dr.umer
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ISLAMABAD, Oct 21 (APP): Pakistans High Commissioner to United Kingdom, Wajid Shamsul Hassan while expressing optimism that country would come out of economic tension very soon said that there is no question of the countrys being default.
In an exclusive interview to BBC Television telecast Tuesday the Pakistans High Commissioner said, I can assure everyone that our country would not default and it would pull out of the prevailing situation.
He said the country has managed to secure some of the bail outs adding We are hopeful that we will be in comfortable position in the days to come.
The HC said that Pakistan has started to get out of the swamped that it inherited from a government that believed in consumer economy.
It is however a fact that a democratic government in the country has taken over at a time when things were bad world over, he said.
He said that Pakistan has faced the impact of hike in international oil and food prices.
The democratic government inherited a country with backlog of problems but the efforts have been started to mend the things, he said.
Terming down the reports of US intelligence agencies and some leading rating agencies about the economic status of country he said such reports are usually speculative and they would change in no time.
To a question he said the country presently needs around $ 10 billion to come out of the prevailing situation adding We already have $ 3 billions and we have been promised $ 1.4 billion by the World Bank.
The flow of remittances by the Pakistanis abroad is increasing every day and as a matter of fact during the month of September they went beyond $ 600 millions.
He said the people of Pakistan realize the grave situation which the present government has inherited form the past and they would extend full support to their representative government to mend the situation.
Shamsul Hassan said that Friends of Pakistan are meeting next month and they would definitely come up with some sort of concrete plan to assist the country in solving the economic problems.
He said that President Asif Ali Zardari is leaving for Saudi Arabia soon adding the UAE and other countries would also come up with some sort of assistance to help the country in the difficult time.
To another question he said the previous government did nothing in the area of power generation while the democratic government has started its efforts from day one to rid the country of power shortage conditions by the end of year 2009.
He said the government has accepted the big challenge and is committed to meet it.
He disagreed the impression that unemployed youth finding no source or earning are joining the militant organizations saying it is absolutely a wrong impression.
Those who are joining these organization are the people whose near and dear ones were lost in the US missiles attacks, he said.
He said that the democratic government is gaining the support of local tribes against the activities of militants with every passing day.
Responding yet to another question he said that there was a divide between people of Pakistan on the issue of terrorism but what happened in Marriot Hotel Islamabad has united the entire nation.
He said that those who fell victim to this incident were all the common Pakistani citizens having nothing to do with policy affairs.
The HC said that when the present government took over there was a perception that country was fighting the others war in tribal areas but now this perception is rapidly changing.
He said that maintaining relations with the good Taliban or the people who want to bring peace and stability in the region is not a bad thing to do.
We have recently heard some NATO commanders and the British Generals saying the war in Afghanistan is un-winnable and there are reports of engaging Taliban in dialogue process.
The present is the only government that has come out categorically against the terrorists, against Taliban he said adding We dont want Talibanization in Pakistan. We want to take the country back to the vision of its founder.