ISLAMABAD (APP): Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Thursday dismissed the impression that the decision of Pakistan Muslim League leader Nawaz Sharif to return to Pakistan was part of any deal with the interim government.
“The caretaker government has ‘no soft corner’ for PML-N or any other political party…How can a caretaker government strike such a deal,” he said in an interview with digital media platform, WE (World Echo) News. The prime minister was responding to a question relating to the PML-N chief’s homecoming who flew from London to Saudi Arabia yesterday with his announcement to land in Pakistan on October 21.
Kakar pointed out that Nawaz Sharif left the country as per the court decision “under the nose of Imran Khan’s government, and not the caretaker setup”. However, he said that if Nawaz Sharif returns and takes part in politics, he will have to face some legal obstacles. “The answers to these legal questions lie in legal remedies,” he said.
Kakar said any leader be it Imran Khan, Asif Ali Zardari, or Nawaz Sharif, everyone would have to seek their legal remedy as per their case scenario. He said Pakistan was facing the formation of “regimental camps” and the country had been turned into a fighting ground for political positions.
He rejected the notion that the caretaker setup could be likened to the 90s ‘Kakar formula’ where both Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President GhulamIshaq Khan were forced to quit on the proposal of then army chief General WaheedKakar to make way for fresh election. “This comparison is apples and oranges. It is out of context because in our case, the stint of the normal parliament led to its retirement and we are part of the constitutional continuation where leaders of the House and the Opposition agreed upon my name,” he said.
There has been no interference from any institution in our case, he said. On general polls, he said necessary security and administrative arrangements were in place. He said the caretaker government in collaboration with the Election Commission was in the process of the finalization of the required measures.
On the expulsion of Afghan refugees, the prime minister said the action was being taken only against unregistered foreign nationals and over one million illegal aliens. The government’s objective, he said, was to regulate the movement of unregistered foreign nationals through proper process. On relations with India, he said the radicalized RSS (RashtriyaSwayamsevakSangh) mindset of the ruling Indian party and the Kashmir dispute were the main hurdles in the maintenance of good ties.
“The situation between Pakistan and India needs to be improved, however, realistically at present, there is no such possibility,” he said. PM Kakar said the hegemonic designs of India needed to be curtailed as the country was turning into hell for its minorities, including Muslims, Sikhs, and others. Asked about any possibility of recognition of Israel, he said, “There are no such deliberations going on.”
Pakistan considers Israel an “oppressor” and stands with the rights of Palestinians to their existence and return to their land, he said. On Pakistan’s economic stability, he said the country for the first time witnessed a reversal of the value of the dollar with a consistent descent of about Rs 42-45. He said the continuation of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SFIC) would lead to sustainability.
He dismissed the impression that the army had taken over the mining sector on the SFIC platform. “The army’s role is a stop-gap arrangement to run the matters and at SFIC, it is providing impetus in the facilitation process,” he said. He emphasized the need for capacity-building of civil institutions as a pathway for a viable state economically. In Balochistan, he termed security, governance, scarcity of resources, and mismanagement as the main challenges.
He recalled that during the meeting of the apex committee held in Quetta, it was revealed that hundreds of ghost schools and health units existed in the province. “Such mismanagement has led to making a few billionaires but leaving the rest of the population deprived including the common Balochs, Pashtuns, and Hazaras,” he said.
PM to attend Belt & Road Forum in China on 17th: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar will visit China to participate in the ‘Third Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation’, being held in Beijing from October 17-18, the Foreign Office said.
The prime minister is undertaking the visit at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Foreign Office spokesperson said at a weekly press briefing. Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said PM Kakar would attend the opening ceremony of the BRF and address the high-level forum titled ‘Connectivity in an Open Global Economy’ on October 18. The prime minister during his stay in China will hold bilateral meetings with President Xi Jinping and senior Chinese leaders and other foreign dignitaries attending the Forum, she said.
The prime minister, she said, would also meet the leading Chinese entrepreneurs to expand bilateral trade and investment. He will also visit Urumqi, Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China to meet with local leaders and businesspersons, aiming to enhance trade, investment and people-to-people relations, the spokesperson said.
“The visit of the prime minister comes in the backdrop of the ongoing celebrations marking the ten years of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the flagship project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative,” Baloch said. “The prime minister will highlight the key achievements and the future priorities of CPEC, and reaffirm Pakistan’s strong commitment to jointly promote its high-quality development,” she said.
PM for resolving issues of newspapers on priority: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar directed the ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the finance ministry to resolve all issues of newspapers on priority.
Talking to a delegation of Council of Pakistan Newspapers’ Editors (CPNE) led by its president IrshadArif here, the prime minister said the newspapers should play their role in promoting such an environment in which everybody should listen to the differences of opinions. He said currently an organized propaganda campaign was being launched against the state. He said during his visit to the US, an organized campaign of false news and undue criticism was launched against him. He said he accompanied a very short delegation during his visit to the US where he effectively presented the Pakistan’s case of climate change.
The prime minister pointed out that he presented the cultural aspect of climate change to the world by referring to the holy Qur’an. With respect to smuggling of foreign currency, he said strict measures were being taken to stop smuggling of dollars in the short term. The rising value of the rupee against the dollar is a testament to the success of this campaign, he said adding that the Managing Director International Monetary Fund (IMF) had also appreciated the government’s measures to stop smuggling and illegal transaction of foreign currency.
The prime minister said the smuggling of petroleum products also continued to cause serious damage to the country’s economy. Likewise, he said steps were being taken across the country to prevent power theft. He said Pakistan had billions of dollars of trade potential with Central Asian states, adding “I am trying my best to take such measures during the short period by which we can use out trade’s capacity.”
Speaking about his upcoming visit to China, PM Kakar informed that Pakistan-China strategic relations, bilateral trade, China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and tourism promotion would be discussed during the visit. Similarly, he said plans to take full advantage of the potential of tourism in Gilgit-Baltistan would also be part of the discussions.
He said the government was making the process of privatization of loss-making state-owned enterprises (SOEs) fast and transparent as privatization of loss-making public institutions would reduce the loss to the country’s exchequer. With the involvement of the private sector, the prime minister said positive business competition would increase and the best facilities would be available to the public. With respect to the Afghan refugees’ issue, he said “Afghans are our brothers, and no one is sending back legally residing Afghan refugees”. However, he made it clear that the illegal aliens were being deported and strict action would be taken against them after October 31.
On Israel’s recent aggression in Palestine, he said it was a war between oppressor Israel and oppressed Palestinians. “Pakistan stands side by side with the oppressed Palestinians until they achieve their right to self-determination and an independent Palestinian state,” he added. Editors of national and regional newspapers from across the country participated in the meeting. Secretary Information, Principal Information Officer and relevant senior officials also attended the meeting.
Meanwhile, the Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar directed the authorities concerned to accelerate the development of more shipyards in the country.
The prime minister, chairing a meeting of the policy board of shipbuilding, also called for keeping in view the environmental impacts of the shipyard building projects. The meeting reviewed the current position of the development of shipyards in the country.
In the briefing, the meeting was told that the shipyards could be developed in Surbandar, Eastbay, Kappar and Pishu Khan areas of Balochistan. The prime minister also instructed the relevant authorities to formulate a comprehensive strategy to curb illegal trawling in coastal areas.
Moreover, the Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar directed the Board of Investment (BoI) to chalk out an effective strategy for joint cooperation on investment with the Pakistani community living abroad.
The prime minister issued the directive during a meeting with former ambassador to Bahrain Javed Malik, who called on him here at the PM House. Javed Malik had proposed to the prime minister to set up a platform for cooperation in investment activities with overseas Pakistanis.
PM rules out deal in Nawaz’s decision to return
