PTI govt not to back away from reforms agenda, PM tells cabinet

Ministers approve waiver of passport and fee requirement for Kartarpur pilgrims


​ Our Correspondent November 06, 2019
PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE

ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet on Tuesday took note of the positive outcome of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s economic policies and expressed satisfaction over the economic indicators.

Chairing the meeting, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the government would not back away from its reforms agenda as it was for Pakistan’s development and progress, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan told reporters.

Briefing the media about the cabinet decisions, Firdous said the cabinet, while discussing the ongoing political situation in the country, expressed satisfaction that the positive economic indicators were a manifestation of the government’s pragmatic policies.

She said the prime minister observed that the reforms introduced by the PTI government would end politics of the opponents like in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the party brought far-reaching reforms and got re-elected with an overwhelming majority.

Flanked by Adviser on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam, Dr Firdous said the reforms process being followed by the present government was a difficult one as the beneficiaries of the old rotten system were a hurdle in its way.

Economic Affairs Minister Hammad Azhar told the cabinet that the economic indicators were a proof that the economy was out of the quagmire and moving towards stability. The fiscal deficit, which had shown 50% reduction in foreign investment last year, showed positive trends.

Dr Firdous said that the stock exchange had gained 1,500 points during the past three days, which proved that the business community had not taken any negative impact of the ongoing sit-in in Islamabad.

She added that the circular debt was increasing by Rs10 to 12 billion against about Rs38 billion per month during the last regime. Pakistan’s ranking on ‘ease of doing business’ index had also improved, she added.

She said the prime minister gave a roadmap for next three months to various departments and ministries to achieve their targets. He also issued directions to all the ministries to make maximum efforts for completing public sector development programmes in next three months, she added.

The prime minister, she said, further directed for work on jobs creation and the empowerment strategies for the youth. She added that the prime minister would monitor progress so that decisions were made on time and red-tapism was avoided.

The cabinet approved the waiver of passport and fee requirement for the pilgrims of Kartarpur Corridor. The visa on arrival facility would be given to the Sikh pilgrims, doing away with other requirements. The policy would be applicable not only for the Sikh pilgrims but also for all the foreign tourists under the revised visa regime.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Institutional Reforms Dr Ishrat Hussain apprised the cabinet on the new local government system. The cabinet directed that Islamabad’s reform process should be completed within three months and an interim arrangement would be made to introduce Punjab like local government system in the capital.

The cabinet expressed reservation over the audit report of the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) presented in the meeting and issued directions for hiring services of a well-reputed firm for fresh audit.

The cabinet gave approval to the decisions taken by the Economic Coordination Committee taken in its October 30 meeting. The cabinet also accorded approval to the appointment of director general of the Rangers Punjab.

Replying to a question, Dr Firdous said Nawaz Sharif’s spokesperson had requested for shifting the former prime minister to the Sharif Medical Complex.

The court had already issued directions on the matter, she added. Responding to a question about establishing a university in the Prime Minister’s House, she said it would be set up in the adjacent plots.

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