Governor Sindh Mr. Zubair,
Honorable Finance Minister,
Dr Shamshad Akhtar,
Respectable Former Governors, State Bank of Pakistan, Dr. Ishrat Husain, Mr. Yasin Anwar, Mr. Ashraf Wathra
Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Assalam-o-aliakum and a very good morning! It is my pleasant duty and distinct privilege to welcome you all to the 70th anniversary of the establishment of State Bank of Pakistan. On the auspicious occasion of the opening of the SBP on July 1st, 1948, the Quaid said: "The opening of State Bank of Pakistan symbolizes the sovereignty of our state in the financial sphere. I need to hardly dilate on the important role the State Bank will have to play in regulating the economic life of our country. The monetary policy of the bank will have a direct bearing on our trade and commerce, both inside Pakistan as well as with the outside world and it is only to be desired that our policy should encourage maximum production and free flow of trade."