Pakistan needs wealth creation projects to pay off debt: PM

MALAKAND: Pakistan needs wealth creation projects to pay off foreign debt and save money for education, Prime Minister Imran Khan stressed on Friday.

Addressing a ceremony in Malakand, Prime Minister Khan said Lahore’s Ravi City and Bundal Island projects will lead to wealth creation. The projects initiated by the construction industry and two dams being built after 50 years will also help create wealth, he added.

He pointed out that the government is building houses for low-income people in Pakistan for the first time.

The prime minister said tourism alone can fetch huge revenue that can cut external deficit. “Swat witnessed an unprecedented number of tourists over the last two years. If tourism picks up, people of Pakistan won’t have to go abroad [in search of greener pastures]. Malaysia generates a whopping $20 billion through tourism, and Turkey $40 billion,” the prime minister highlighted.

Switzerland that earns $60 billion through tourism can’t even match the beauty Pakistan has been bestowed with, he said.

Unfortunately, PM Khan lamented, the country’s agriculture sector is still using outdated and inefficient methods. “We are going to bring in a new agriculture policy next week that will alone lift the country,” he disclosed.