Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan Tuesday said the government will not bypass the due process to implement the newly promulgated National Accountability (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019.
“The new NAB law enforced through a presidential ordinance last week will be placed before the parliament where debate will be held on it. For the law to be passed through Senate, it is important for the opposition to come on board. But the government will not bulldoze this entire process to forcefully implement the law,” she told a press conference after the federal cabinet meeting. She criticized the opposition parties’ hypocrisy, saying they had been demanding amendment in the NAB laws for the last 11 years which has been carried out by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government. “They are in fact overjoyed, but they are doing politics over the issue,” she said. “The ordinance will be tabled in parliament and the opposition parties, if they want, can propose changes to it there,” she added.
Dr Firdous said the cabinet observed that the ordinance will facilitate the business community and pave way for investment in the country resulting in more job opportunities. She said although it is the opposition’s right to criticise, the attitude adopted by it over the law is ‘inappropriate’.
Dr Firdous revealed that prior to the cabinet meeting, an in-camera briefing was held during which detailed discussions took place on the accountability laws. She said Prime Minister Imran Khan while addressing the business community reiterated that he had ‘picked the thorns out of their way’ through the NAB ordinance.
Updating about the decisions taken by the cabinet, Dr Firdous said the government will launch Rs 6 billion subsidy programme in the first week of January to provide essential items, including flour, rice, edible oil and pulses, to the people through Utility Stores Corporation (USC) at affordable prices.
She said the cabinet in its last meeting of the outgoing year chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan discussed in detail the priorities set for the new year. It also discussed the achievements of government despite various challenges faced in the outgoing year.
Dr Firdous said the Financial Assistance Card (FAC) was being launched in last week of next month for the deprived and unprivileged segments of the society to provide them financial assistance, while their health needs will be met through the Sehat Insaf Card. Those who are not registered with the data bank will be supported through the ‘Langar Khana’ scheme, she added.
She said the cabinet was briefed about the economic indicators and the steps taken by the government during the last year. It was told that the country’s exports and foreign reserves have witnessed significant increase while inflation experienced downward trend.
The current account and trade deficits witnessed 73 per cent and 43 per cent decrease respectively, with 17 per cent increase in the tax collection by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and 14.7 per cent in the exports, it was further informed. She said the cabinet was told that the foreign direct investment in the country was increased by 1268 per cent from $147 million in the previous year to $2.6 billion during the outgoing year.
The special assistant said the cabinet was also apprised that Rs 87 billion had been spent under the annual Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) so far while Rs 700 billion more would be spent under the programme. The prime minister directed to give more priority to the projects under the PSDP, she said.
She said funds have also been transferred to the provinces and the prime minister asked to take details from the provinces about their spending on the development programmes.
Dr Firdous said Prime Minister also took notice of closure of sugar mills causing hardships to the sugarcane growers. A special economic committee will look into cotton and sugarcane support prices gathering information from the market, she said.
She said the cabinet referred back amendment in the NEPRA (National Electric Power Regulatory Authority) Act to the Economic Coordination Committee for further deliberations.
Dr Firdous said the cabinet decided to make the National College of Arts a national institute, with campuses in all the provinces.
The cabinet formally approved to publish the financial report of State Bank of Pakistan for the year 2008. It also gave its consent to the appointment of Hashim Raza and Shahid Saleem Khan as chief executive officer of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) and managing director of Oil and Gas Development Company Limited respectively. The SAPM said the cabinet declared 2020 as the year of economic progress, prosperity and public relief, while lauding the prime minister’s initiative of establishing shelter homes for the homeless and poor masses. She said the cabinet strongly condemned Indian forces’ atrocities on innocent Kashmiris in the occupied valley of Kashmir. A unanimous resolution was also passed by the cabinet to flay state-sponsored brutalities and barbarities on the innocent Kashmiris, she said. She said the prime minister informed the cabinet about steps taken by the government during the last five months for highlighting the plight of innocent Kashmiris at the international fora. The cabinet members, while lauding the prime minister for effectively highlighting the Kashmir issue, urged the international community as well as human right organizations to take notice of Indian atrocities and barbarities in the occupied valley. Replying to a question, the SAPM said it is the state’s responsibility to provide shelter and homes to the poor segments of the society. Prime Minister Imran Khan will launch the FAC programme on January 20, she added. Responding to another question, Firdous said 100 industries, including textile industry, were totally shut down during the time of previous regimes. The incumbent government has taken steps for revival of the industries and now the people are getting job opportunities, she added.
