The Pakistan Business Council (PBC) has welcomed the meeting of senior leadership of the country's major political parties to discuss the possibility of agreeing to a minimum framework for developing consensus on a national economic agenda (NEA) in Islamabad on Friday.
PBC, a non-political, not-for-profit institution, is a conglomerate of Pakistan's gigantic corporations/business groups including multi-nationals. Its objectives include proposal of policies that would accelerate Pakistan's economic growth. The government's move comes in the backdrop of the efforts of the PBC to seek an agreement on a common long-term strategy for better management of economy.
Needless to mention, the PBC has already met and shared its views on the need for a core NEA with the leadership of major political parties, including PPP, PML(N), PML(Q), and MQM. The Chief Executive Officer of PBC, Kamran Y Mirza, said: "PBC is only providing a facilitating role in this exercise. Its members feel strongly about the need for developing a common NEA as an economically strong Pakistan is in the interest of its citizens, which includes PBC and it members."
Mirza has advised caution, saying: "We should not expect Friday's meeting to be an end in itself. The political leadership and PBC are aware that this will, at best, set the ball rolling. We should, however, take heart from the fact that this meeting is taking place and that all major political parties are committed to moving Pakistan to the next level of development."