ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday constituted committees to keep a liaison with allied parties.
The committees were formed at a high-level meeting held in Islamabad today (Thursday) with Prime Minister Imran Khan in the chair.
Sources said that a four-member committee has been formed to contact the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA).
The committee will be headed by Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umer and will comprise of Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, Firdous Shamim Naqvi and Haleem Adil.
On the other hand, a three-member committee has been formed to stay in contact with the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q). The committee will be headed by Governor Punjab Chaudhary Sarwar and will comprise of Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar and Shafqat Mahmood.
Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak will be heading the committee formed by PM Imran to contact BNP, Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and Jamhuri Wattan Party (JWP). The committee will comprise of National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Soori and Mir Khan Muhammad Jamali.
Meanwhile, Presiding over a high-level meeting in the federal capital, PM Imran said that
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led government is introducing reforms in Capital Development Authority (CDA) to improve people’s living standard.
He directed the CDA officials to focus on the environment and survival of Islamabad’s natural beauty. He said, ‘Islamabad should be a model city.’
PM Imran directed the authorities to tighten noose around miscreants and land grabbers in the federal capital. Matters pertaining to law and order situation in Islamabad, ongoing development projects and provision of better facilities to masses were also discussed in the meeting.
Speaking on the occasion, the prime minister vowed to protect the rights of vulnerable segments of society. He maintained that it is the responsibility of the state to ensure the security of its citizens, to protect their lives and property.
Earlier on January 1, Prime Minister Imran Khan had directed all the federal ministers to focus all their attention on taking steps aimed at improving the living standard of the common people.
This had been stated by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Faisal Javed Khan.
PM Imran Khan had also said the Pakistani economy was stabilised under Prime Minister Khan’s leadership in the year 2019, which was acknowledged by global economic forecasters. In 2020, the people will get the fruits of this stabilisation, he had added.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the Prime Minister House has rejected the reports regarding the increase in the premier’s salary and reiterated the call for a country-wide austerity drive being supervised by PM Imran Khan.
The spokesperson said there is no truth in the reports about the hike of the premier’s salary as PM Imran Khan is running a country-wide austerity campaign for reducing the government’s expenses.
The campaign was initiated by PM Khan himself and reports for a hike in his salary were baseless and fabricated. An amendment was approved in the last federal cabinet’s session related to the perks of the president and prime minister which permitted the top political personalities to declare only one resident as their camp office, the spokesperson
clarified.
PM Imran Khan issued directives to set a limit for expenses in camp officers in view of reducing the burden on the national treasury, added the spokesperson.
It is pertinent to mention here that as part of its austerity drive, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led government had decided on January 27 to abolish the discretionary powers of the president and the prime minister of holding camp offices.
Sources said that the government is all set to bring a constitutional amendment to curtail the powers of the president and the prime minister of holding camp offices, adding that a summary, in this regard, will be tabled in the federal meeting scheduled on January 28.
Later on January 28, an amendment had been approved by the federal cabinet members for ending powers of the president and prime minister for establishing camp offices. The matter will be tabled in the parliament for promulgating legislation. – NNI