Pakistan facing impact of two wars in Afghanistan: Minister

Pakistan's participation in the two Afghan wars resulted in destabilising the country's economy and affected its per capita income, Pakistan Federal Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin said on Monday.

Tarin made these remarks while speaking at the annual dinner of Punjab University Institute of Business Administration's alumni association on Saturday, Dawn newspaper reported.

Pakistan took part in the two wars in Afghanistan -- one during the 1980s and the 'war on terror' launched by the US, during the Bush administration.

The minister said that the present Pakistani government has devised short, mid, and long-term plans for national development.

Tarin said the country was in need of inclusive and sustainable growth and need to focus on increasing revenues and promoting productive sectors. He said that only growth can help Pakistan avoid the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank programs.

"In the 1960s, Pakistan's economy was far better than South Korea's," he said. But currently, per capita income in Pakistan was 1,500 dollars, which is significantly less than than the per capita income of South Korea.

This statement comes as Pakistan claims itself as one of the victims of the war in Afghanistan.

Pakistan has said that it has suffered most from the Afghanistan war stressing that it faced nearly "80,000 casualties" and over "USD 150 billion" in financial losses.

Back in September, Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad had said that after Afghanistan, Pakistan has suffered most has been the biggest victim of decades of the Afghan conflict.

"Of all the countries of the world, Pakistan has suffered the most -- with over 80,000 casualties and more than 150 billion US dollars in economic losses," he had said.

(ANI)

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