KARACHI    -     Sindh Governor Imran Ismail on Thursday said that Pakistan was an emerging economy and the government was making efforts to highlight the soft image of the country.

Addressing the 27th Executive Committee meeting of the Economic Corporation and Organization Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ECO CCI) organized by the FPCCI at the Federation House, Imran Ismail said the government was making all efforts to strengthen the economy of the country.

He said that Pakistan was an agricultural country and “we can export our agricultural products to ECO countries”. A strong economic bloc would have to be created for the stability of the economy.

The governor said that the establishment of economic zones in the ECO countries had regional importance. He said the present government wanted to improve its policies so that the trade between ECO countries and Pakistan could be further expanded. He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan wanted to make Pakistan a welfare state like Medina.

He said that there were many opportunities for development throughout the region including Pakistan, while the focus of the government was to increase trade. He said there was an urgent need for strengthening bilateral relations between all the countries involved in the ECO.

Delegates from the ECO CCI countries, including Afghanistan, Turkey, Iran, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan also attended the meeting. Addressing the meeting the President of the FPCCI, Daru Khan Achakzai appreciated the government’s policies for enhancing the economic activities in the country.

Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Chairman of the Turkish Chamber Saeed Bin Hafizi said that bilateral trade was of paramount importance. In this regard, it was important to focus on the sector under which bilateral trade could be further enhanced. Later, Ismail also inaugurated the exhibition of calligraphy works.

Separately, at a meeting with Rear Admiral Zahid Ilyas at the Governor House who called on him after assuming the charge of Commander Karachi, the Governor said that the Pakistan Navy was playing a key role in preventing smuggling along the country’s maritime borders.

Ismail said that the government was committed to provide the latest equipments to the Pakistan Navy, which was ranked among the top naval forces worldwide in terms of professionalism. He said that the entire nation appreciated the services of the Navy. The Pak Navy achieved results that exceeded national expectations even under the most difficult circumstances.

Commander Karachi Rear Admiral Zahid Ilyas during the meeting said that the Pak Navy was always alert and had the potential to thwart any ambitions of the enemy. He said that the cadets of Pak Navy were very talented and skilled.

The meeting also discussed in detail the role of the Pak Navy in eliminating illegal activities, measures taken to protect maritime borders and maintenance of peace and regional security and other matters.