Shehbaz, Zardari discuss Alvi’s election move

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had a familiar guest – President of Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) Asif Ali Zardari – at the Prime Minister’s House on Thursday night to discuss the government’s next possible moves after President Dr Arif Alvi attempted to force elections on the ruling alliance in two provinces and the Supreme Court has taken up the matter while exercising its suo moto jurisdiction.

In the meeting, the two bigwigs of the ruling alliance also discussed reducing the federal cabinet’s size in line with its belt-tightening policy amid the financial crisis. According to an official statement, the PPPP president met the prime minister. Upon his arrival at the PM House, it said, the prime minister received Zardari, also the former president. The one-on-one meeting was followed by dinner.

Sources in the ruling alliance said that the possible areas of discussion between the prime minister and the head of a key allied party included the decision of the federal cabinet empowering the prime minister to write a letter to President Dr Arif Alvi in connection with the president’s step to unilaterally announce the date for the elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

On Wednesday, PM Shehbaz and his cabinet members said that the president’s announcement of the election date in two the provinces was an unconstitutional move. Subsequently, the premier said he would write a letter to President Alvi on behalf of the cabinet condemning his action.

On February 20, President Alvi’s fixed April 9 as elections date in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) turned down his request of meeting called to discuss about the date for elections in the two provinces.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said that country’s progress was linked to the success of the Youth Loan Program which besides supporting the unemployed youngsters also benefited the national economy.

The prime minister, addressing a ceremony for cheque distribution among the beneficiaries of the Prime Minister Youth Loan Program, said if provided ample opportunities, Pakistan’s youths would take the country to new heights.

He said the loan scheme was the continuation of the PM Youth Loan scheme launched in 2013 by that time prime minister Nawaz Sharif and billions of rupees were disbursed among the entitled youth.

The prime minister recalled that CM Youth Loan Scheme was also launched in Punjab and 75,000 youths were also given vehicles on loan.

He said the recovery ratio of the youth loan scheme was around 99 percent which manifested the honesty of the country’s youngsters.

Prime Minister Shehbaz said that the 99% recovery ratio of the youth and Kissan loan schemes falsified the misconception about the risks involved in the individual loans by the banks.

“I am giving laptop, not Kalashnikov,” the prime minister remarked who earlier distributed cheques among the beneficiaries of loan scheme besides launching a Freelancer Card.

Meanwhile, the prime minister highlighting the significance of long-standing cooperation between Pakistan and the United States underscored the need to make this partnership diverse and multidimensional.

He underlined that parliamentary exchanges between the two countries, as vibrant democracies, were vital to promoting understanding of each others' perspectives at the political level.

The prime minister expressed these views while welcoming a six-member US Senate delegation from the Democratic Party, which led by Senate Majority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer called on him.

Other members of the delegation included Senators Maria Cantwell, Amy Klobuchar, Gary Peters, Catherine Cortez Masto, and Peter Welch.

The prime minister urged the US Congress to play its due role in raising its voice for the rights of the Kashmiri people and against the rising wave of anti-Muslim extremism in India.

Senator Schumer, thanking the Prime Minister on behalf of the delegation, affirmed the desire to further strengthen Pakistan-US bilateral ties in various dimensions through continued engagement and wider co-operation.