Azhar Dr Ahmed Al Tayyeb.

Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said the recent visit “was a historic event and opened a new dialogue of brotherhood and peaceful co-existence.”

Also on day one, Afghanistan’s Minister of Health Dr Ferozuddin Feroz was awarded the Best Minister Award for his efforts in reducing mortality rates in children aged under five in the country by 44 per cent and increasing life expectancy by seven years.

WAM His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, along with Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince, at the World Government Summit that got under way in Dubai yesterday. Pakistan Premier Imran Khan and Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, are with them.