— Says it was matter of satisfaction that not a single case of corruption surfaced in past one year
— Tells cabinet members to work hard to provide succour to hapless and financially weaker segments of society
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday lauded the performance of his cabinet members during the past one year and urged them to continue contributing towards economic stability with their untiring efforts as all the economic indicators were showing positive trajectory.
Addressing a special meeting of the cabinet members held at the Jinnah Convention Center to review the one-year performance of the government, the prime minister said that during the last one year, it was a matter of satisfaction that not a single case of corruption had surfaced by the opposition.
The prime minister said that they should have to work hard to provide succour to hapless and financially weaker segments of society with all kind of assistance and compassion especially in the holy month of Ramazan, adding that the government had rolled out Rs20 billion Ramazan package to benefit 4 million deserving families through digital wallets system.
Each family would get Rs5,000 each, thus the new system would shut doors on all kind of allegations of financial mismanagement which had badly marred the functioning of entities like Utility Stores Corporation, he said, terming the relief initiative as ‘quantum jump which will succeed’.
He said that they took the challenge of saving the country from running into default. With hard work, the government succeeded in achieving the economic turnaround and steering the country out of the financial straits.
For the first time in country’s history, meeting of the federal cabinet was witnessed by people from different section of society and mediapersons present in the Convention Center besides, it was telecast live by the national TV channels.
The prime minister said all the macroeconomic indicators were on the high scale and asked the members to work hard with dedication and commitment as these were prerequisite for making Pakistan one trillion economy till the year 2035.
He also thanked leadership of all the coalition partners in the government including PPP, MQM, BAP, IPP etc, for their support in the most difficult times.
“We are the bearers of May 28 achievement and not of May 9,” he said, questioning that a political party who was running a provincial government had written letters to IMF pressing against any agreement with the government.
The prime minister highlighting government’s efforts towards economic stability, expressed the confidence that Rs400 billion tax cases pending for adjudication in various courts would be decided expeditiously as the one by Sindh High Court which provided relief to the government with Rs23 billion.
He underlined the need of plugging 850 billion rupees losses incurred by the loss-making state owned enterprises terming them as’ bottomless pits’ which needed to be plugged, besides the need to end circular debt in the power sector.
