Six world-class universities by 2008

* Musharraf says Pakistan shifting focus from agriculture to heavy industries

KARACHI: Sweden, France, Germany, Netherlands, Australia and South Korea will help Pakistan set up six engineering universities of international standard by 2008, President Pervez Musharraf said on Thursday.

Addressing the foundation stone laying ceremony of Tuwariqi Steel Mills, the president said the universities would teach disciplines of the heavy industry and engineering sector. He said the government had recently created a Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority to improve the quality of technical education.

Musharraf said that the construction of a new steel mill was in consonance with his government’s vision of shifting the focus of trade from agriculture and textile to heavy industry and engineering. He said the Tuwariqi Steel Mills would recruit Pakistanis and train them. This would improve Pakistan’s technological capability, he added.

“This is the century of geo-economics. We need to develop trade and economic relations to further strengthen our ties. Therefore investment and trade with each other needs to be encouraged.”

The president said the policy of privatisation and liberalisation had paid dividends with Pakistan’s industry growing at 18.2 percent per year. He said that the privatisation of Pakistan Steel Mills was in process and would bring in new technology and increase capacity. Musharraf hoped that Tuwariqi Steel Mills would meet the target of producing three million tonnes of steel a year. Al-Tuwariqi Group Chairman Dr Hilal Hussain Al Tuwariqi, Vice Chairman Tariq Barlas and Industries Minister Jehangir Khan Tareen also spoke on the occasion.

Tuwariqi Steel Mills is a project of Al-Tuwariqi Group of Saudi Arabia. It is being set up over an area of 220 acres at Bin Qasim, Karachi with a production capacity of one million tonnes. The capacity can be expanded to three million tonnes. The mills will start functioning within 18 months. Online

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