ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said on Thursday that the federal cabinet had directed the ministries to continue austerity measures and cut expenditures by 10 per cent to help overcome fiscal deficit.
He was briefing media persons about the decisions taken during the cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Fawad said a presentation was given to the prime minister on economic situation of the country, and he advised the ministers to limit their foreign visits.
The cabinet strongly condemned the ongoing genocide of Kashmiris by Indian occupation forces as well as imposition of Presidential Rule in the occupied state. The minister said that the prime minister would talk to the UN secretary general by telephone about the worsening situation in Occupied Kashmir.
Fawad announced that Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Prince Muhammad bin Salman and Crown Prince of United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan would visit Pakistan in February and January, respectively. During the Saudi crown prince’s visit, a historic agreement will be signed between the two countries on an oil refinery project, he said adding that it will be the single largest foreign investment in Pakistan’s history.
He said that the cabinet had directed the interior ministry to remove the names of three persons including two MNAs Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir from the Exit Control List.
He said that the prime minister had expressed displeasure over no change in culture at the airports as the expatriates and foreign investors continued to face problems as in the past. The prime minister issued directive to the Civil Aviation Authority and the interior ministry to rectify the situation, he said.
Further, Fawad said that the cabinet had decided that separate inquiries underway on escalation of the new Islamabad Airport’s cost estimate by the National Accountability Bureau, the Federal Investigation Agency, and the Civil Aviation Authority should be merged into a single probe. He said that the cabinet also gave approval for issuance of licences and renewal of licences for airlines including the Pakistan International Airlines. He said the prime minister issued directives that not a single penny should be deducted from funds allocated for the formerly Federally Administered Tribal Areas as per agreement among all political parties that a three percent of the GDP was to be allocated for the region. Fawad regretted that the Sindh government claimed to be champions of the rights of small provinces but it was not cooperating on the issue.
The cabinet also discussed revision of the master plan of Islamabad, and decided that master plans of major cities of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces would also be prepared.
The minister said that the government wanted to simplify the visa regime to attract foreign tourists and investors. He said the Information Ministry had already approached the foreign and interior ministries for provision of facilities to foreign journalists.
The minister said that Pakistan had spent a $1 billion on the development of Afghanistan since 2002, and currently a 200-bed Jinnah Hospital in Kabul and Nishtar Kidney Centre in Lugar Province were being built by Pakistani assistance. That was part of the policy of compassion of the government along the lines of the policies implemented by the Holy Prophet (PBUH) in the state of Medina.
Replying to questions, Fawad said Dr Ishrat Hussain’s committee was working on a restructuring plan and it would finalise its recommendations in due course of time, which would be implemented in phases.
To a question about the PPP and PML-N announcement of joint strategy against the arrest of leaders, he said that it was a strange approach to join hands and demand pardon in corruption cases.
Fawad made it clear that the government had no plan for retrenchment from government institutions.
He said that the prime minister’s statement about new elections was reported out of context as he had only said that if a new province was created in south Punjab, elections for provincial assembly could be held there.
The minister said the cabinet gave approval for appointment of members of Board of Governors of Deposit Protection Corporation, whereas services of Managing Director of Pak-Oman Company Bahauddin Khan were extended for three years. Fawad Hussain informed that the prices of medicines were also discussed in the cabinet meeting.
Published in Daily Times, December 21st 2018.
