Pakistan to save $300mn annually from Qatar LNG deal: PM Imran Khan.

LAHORE -- Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday revealed that Pakistan had signed a deal related to the supply of the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) which would help save the nation $300mn annually.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Central Business District ceremony in Lahore, the prime minister said that his government had been trying to negotiate this deal for the past one year.

"When a difficult time comes upon the nation, a country has to think of 'out-of-the-box' solutions," he said. "Pakistan went through a decade of darkness," he added.

The prime minister had said Pakistan was facing a fiscal deficit due to which it was forced to take foreign loans due to which the country's reserves declined and its currency lost its worth.

"These problems were inherited by this government," he said, adding that the government cannot solve this problem until and unless it generates wealth.

Touching upon the LNG deal with Qatar, the prime minister said that he was proud to announce that Pakistan will save $300mn each year as a result of the deal.

"And in 10 years' time, Pakistan will save $3bn," he said.

The prime minister hailed the Business District Project in Lahore, saying that these will generate wealth in the billions for Pakistan.

He said that it was time to stop Lahore from expanding horizontally, recalling that when he was a child, the city ended at Zaman Park.

"The first phase [of the Central Business District] project, the federal government will earn Rs250bn from taxes," he said.

The prime minister said when the Walton airport is de-notified as per the project's plan, tall buildings can be constructed in Gulberg and Ferozepur road.

"These areas can then become the economic hub for Lahore," said the prime...