Highlighting the importance of traders and investors in turning Pakistan into an economically strong and welfare state as envisioned by the country's founding fathers, Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday said the government would extend all possible facilities to the business community in that respect.
"Our Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) was also a trader," he said while speaking at the award distribution ceremony of Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX). Top 25 companies were given awards on the occasion.
Referring to the fear of any action or probe by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against traders, the prime minister said the amended NAB law would insulate the businessmen from any NAB action.
"Our contention is that NAB's job is to hold the scrutiny of public office-holders. For the scrutiny of businessmen, there are other institutions, including the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR)," he said and congratulated the business community on this development.
The prime minister said the vision of Pakistan, which was also provided in the Objectives Resolution, was based on the principles of the Madina State. The two basic fundamentals of that vision, he said, were compassion and justice. Any country could be turned into an independent and great nation by following these two principles.
The State of Madina, which was run on those two basic fundamentals, defeated the two superpowers of that era and transformed the Muslims into a great nation that ruled the world for 700 years, he added. The prime minister said the same vision provided a direction and road-map to achieve the objectives of Pakistan's creation, and the businessmen and traders had an important role in that regard through wealth creation.
He cited a modern era example of China, which successfully lifted 700 million people out of poverty in 30 years. The government's job was to facilitate and the traders had to focus on wealth creation, he stressed.
The prime minister said the present government during the last one year alone had got the country improved in terms of ease of doing business in the world by 28 points as against the previous government's 2013-18 tenure when Pakistan was put on the brink of economic and institutional collapse.
Rejecting the criticism over him for referring to the past situation, he said his government did not inherit the "economy of Sweden"", rather the country was faced with the situation of a Rs 30 trillion loans.
He said besides presenting his government's performance before the nation, he would continue to remind the people of past economic situation over the next four years.
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