PM Shehbaz assures of resolution of KP’s feasible demands

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday assured that all justified demands of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province would be met while keeping in view the current financial situation of the country.

Welcoming Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, the prime minister said that all the four provinces were the components of the federation and when they moved together, the country achieved progress and development. The chief minister who called on the prime minister also briefed him on the administrative affairs of the province in detail, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.

The meeting was attended by Minister for Foreign Affairs Ishaq Dar, Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for States and Frontier Regions Amir Muqam and other relevant senior officials. The prime minister stressed to sit together to resolve all issues, adding the public welfare would be the top priority of their collective efforts.

The federal government believed in working in harmony with all the provincial governments including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and would foster the strong bonds. The chief minister also expressed the resolve that the provincial government wanted to move with good intentions and was committed to play its positive role in the national development.

PM visits USC outlets to inspect Relief Package implementation: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid surprise visits to different Utility Stores across the federal capital to inspect the execution of the Prime Minister’s Ramazan Relief Package.

During the visit, he interacted with the beneficiaries of the scheme and inquired whether they faced any issues while benefiting from the package. He instructed the authorities concerned to ensure that entitled beneficiaries of the Relief Package faced no problem in availing the facility.

Speaking on the occasion, the prime minister said the federal government had announced a historic Ramazan Relief Package worth Rs 12 billion under which eatable items would be provided to the deserving families at subsidized rates during the holy month of Ramazan at the Utility Stores outlets across the country. Besides, he said under the package, additional stipend will also be given to the families registered in Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP). PM Shehbaz Sharif said under the federal government’s Ramazan Relief Package, Rs 77 per kg subsidy was being given on wheat flour while Rs 100 per kg subsidy was being offered on ghee besides a subsidy of 20-30% on other food items such as rice, pulses, sugar etc for the deserving families.

He informed that under the package, the BISP beneficiaries would get additional stipend worth Rs 10,000 each, while under Kafalat programme, thousands of families from Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan and Balochistan will get additional amount of Rs 2000 each. The prime minister said he had appointed several teams that would pay surprise visits to various USC outlets to check the availability and quality of the food items adding that strict action would be taken against those involved in selling low quality items at the stores.

During his visit, he expressed satisfaction over the availability of the subsidized items at the stores in sufficient quantity. He was of the view that the blessed month of Ramazan would bring peace, prosperity and development for the country.

He also thanked the ministers and all the concerned officers and departments for making this relief package possible. Federal Ministers Ishaq Dar, Rana Tanveer Hussain, Attaullah Tarar and Khawaja Muhammad Asif accompanied the prime minister.

Pakistan, China to march toward shared development, prosperity: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan and China will march toward shared development and prosperity with joint investments in diverse projects.

In an interview with Xinhua news agency, PM Sharif said the friendship between Pakistan and China spanned more than 70 years and has been nurtured by both countries’ leadership to promote friendly relations. He added that the two countries have developed as all-weather, “Iron Brothers” and have unique associations of friendship that have stood the test of time. “This friendship now must achieve higher heights,” he added.

Chinese President Xi Jinping had congratulated Sharif on his election as prime minister of Pakistan on March 3. In his response, Sharif deeply appreciated Xi’s warm message of facilitation and continued support for Pakistan. “I deeply value his sentiments not only for the people of Pakistan, for our friendship, but our mutual cooperation,” he said. “For me, it’s a very good start.” Highlighting Chinese modernization, a key term defining China’s journey to rejuvenation, Sharif, who has served three terms as chief minister of Punjab province, stressed that Pakistan should emulate the model.

“It is a great success model and success story,” the prime minister said, adding that generations of visionary Chinese leaders have led their people to create unprecedented development miracles, lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and providing vast rural populations with access to education, health, medical facilities, and employment. The Chinese modernization model created growth centers and sectors that produce competing products by procuring modern knowledge in science and technology, he said.

“Despite challenges in recent years, China’s growth has still gone steadily compared to other countries, which is a remarkable achievement,” he added. Pakistan should replicate this model in the country to alleviate poverty, provide jobs to the youth, and encourage small and medium entrepreneurs to kickstart businesses in villages, towns and cities in sectors of agriculture, industry, information technology and on other platforms, the prime minister said.

Citing Pakistan as one of the first batch of countries joining the Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative (GDI), PM Sharif said that Pakistan fully and firmly supports China-proposed GDI and Global Security Initiative and believes the initiatives will further create strong connections between global communities. He commended the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a very visionary initiative, which spans continents and alleviates poverty and hunger in the countries, promotes investments, and boosts education and health. “There couldn’t have been a better model for forging global societies together.”

Pakistan is now ready to move toward the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of BRI, he said, adding that Pakistan will attract modern technology in information technology (IT), industrial, and agricultural areas as China is now moving towards high-tech, higher quality production. The PM said CPEC is dovetailing with the Pakistan-proposed Special Investment Facilitation Council, which aims to cut red tape and remove delays and inefficiencies, adding that the country is planning to build industrial parks and export zones and looking forward to attracting Chinese entrepreneurs to establish joint ventures in the areas of textile, steel or other with the combination of Chinese technology and Pakistan’s comparatively cheap labor.

“Through those joint ventures, high-quality products in agriculture, industry, IT, etc., will be produced to create hundreds of thousands of jobs and wealth, and increase our production and exports,” the prime minister added. He said, “China has been extremely helpful in promoting Pakistan’s economic progress, and CPEC has played a very important role which we really appreciate deeply.”

The prime minister said Pakistan is expecting to shift its transport system towards electrification to control foreign exchange expenditures on imported fuel and to conserve wealth to build its economy. This will be done by acquiring the latest technology, which is available in China and other parts of the globe. Calling China Pakistan’s second home, Sharif said he looks forward to visiting it when possible as there is a tradition of new Pakistani leadership always taking great pleasure and honor in visiting China at an opportune time. “We made solemn commitments that we would work together, and we would be together through thick and thin,” he said.

PM visits Asfandyar’s residence: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited the residence of ANP leader Asfandyar Wali Khan to condole over the death of his wife. The prime minister interacted with Asfandyar Wali’s son and ANP leader Aimal Wali Khan.

He offered Fateha and prayed for peace for the departed soul. He sympathised with the bereaved family and prayed for patience to them to bear the loss with fortitude. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Minister for States and Frontier Regions Amir Muqam, former MNA and ANP leader Ghulam Ahmed Bilour and former MPA Ikhtiar Wali were also present.