Saqib Mushtaq
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said that Pakistan and Turkiye were two brotherly nations and they were committed to take the bilateral trade volume between the two countries to $5 billion mark.
Addressing a meeting of the cabinet, the prime minister referred to the recent visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and said that he had always supported Pakistan at all global fora. He said, “President Erdogan had been a strong voice for Palestine and Kashmir. Pakistan and Turkiye enjoy brotherly ties and both countries also hold regular consultations and support each other at all fora.”
The prime minister said that a number of MoUs were also signed during Turkish president’s visit and urged the ministry of commerce and other relevant ministries to work jointly for the achievement of bilateral trade mark of 5 billion dollars. He said that a flyover which was completed in 84 days in Islamabad was named after President Tayyip Erdogan as a sign of affection by the people of Pakistan.
The prime minister also welcomed a recent Gallop’s survey, according to which about 55 percent of people had reposed confidence in the government’s pro-business policies. However, he stressed that they had to move forward and work hard to accomplish the economic agenda and its key components including Uraan Pakistan.
The prime minister, about his meeting with a delegation of World Bank directors, said that they had unanimously expressed their satisfaction over the reforms agenda and the macro-economic stability. They had praised the government and its credit went to every member of the cabinet, he added.
The prime minister said peace in the country was linked with the economic prosperity which would move the wheel of progress rapidly. For economic stability, conducive environment was a requisite, he added. The prime minister also paid tribute to the security forces whose officers and personnel were sacrificing their lives for the protection of the country.
The Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif also directed that e-Office implementation in all federal ministries and departments should be completed by March 20, this year. The meeting was apprised that the use of e-Office reached 98 percent across all the federal government divisions with 100 percent implementation in 39 divisions.
Additionally, regarding inter-ministerial communication, the e-Office system had achieved 100 percent implementation in 21 divisions. During the meeting, the cabinet was briefed that the process of implementing e-Office in subordinate organizations and state-owned enterprises also began while 176 institutions had successfully adopted the system, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.
During the meeting held at the PM’s House, the prime minister briefed the cabinet about the letter sent to him by Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. The Saudi crown prince, in his letter, informed about the renewal of the Saudi Development Fund’s provision of $100 million per month for another year on a deferred payment basis over petroleum products, he added.
“We are deeply grateful to Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman and the Saudi leadership. Saudi Arabia has always stood with Pakistan in difficult times,” he added. The prime minister directed that the entire system of service delivery in Pakistani missions abroad should be digitized to facilitate overseas Pakistanis.
The cabinet approved the signing of an international legal agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea for the protection and sustainable use of diverse marine resources in international waters on the recommendation of Ministry of Climate Change.
