ISLAMABAD (APP): Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Monday warned that with a renewed determination and defence capability, Pakistan would befittingly respond if India resorted to any 2019-like aggression, ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
“Pakistan will exactly do the same as it did in 2019. We will hit their planes. We will respond in the same coin… Neither our bullets nor determination are old. Our bullets are new and our determination is quite renewed and fresh,” the prime minister said in the podcast with a digital media channel.
He said that no one should be delusional about Pakistan’s response as it had an entire defence mechanism in place to protect its people. He viewed that till the resolution of the Kashmir dispute, the potential for conflict would continue to exist and anything could trigger any sort of exchange.
Coming to the upcoming general elections in Pakistan, he said the threat of terrorism existed especially in the southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and certain areas of Balochistan, posing significant vulnerabilities to candidates and their campaigns. However, the situation had not reached a level to question the legitimacy of the entire electoral process.
He reiterated the government’s resolve to respond to any threat, regardless of whether there were elections in the country or not. Asked about the Senate resolution passed recently calling for the postponement of the elections, the prime minister said, “I do not see any legal implications as the Senate resolution is not mandatory.”
He said the government had opposed the resolution in the House, though, as per requirement, it would submit a report on the matter. To a question, he said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was the right forum to decide on delaying the polls in certain constituencies considering the security situation. Regarding grievances and concerns of some candidates and political parties, Prime Minister Kakar said the relevant forums of ECP and judiciary were there to address the situation.
“Our role is not to act as a judiciary or ROs (returning officers), obstructing or constructing opportunities for someone. If someone feels there is unfairness, the appropriate forums are available,” he remarked. Discussing the situation in Balochistan, he mentioned the role of militant groups such as BLA, BRA, and BLF which were considered terrorists even outside Pakistan. He opposed some segments of the society attributing their actions to underdevelopment and lack of state investment.
Asked about the precondition for dialogue, the prime minister referred to the abandonment of violence by militant groups and reiterated that being a nation of 240 million, Pakistan could not surrender to a few thousand individuals. Discussing the terrorist activities of TTP (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) and the Afghan government’s response to Pakistan’s reaction following the recent terrorist attack in D I Khan, he said communication with them was going on and some behavioral changes had been observed on the other side.
He reiterated that having sacrificed around 90,000 lives, Pakistan’s resolve to fight terrorism was unwavering without seeking any foreign support. To a question about the repatriation of illegal foreign nationals, PM Kakar said the decision was widely supported by the majority of Pakistanis as non-documented aliens had no right to stay.
He said the factors such as terrorism, organized crime, non-contribution to the economy, and the impact on economic health prompted action from the government. Highlighting the government’s achievements on the economic front, he mentioned the reforms in the Federal Board of Revenue, achieving remarkable tax receivable targets and reducing government expenditure.
He said under the Special Investment Facilitation Council, Pakistan was attracting foreign investments from multiple countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. He said the SIFC was focused on removing the bureaucratic hurdles for foreign investment, which also encouraged domestic investors to benefit from the opportunity and invest in key areas of agriculture, IT (information technology), mining, human resource training, energy and road infrastructure.
PM assures govt’s full support to UNICEF on public welfare projects: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar assured the government’s full support to the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) for launching the projects of public welfare in Pakistan.
“The government will provide all possible facilities to the UNICEF for launching welfare projects in education, health and other sectors,” he said while talking to the UNICEF’s representative in Pakistan Abdullah Fadil who called on him here. During the meeting, Abdullah Fadil briefed the prime minister on the steps taken by UNICEF in various areas of Pakistan.
He told the prime minister that during the last five years, around US$1 billion projects had been established in a range of fields including humanitarian aid, clean drinking water, food supply, education, and health under UNICEF in Pakistan. The prime minister appreciated UNICEF Pakistan for successfully launching several projects for public welfare.
Terming UNICEF’s role in the anti-polio drive in Pakistan as of special importance, he said a positive change in the anti-polio vaccination drive was being seen among the masses due to mutual collaboration of the government of Pakistan and UNICEF. The prime minister also appreciated UNICEF for taking steps in the education sector in Azad Jammu and Kashmir despite intense Indian criticism. He asked Abdullah Fadil to constitute a new and effective strategy to provide education to the out of school children in Pakistan. He also supported the steps taken by UNICEF to introduce modern technology in the education sector in underdeveloped areas of the country. “The illiteracy rate in the country can be brought down significantly by helping the students of remote areas get access to the state of the art information through tablets,” the prime minister added. He assured that the government of Pakistan would fully support the projects launched by UNICEF to create job opportunities for the youth.
PM underscores need to enhance trade, economic linkages with African countries: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, while acknowledging that Pakistan and Africa had enjoyed excellent political relations over the years, stressed the need to enhance trade and economic linkages which were yet to realize their full potential. He also highlighted the importance Pakistan attached to Africa and expressed the desire to strengthen ties with African countries, at the bilateral as well as regional level. The prime minister met a group of resident envoys representing African countries as well as select Asian countries over lunch, the PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.
The meeting was attended by the Ambassadors of Algeria and Sudan as well as High Commissioners of Bangladesh, Brunei, Malaysia, Mauritius, and South Africa. Other participants included the Charges d’ Affaires of Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, Somalia, Tunisia, and Zimbabwe. The caretaker prime minster mentioned that the 4th Pakistan-Africa Trade Conference was underway in Cairo, Egypt from January 9-11 where Pakistan was represented by a large business delegation led by the commerce minister.
PM Kakar also expressed deep appreciation for Pakistan’s historic ties with the Southeast Asian countries, particularly Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia. He said Pakistan was keen to expand bilateral trade ties with the key countries and sought their assistance in strengthening its engagement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Referring to the ongoing situation in Gaza, the prime minister stressed the need for dialogue among nations and for intensifying collective efforts to end the violence and bring lasting peace in Palestine. He also praised the diplomatic envoys for their efforts to build stronger ties with Pakistan and their respective countries. The diplomats thanked the caretaker prime minister for sparing time to interact with them and said they would continue to work closely with Pakistan to enhance bilateral relations.
PM orders fast-track privatization of PIA, out-sourcing of airport services: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar directed the authorities concerned to pace up the privatization process of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the national flag career.
In a meeting with his Adviser on Aviation Air Marshal (retd) Farhat Hussain, the prime minister emphasized ensuring transparency in the process of privatization. PM Kakar said privatization of state-owned enterprises was on priority for the government to save the national exchequer from further financial losses. He said the country’s aviation industry had a high scope of growth through investment. The prime minister also directed the out-sourcing of airport operations in a bid to ensure improvement of services.
