Day: June 25, 2024

Pakistan has called for strengthening of sub-regional dialogue and cooperation mechanisms in Asia to address issues of foreign occupation and persecution in the Middle East and South Asia. The call was made by Additional Foreign Secretary Ambassador Imran Ahmed Siddiqui, while representing Pakistan at 19th Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the member states of Asian Cooperation Dialogue in Tehran. The Additional Foreign Secretary underlined the importance of promoting regional connectivity by leveraging complementarities, tapping the potential of technological zones. Ambassador Siddiqui also underlined the importance of capacity building of human resource, enhancing access to financing, and providing a conducive environment for high-quality technology investments. Source: Radio Pakistan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says the PML-N government had allocated ten percent more budget and job quota to South Punjab as compared to its share on population basis. Responding to points raised by the opposition benches in the National Assembly this evening, he said ten percent more laptops were given to the students of South Punjab as well as a similar percentage was given to Chief Minister Punjab Rozgar Scheme than rest of the Punjab. Similarly, stipend for girls' students of South Punjab was enhanced from 200 rupees to 1000 rupees. As regards infrastructure projects, the Prime Minister said the previous Punjab government led by him had constructed roads which were meant to be completed by the federal government. Regarding austerity measures, Shehbaz Sharif said he has already announced to abolish Pakistan Public Works Department. He added that a committee has been constituted under the Chairmanship of Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb regarding the downsizing and right sizing of various departmen ts. He said tangible findings of the committee will be laid before the House. Talking about fertilizers rates, the Prime Minister said the nation will soon hear good news once a response comes from the International Monetary Fund. Source: Radio Pakistan

'State-Owned Enterprises (Governance and Operations) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2024' was laid before the House. Minister of State for Finance Ali Pervaiz Malik laid the ordinance. The chair referred the ordinance to the standing committee concerned. The House has now been prorogued . Source: Radio Pakistan

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar says communication and dialogue are essential for reducing the current and future risks and for fostering a collaborative approach to caters to the needs of all nations. Addressing a ceremony in Islamabad today, he said Pakistan firmly supports an approach that prefers cooperation over confrontation and an approach that is built on reaffirmation of faith in and commitment to the UN Charter and international law. The Foreign Minister said Pakistan remains a strong proponent of the inextricable link between peace and development. He said within this framework, Pakistan has consistently strived to have peaceful, cooperative and good-neighbourly relations with all countries in our immediate and extended neighborhoods. Shedding light on all-weather strategic relations with China, the Deputy Prime Minister said China is the most trusted and reliable friend of Pakistan. He said our all-weather strategic cooperative partnership with China is the corner stone of Pakistan's foreign policy. Ishaq Dar said the recent visit of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to China and his deep consultations with the Chinese leadership have resulted in reaffirming the strategic importance the two countries attach to this relationship and to the pivotal role of CPEC. Turning to Afghanistan, Ishaq Dar said a peaceful, stable, united, and prosperous Afghanistan is in Pakistan's vital interest. He said apart from emphasizing inclusive governance and respect for the rights of all Afghans, Pakistan stresses the imperative need to ensure that Afghanistan's soil is not used for terrorism against any state. The Foreign Minister said Pakistan earnestly hopes the Afghan Interim authorities would see that it is in their own enlightened self-interest to heed this call and take the practical steps needed to address our serious concerns. About Indian Illegal Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, he said India's illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019 had adversely affected the environment o f bilateral relations. The Foreign Minister said the onus remains on India to take necessary steps to create an enabling environment for purposeful engagement and result-oriented dialogue on all issues. About relations with the United States, he said a stable, cooperative and durable relationship with the United States is of immense importance. He said Pakistan is equally conscious of the imperative of having good relations with all major powers. The Foreign Minister said we are also working to forge closer cooperation with Russia, European Union, Japan, and ASEAN. He said this would help Pakistan navigate the complexities of today's geo-politics and advance its goals of economic security and development. Source: Radio Pakistan

Pakistan's Ambassador to the US Masood Khan has invited American entrepreneurs and corporate leaders to make investments in Pakistan in the areas of IT, energy, agriculture and mineral extraction. During his interaction with the US corporate leaders, entrepreneurs and business executives in Washington DC, he said Pakistan's market has remained lucrative and attractive for American businesses over the decades. He highlighted that the US International Trade Administration identifies several advantages for American investors in Pakistan, including the absence of shareholding restrictions, simple work permit regulations, no technology transfer requirements, and a large and sophisticated entrepreneurial community. Masood Khan said Pakistan has established a Special Investment Facilitation Council to facilitate foreign inflows into diverse areas. He said Pakistan is the fourth largest freelance provider in the world with over 20,000 ICT registered companies. The Ambassador also drew attention to Pakistan's huma n potential and its massive transformation towards digitization and e-commerce, connecting its tech-savvy youth with new technologies. He invited US entrepreneurs to explore the country's vast mineral resources, including copper, gold, lead, zinc, iron ore, coal, lithium, rare earth, cobalt, aluminum, chromite, and nickel. He briefed the participants on various incentives offered by the government across all sectors. The Ambassador said Pakistan and the United States are currently experiencing a productive phase in their relations following a recalibration of their ties over the past two years. They have developed a roadmap for cooperation in both security and non-security realms. Source: Radio Pakistan

The National Assembly is continuing discussion on the budget for the next fiscal year. Responding to the points raised by Naveed Qamar, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said that presenting recommendations to the National Assembly on the budget is a constitutional obligation of the Senate. He said this tradition has been continuing for many years. Ishaq Dar pointed out that a copy of the Finance Bill is also laid before the Senate, although it is only the prerogative of the National Assembly to pass it. Taking the floor, Shahid Usman Ibrahim said the budget 2024-25 is the best possible given the difficult economic situation. He said the budget envisages measures for the uplift of the agriculture sector. He said the inflation has come down and the stock market is registering new records due to the policies of the government. Participating in the debate, Aamir Dogar said the budget carries no relief for the common man and the business community. He said the government should reduce sales tax on stationery and milk. Participating in the discussion, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari emphasized on consensus and Charter of Economy to address the economic problems of the country. He said this warrants deliberations amongst all the political parties including those sitting on the treasury and opposition benches. He said the allied and opposition parties should also be taken on board on the budget and the PSDP. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari appreciated the government's efforts for bringing down the inflation as well as increasing the volume of Benazir Income Support Program by twenty seven percent in the budget. He said the BISP is being replicated in the world. He said this program should be provided with constitutional cover so that nobody could reverse it. He said this is the only tool which provided relief to the people in difficult times including the floods. Anwar-ul-Haq Chaudhry expressed satisfaction over the reduction in the inflation rate. He said this has happened due to the consistent efforts on the par t of the government. The National Assembly held discussion on charged expenditures, included in demands for grants and appropriations, pertaining to various ministries and their attached departments, for the next fiscal year. Among others, ministries and attached departments include Pakistan Post Office, Law and Justice Division, Senate, National Assembly, Supreme Court, Foreign Missions and foreign loans repayment. Meanwhile, on the directions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, erstwhile tribal areas have been exempted from taxes. This was stated by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb while speaking in the National Assembly. Speaking on the occasion, Sunni Ittehad Council leader Asad Qaisar thanked the Finance Minister for exempting ex-FATA and PATA from taxes. Minister for State and Frontier Region Amir Muqam also thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb for this exemption. Regarding vision Azm-e-Istehkam, he clarified that the Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was ta ken into confidence over the matter. He also urged all political parties not to do politics over security issues and show unity against the menace of terrorism. The House will now meet on Wednesday at 11 a.m. Source: Radio Pakistan

Country Director World Bank, Najy Benhassine called on Minister for Planning Development Ahsan Iqbal in Islamabad and discussed the progress and current status of the ongoing projects supported by the World Bank. During the meeting, the Minister underscored the Government's commitment to improving living conditions in the poorest areas of the country by enhancing food security, shelter, healthcare, and education facilities. The meeting concluded with a reaffirmation of the strong partnership between Pakistan and the World Bank. Source: Radio Pakistan

Minister for Industries and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain, who is on the official visit to Turkmenistan, called on Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov today. On behalf of the Prime Minister of Pakistan, he handed over an invitation to him to visit Pakistan on dates which will be finalized through diplomatic channels. He also discussed areas of bilateral cooperation in the field of energy, connectivity, transit and trade, parliamentary cooperation and people to people contact. The Minister also held technical negotiations and discussions with Deputy Chairman of Cabinet of Ministers on Industry and Construction, energy, Minister of Industries of Turkmenistan and Chairman of Turkmen Chemicals. Later on, Rana Tanveer Hussain also called on Deputy Chairman Cabinet of Ministers and Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov and discussed entire gamut of bilateral relations between the two countries. The visit of the Federal Minister of Industries and Production to Turkmenistan provided useful opportu nities to discuss entire area of bilateral relations by engaging Turkmen leadership. Source: Radio Pakistan