By IRNA
Islamabad : President Pervez Musharraf Tuesday described suicide attacks in the city of Lahore as a heinous act as and sheer madness in the name of great religion of Islam.
The Interior Ministry said that 24 people were killed and 170 injured in the suicide attacks, the one deadly targeted the office of Federal Investigation Agency.
“The terrible bomb blasts in Lahore must be condemned in the strongest possible terms,” President Musharraf said.
“Nothing could be more damaging for the nation and for our religion than these acts of terrorism,” the president said while addressing the first convocation of Pakistan Institute Development Economics in Islamabad.
Giving an overview of the national economy the president listed three challenges which the new government will have to overcome.
He said firstly new government must sustain the economic growth secondly it must keep fighting terrorism and defeat it and thirdly it will have to ensure political stability which would be over arching for achieving the first two objectives.
He said the economy of Pakistan is under stress in three areas including the soaring oil prices in the world market which have crossed the hundred dollars of barrel mark, rising prices of edible oil and the wheat shortage.
President Musharraf said country needs to find substitute for oil and will have to go for power generation especially hydro, coal, gas and nuclear power generation for overcoming the energy shortage and reducing the burden on the economy.
He said two billion dollars are being spent on the import of edible oil and we must find substitute by focusing on finding substitutes for edible oil.
He said the prices of wheat have surged in the International market with production declining globally.
He said the new government will have to meet this challenge very boldly and will have to provide relief to the poorest of the poor through targeted intervention.
He said government is already providing substantial subsidy on seven food items through utilities stores countrywide.