Mr Aziz is credited with reviving Pakistan's struggling economy

According to Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, increased investment and production will help the economy grow 8.3% in the year ending 30 June.

Large-scale manufacturing will grow by 15.4%, agriculture by 7.5% and the service sector by 7.9%, he said.

However, he warned that future rate rises may be needed to curb inflation.

"We will have to manage through monetary policy to contain inflation in a single-digit range," Mr Aziz told a government economic planning meeting.

Mr Aziz is credited with steering the economy into recovery after President Pervez Musharraf took control of Pakistan in 1999.

He is a former senior executive of Citibank.

His government, he said, has completed a macroeconomic reform strategy to put the economy back on track and it plans record development spending to ease poverty.

Pakistan's strong growth prospects are expected to send a positive signal to foreign investors who may have held back investment in the country due to concerns over Islamic militancy.