Govt not to accept any political arm-twisting, says Fawad

Information minister says the CPEC 2019 plan will be unveiled on January 20

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry once again clarified that the government was keen to cooperate with opposition parties but it would not accept any political arm-twisting.

Speaking to the media in Islamabad, the information minister said the military courts were established in January 2015 with a consensus to curb terrorism.

PPP opposes extension in military courts' tenure

Military courts were set up through a constitutional amendment with a sunset set clause of two years. Their term was extended for another two years in January 2017 by the former Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government.

As the government debated their fate, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor had already said that any decision regarding the extension of military courts should be taken by the Parliament.

According to the information minister, “Efforts are being made for the revival of the economy. The government will resolve all the issues.”

“Rs 9 billion has been collected for the dam fund,” announced Fawad.

Earlier speaking at an event in the capital marking the first death anniversary of renowned poet, playwright and columnist Muneer Ahmed popularly known as Munnu Bhai, the minister said the government has decided to unveil the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) 2019 plan on January 20 (Sunday).

Addressing the ceremony, Fawad claimed that PTI’s vision would be visible in the new CPEC plan.

The information minister said, “Pakistan today is better than before. The country is set to make record exports this year.”

PPP opposes extension in military courts' tenure

Pakistan and China have agreed to make 2019 a year of Economic Cooperation by promoting joint ventures and exports under the CPEC.

On January 18, Prime Minister Imran Khan chaired a meeting in Islamabad to review progress on CPEC. The meeting set targets for short to mid-term phase, focusing on cooperation in industrial, socio-economic, agriculture and Gwadar.

Minister for Planning, Development and Reform Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar also briefed the participants on the outcome of the 8th CPEC Joint Cooperation Committee meeting and progress on the projects.