PM, allies ponder over politics, economy

Asif Zardari, Fazl call on Shahbaz

ISLAMABAD:

 

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday continued his hectic consultations with the allied parties on current political and fragile economic situation in the country.
A day earlier he met with PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and according to the Prime Minister Office (PMO) the two leaders had discussed the overall situation in the country.

On Thursday, former president Asif Zardari and JUI-F Chief Maulana Fzalur Rehman met the prime minister and exchanged views about the overall political situation in the country.

Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Minister for Economic and Political Affairs Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafiq were also present in the meeting.

The prime minister understood to have taken the two leaders into confidence about the upcoming delegation-level visit of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to Islamabad to discussion the ninth review of the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF).

In addition, the meeting also took into account the elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Punjab Assembly was dissolved on Jan 14, followed by the provincial assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Jan 18 on the direction of PTI Chairman Imran Khan in an attempt by the party to pressurise the ruling coalition in the centre to hold early election.

On Thursday, a 15-member interim cabinet was announced in K-P.