PM unveils interim govt’s priorities

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Friday unveiled his government’s priorities in his first major speech, vowing that all commitments made by the previous coalition government would be fulfilled.

Addressing the maiden cabinet meeting, Kakar stressed that the incumbent set-up did not have a perpetual mandate yet he “will try to lay some foundation where we have a sense of continuation of national and international commitments”.

He expressed his full support for the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), launched by the previous government, terming it a dream-come-true project for the country full of agricultural and mineral resources.

The caretaker government would comply with the commitments made by the previous government on national and international levels with different forums, and ensure the rule of law and financial discipline, Kakar told the cabinet members.

“We do not have a perpetual mandate to serve the nation but during the given allocated time, we will try to lay the foundation where we have a sense of continuation of national and international commitments,” he said.

“With our utmost duty, may be it is a month, two or three, or three and a half, whatever the allocated time is, we will demonstrate through our actions not by our words,” the prime minister added.

He said that the SIFC initiative was owned by around 250 million people of the country. “In fact, the SIFC is not just a new idea but an old national dream that is going to be materialised now,” he continued.

“The day has arrived when with the support of all institutions, including the Pakistan military leadership, we support, facilitate, encourage, and realise this old national dream,” he added. “We all own it and we will contribute towards it.”

With regard to the ongoing economic situation, Kakar told the federal ministers that he was well aware of the huge challenges but with an able team, the government would ensure financial discipline.

“We have a sense of sanctity of taxpayers’ money. This money on which we are having today’s meeting, using resources or travelling, is paid by the people of Pakistan,” the prime minister emphasised.

Kakar acknowledged that there was a polarised environment prevailing in the country, but assured that the interim government would try to differentiate between politics and law.

He said that the government would ensure that the rule of order was not compromised in any way. In this regard, the prime minister stressed: “The rule of order would lead us towards the rule of law.”

Elaborating further, he added: “We know the sanctity of the order that would be kept at any cost. Pakistan is owned and shared by all ethnicities, all creeds, and all religions.”

Kakar sought to discourage rigidity in the society in any form. “Rigidity may come in the garb of religion or secularism or in any other form. These extreme attitudes will be discouraged and controlled by the law.”

He assured the minority communities of full protection in the country, warning that “any attempt to harm them from a section of marginalised group of people will be responded strictly by the state and the society”.

In his address, the prime minister also spoke about the violence on May 9, in which the corps commander’s house in Lahore was torched, while other civil and military installations were vandalised.

Kakar explicitly expressed his disappointment at the sabotage activities on that day. “Attack on the military installation was like the country’s immune system was attacked, which could lead towards fatality,” he said.

“We do not just condemn it but we also will ensure that justice will be done and whosoever violated the laws on those days, will be treated according to the law and there will be no favour to anybody.”

At the outset, Kakar praised the interim cabinet members, saying that he was “proud” to have “one of the best teams”. “I am hopeful that Almighty Allah would enable us to lead and steer this nation in this interim period.”

He said, “There are many dreams around the globe but let’s have the vision of a Pakistani dream. And let’s realise this Pakistani dream. The Pakistani dream is the dream of our soul. It is imbibed by the ideas of the enlightened (Allama) Iqbal.”

Later in a post on X, he said that full force of the law would be applied to those who “infringed upon the sacrosanctity of the state’s emblems” on May 9.

“We will ensure that justice is meted out to those who were involved in the May 9 attacks.”