Political mafias being brought under law: PM

Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Friday the government was bringing ‘the big political mafias’ under the law, but stressed that when evil, corruption and disruptions plagued the system, change always took time.

Imran performed the ground-breaking ceremony of a 35,000-apartment affordable housing project in Lahore, as part of the government’s Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme (NPHS). Addressing the ceremony, he stressed the need for automation for improving ease of doing business.

“The big political mafias are resisting the rule of law, but no one should consider himself above the law,” he said. “We are bringing these big mafias under the law, which are resisting the efforts for [supremacy of] rule of law,” he added.

Imran said that no society could flourish without the rule of law and public welfare. “It is the rule of law that ensures the formation of a model society,” he said, but added: “A system plagued with corruption, malpractices and hurdles [to weed out corruption] takes time to change.”

The prime minister observed that nations succeeded only through a uniform system of law, which was same for the strong and the weak. “Pakistan today is fighting for the rule of law,” he added. “For Pakistan to meet the challenges of the 21st century, we need to change ourselves.”

Imran stressed the need for automation to improve ease of doing business and bring down costs but he admitted that there was “a lot of resistance” to this. “Bribery is removed from the equation when automation is introduced,” he said. “Machines don’t take bribes.”

The prime minister emphasised that the state of Madina was based on two principles—the rule of law and the welfare of the people. He said that following these two principles of the state of Madina could make Pakistan a great nation.

He mentioned various government projects aimed at public welfare. “We have introduced health cards, every citizen across Punjab will get the health card,” he said. “There are shelter and welfare schemes like ‘No one sleeps hungry’. This project will be spread across the country.”

Read PM Imran inaugurates another housing project for the underprivileged

The prime minister noted that it took two years to pass a law on the New Pakistan project. “Mortgage financing was 0.2%. Had the law [about mortgage financing] not been passed, the banks would not have advanced the loans,” he said.

Prime Minister Imran told the ceremony that the construction sector in the country was flourishing and the related industries were also doing good businesses. “The highest cement production was recorded in March,” he added.

Later Imran held a meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar at the Chief Minister House and received a briefing on administrative and political affairs of the province. He urged the provincial government to pay special attention to the development of the backward areas.

He expressed satisfaction over the steps taken by the Punjab government to control coronavirus spread. Imran directed the chief minister to expedite the process of development projects aimed at relief to the masses.

Imran also chaired a meeting on the prices of food items in Punjab. The meeting was attended by Chief Minister Buzdar, key provincial ministers, special assistants, advisers to the chief minister and other officials.

Sources in the Chief Minister’s House said that Prime Minister Imran told the meeting that when the inflation increases furore is created but when the prices fell nobody mentioned it. “The steps taken by the Punjab government to control inflation should be highlighted in the public,” he said.

The sources said that the meeting took some important decisions. It was decided that the Punjab government would also fix the rate of chicken and ghee to help curb rising inflation. Imran tasked the media team of the Punjab government to highlight these good initiatives of the government.