PM invites Opp to hold dialogue

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday invited the opposition political parties to join heads for a dialogue to discuss the ways for taking the country ahead.

“Let us sit together to take the country ahead. Let us talk for the betterment of the country. There is no other way forward,” the prime minister said addressing the National Assembly, while responding to a point of order by Sunni Ittehad Council Ali Muhammad Khan. He recalled that in the past too, he had invited the political parties to evolve a consensus on a Charter of Economy but that idea was ridiculed just for political point-scoring.

He said the way the sloganeering was done on the offer, was the darkest chapter in the country’s history. Prime Minister Shehbaz said that the House should also fix the responsibility on those who contributed to such a bitterness in the society. The prime minister also recounted his ordeal of facing victimization and that he was in jail when his mother passed away. Despite request to the jail superintendent, he was not given exemption from court appearance, he added.

He said that despite being a cancer survivor and with a backbone ailment, he used to be driven to courts on the ordinary prison van just to exacerbate the condition, but he never complained. Prime Minister Shehbaz said that other PML-N leaders like Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Rana Sanaullah also faced humiliating treatment despite being the under-trial prisoners. But he said, having faced all the victimization, he would never want his political adversaries to face an identical situation. The prime minister said that if the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder faced any problems in jail, that should be conveyed to the government.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif gave the green light to the joint ventures between Chinese and Pakistani companies for relocating the Chinese industries to Pakistan.

Chairing a meeting to discuss the matters of the Board of Investment (BoI), he said that promoting both local and foreign investment in Pakistan was among the government’s priorities. He said the government was taking all possible steps to create a business-friendly environment for traders and investors.

The prime minister directed the concerned to submit a comprehensive report on the follow up of Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) signed between Pakistani and Chinese companies in Shenzhen during his recent visit to China. He also instructed a review of the draft law for the Special Economic Zones One Stop Shop in light of the developments following his China visit.

Prime Minister, Shehbaz said there was significant potential for relocating China’s textile, leather, footwear, and other industries to Pakistan. Meanwhile, during the briefing, the BoI Secretary said that the steps were being taken to relocate Chinese industry to Pakistan. It was told that the services of Chinese experts were being hired for establishing Business Facilitation Centre in the federal capital and the draft of “Easy Business Act” was being sent to Cabinet Committee for Legislative Cases.