Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that relations between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have entered a new era as billions of dollars worth of investment was expected in Pakistan as a result of the recent visit by the Saudi delegation, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif while chairing a meeting of the federal cabinet on Wednesday directed the concerned authorities to achieve wheat procurement targets, adding that all possible steps should be taken to facilitate the farmers.

Commending the efforts of the federal cabinet and relevant authorities for the successful visit, the PM told Cabinet members that the Saudi delegation was impressed by the preparations of Pakistani ministers and officials. “We must ensure the completion of this investment in Pakistan with the same spirit and dedication,” the prime minister added. He warned that no obstacles in this regard will be allowed. He also reiterated his government’s commitment to working day and night for Pakistan’s progress and prosperity, as promised to the people. “If we continue to work hard, we will soon achieve Pakistan’s development, prosperity, and economic stability.”

He also thanked Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for his special interest in Pakistan, which led to a successful visit by the Saudi delegation. The PM told cabinet members that the Saudi delegation and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan personally told him that the delegation was impressed by the preparations of Pakistani authorities.  

PM Shehbaz asserted that if the nation continued work with commitment and dedication, foreign investment would pour into Pakistan. The PM urged the ministers to leave the old way of working to ensure the timely completion of projects. PM warned that there is no scope for following the old procedure, nor will PM allow it. The prime minister expressed a firm commitment to work tirelessly for the development of Pakistan.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also told his team that soon Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi was also visiting Pakistan. In this regard, the PM said he was personally supervising the preparation for the strengthening of the relations between the two countries and the promotion of investment. During the Cabinet meeting, the prime minister also extended Eid greetings to the participants and prayed for Pakistan’s progress and prosperity due to the blessings of Ramazan.

Meanwhile, the Federal Cabinet on the advice of the Federal Education and Technical Training Minister approved a bill regarding the establishment of the Institute of Modern Sciences in Wah Cantonment. The Prime Minister also directed to form a committee to further improve the procedure for establishing new universities and higher education institutions, which will be headed by the Minister of Federal Education and Technical Training. While the Minister of Petroleum, the Minister of State for Information Technology and the Attorney General will be the members of the committee.

The Federal Cabinet, on the recommendation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, allowed former ambassador Manzoor Ahmed Chaudhry to receive the award in recognition of his services. On the recommendation of the Ministry of Law and Justice, the Federal Cabinet approved the transfer of Accountability Court-VIII Karachi as Special Court (Customs, Taxation and Anti-Smuggling-II), Accountability Court-III Hyderabad as Banking Court Mirpur Khas, Accountability Court-III Sukkur as Banking Court Ghotki and the conversion of Accountability Court-IV Sukkur to Banking Court Shaheed Benazirabad. The Federal Cabinet, on the recommendation of the Ministry of Law and Justice, also gave its approval to empower the Special Court II (Anti-Terrorism) to hear cases reported under the Official Secrets Act, 1923. Special Court II has been given this power due to the leave of the judge of Special Court I.

On the recommendation of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, the Federal Cabinet also approved a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Ministry of Labour, the Government of Qatar and the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development regarding labour inspections, occupational safety and health. The cabinet was told that currently 3 lakh Pakistanis are working in Qatar, who are sending foreign exchange worth Rs 850 million to Pakistan.

The Federal Cabinet also approved the Federal Public Private Policy of Pakistan 2023-2028 on the recommendation of the Ministry of Planning. In this regard, the Prime Minister said that the wheel of the economy can be accelerated through public-private partnerships. He directed all the Ministries to submit their proposals under Public Private Partnership. The Federal Cabinet approved the decisions taken in the Economic Coordination Committee meetings held on April 4, 2024.

Reporter: Awais Kiyani