Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar on Sunday said a task force headed by the finance minister will determine the size of the federal and provincial governments, consider options for better management of pension funds, besides rationalizing public expenditure. And will also make efforts to increase revenue.
In an interview on Sunday, the prime minister said, “We believe that rationalizing the expenditure and government to build a viable state and reduce existential risks due to economic weakness. There is a need to increase revenue.”
He said that the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) was trying to help achieve good governance and remove the causes of past bad governance.
He further said that the civil institutions used to be lax in their work in the past but now the leadership of the army has increased the confidence of the civil service with its organizational strength, which creates new energy to implement policies and achieve goals. has happened
The Prime Minister said that the government is optimistic about investments from Saudi Arabia in the background of the talks between Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman and Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff. The government is planning the visit of the Saudi dignitary, he said, adding that the purpose of the visit would be to take full advantage of the economic opportunities in the country.
The prime minister said that the Pakistani consortium of oil companies and the Saudi oil company Aramco are holding business talks for setting up an oil refinery in Pakistan. He said that the United Arab Emirates has also shown deep interest in mineral exploration in Pakistan.
Citing conflicting reasons for the lack of industry and agriculture in Balochistan, Kakar said that in the past a soft approach was taken on smuggling, which badly affected the economy and diverted goods destined for the border areas to the interior of the country. He remarked that smuggling from border areas affected import policies and economic management.
He said that the current military leadership and the caretaker government have a clear vision that the movement of people and goods should be controlled on the borders of Iran and Afghanistan.
The prime minister said that now due to the clear thinking of the political and military leadership, law enforcement officials have come to know that the borders are sacred and this has led to successful efforts to stop the movement of smuggled goods.
‘Foreign policy driven by geoeconomics’
In response to a question, he said that in the post-Cold War scenario, the government is observing the geostrategic situation in the region and the international arena with regard to Pakistan’s vital interests.
He said that now Pakistan’s foreign policy is based on geo-economics as well as its main strategic goals.
To another question, he said that the work of SIFC is focused on specific sectors of the economy including agriculture and the council is dealing with issues of water conservation per hectare, technology transfer, quality seeds and job creation.
He agreed that there was an information gap on the issues raised by SIFC and said the government was coming up with plans to inform the public and create awareness about tax culture, economic initiatives and strategic issues. Is. He remarked that the dissemination of information would dispel rumors by itself.
He said that the caretaker government will take correct decisions instead of resorting to populism and try to lay the foundation for the next government.
In response to a question, he said that after the 18th constitutional amendment, the current president will remain in office until his successor replaces him.
He said that under the existing law, the constitution and the legislation made by the political parties, the election commission as a constitutional body will announce the date of the elections. He said that the general elections should be held before March so that the Senate Elections can be held to fill the vacant seats. Retiring Senators
Responding to a question about any leniency for the perpetrators of the May 9 incident, he said that political, social and economic stability is linked to the sense of justice and does not revolve around the concept of amnesty. He further said that vandalism and arson cannot be accepted as normal.
He said that the political history of the country cannot be used as a basis for the claim of amnesty as this approach is detrimental to the development of democracy.
“Let us have an open debate on state institutions, nation-building and the strengthening of democracy. However, we cannot reward bad behavior with forgiveness.
Talking about his upcoming visit to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, he said that it has been decided to represent Pakistan at the highest level as it is important to articulate and reiterate Pakistan’s position on issues of strategic importance. has a forum.
