Dr Rashid Amjad, President Pakistan Society of Development Economists and Vice-Chancellor PIDE, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to address the 27th Annual General Meeting and Conference of the Pakistan Society of Development Economists (PSDE). I am pleased to note that the Society has been instrumental in promoting scholarly research and debate on critical socio-economic issues facing Pakistan, and that the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) has played a vital role in promoting and nurturing the Society since its inception in 1982. The Society has not only upheld and galvanized the profession of development economics in Pakistan but has also helped inspire new ideas for the greater development and prosperity of Pakistan. Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to see that when I address you today Pakistan’s economy is again showing distinct signs of recovery and we hope to achieve a growth rate of 4 to 5 percent this year which should help lift us to a much higher growth trajectory in the future. Despite the heavy headwinds that we have had to face, our government took important fundamental economic decisions of which we can be justly proud.