Accusers to feel ashamed: Nawaz

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Wednesday said that his accusers would feel ashamed as those who were celebrating a thanksgiving day should have expressed their gratitude much earlier.

He said the protesters wanted to drag the issue of PanamaLeaks around on the roads. However, now the matter would be decided by the Supreme Court (SC).

He reminded that those who had to tender apologies on the findings of the judicial commission about the so-called irregularities in the 2013 polls had yet to come out with their regret over the verdict.

Chairing a meeting of the federal cabinet here at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Wednesday, he expressed satisfaction that the issue of Panama Papers would be resolved by the Supreme Court. He recalled that he himself had approached the highest court of the country to constitute a commission to adjudicate the matter.

“The government’s earlier sincere efforts to resolve the issue legally were subverted by the opposition by politicising it,” he said and added that the matter was before the apex court where it will be decided in accordance with the law.

The prime minister said that he had asked his legal team not to discuss the maintainability of the petition so that it could be admitted straightaway unhindered.

He referred to continuous successes of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in the elections of cantonment boards, local bodies, GB and AJK and by-elections for the National Assembly and provincialBoard, Local Bodies, GB and AJK and by-elections for National Assembly and Provincial Assemblies as testimony of peoples’ trust in the elected government. He urged the nation to support elected government’s hard work for the economic uplift, welfare and bright future of the country. 

At the outset of the proceedings of the cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif lauded the role Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan played in handling of PTI agitation and call for locking down the federal capital in smooth manner. He felicitated the minister while the fellow members of the cabinet also endorsed the views of the prime minister in this regard. 

Appreciating the interior minister and his team, the prime minister said that they excellently had handled a difficult assignment in order to maintain peace and protect the lives and property of the citizens, by establishing the rule of law and enforcing the writ of the state and its institutions. The interior minister complimented the Police and Frontier Constabulary for their commendable performance. He thanked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for providing admirable leadership and guidance and for reposing confidence and extending support to him. 

The prime minister who was in upbeat disposition thanked the nation for rejecting the un-parliamentary forces which are out to disrupt the pace of progress and development of the country. 

Talking about the marked improvement in the economy of the country, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif recalled that Managing Director of IMF and the President Asian Development Bank who visited Pakistan recently appreciated Pakistan’s economic development as for the first time in the history of Pakistan, the government had successfully completed a macro-economic reforms programme with IMF since it has come to an end. 

He asked Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar as chairman electoral reforms committee to prepare and give a briefing on the reforms during the next cabinet meeting. He advised him to prepare comprehensive recommendations on electoral reforms in consultation with all the parliamentary parties in order to take necessary constitutional steps to improve the electoral system in the country. The prime minister said that next general elections should be transparent and free of controversies so that the political parties could participate in electoral process with full satisfaction and confidence.

The cabinet approved a relief package for those who lost their loved ones and/or suffered financial losses as a result of un-provoked Indian firing across Line of Control (LoC). The cabinet offered Fateha for the Shuhada of Police Training College, Quetta and the victims of Gaddani Ship Fire incident. He ordered an immediate inquiry to ascertain reasons of the tragedy. A committee was formed under the chairmanship of Rana Tanveer Hussain, Minister for Defence Production, with secretary cabinet, additional secretary Defence and secretary Ports and Shipping as its members.

The cabinet appreciated the efforts of economic team of the government led by Senator Ishaq Dar resulting in improvement by SNP in sovereign credit rating of Pakistan from minus-B to B.  A report on Intended National Determined Contributions by Pakistan to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was submitted to the cabinet for its consideration. The report consists of role of Pakistan in the UN Framework Convention on the subject.  The national policy on repatriation and management of Afghan refugees was also discussed in detail. It was decided to seek further input from all stakeholders in order to reach a broad-based consensus to take an informed decision. Report on National Maritime Policy (NMP) was deferred in order to take more input from relevant quarters to reach an appropriate decision. The cabinet deferred its decision on Accession to the Convention (25th October, 1980) on Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. 

The cabinet confirmed the earlier approvals of the Cabinet Committee on Disposal of Legislative Cases (CCLC) on Right of Access to Information Bill 2016, teaching of the Holy Quran in private and public schools Bill 2016, Alternate Dispute Resolution Bill 2016, Pakistan Climate Change Act 2016, The Corporate Rehabilitation Bill 2016, Draft Companies Bill 2016 and Cost of Litigation Bill 2016. 

The Cabinet approved the decisions taken by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) in its meeting held on Monday last. The cabinet ratified Paris Agreement on Climate Change since the prime minister himself attended the Climate Change Summit held in Paris in December last year.

The cabinet also approved signing of regulations framed under MoU on military cooperation between Pakistan and Czech Republic. The cabinet also approved the signing of agreement on technical cooperation between Pakistan and Brazil. The cabinet gave ex-post facto approval for signing of Inter-governmental Framework Agreement for Peshawar-Karachi Motorway and Karakorum Highway Phase-II (Havelian-Thakot) Project. The cabinet took up the articles of agreement of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. 

The cabinet gave its formal approval for initiation of negotiations between State Bank of Pakistan and National Bank of Belgium for signing of MoU on mutual cooperation for the banks’ operations in both countries.

It will simultaneously facilitate investors and businessmen of both the countries as well as Pakistanis living and working in Belgium and elsewhere in European Union. The cabinet gave approval for signing of MoU between the State Bank of Pakistan and Central Bank of Philippines on cooperation in the field of banking supervision and exchange of information. The cabinet accorded approval in principle to initiate negotiations for agreement in the field of youth development between Pakistan and the Republic of Korea. It also gave ex-post facto approval to initiate negotiations for signing of MoU in the field of youth development between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The cabinet gave ex-post facto approval of the MoU for cooperation in Research on Food Security, the Veterinary Sanitary Field, Plant Quarantine and application of Phytosanitary measures between Pakistan and Belarus. The cabinet approved the signing of negotiated MoU for cooperation in the field of Labour and Manpower training between Pakistan and Oman. It approved in principle starting of negotiations for signing of agreement for cooperation in the fields of Labour Employment and Social Protection between Pakistan and Azerbaijan. The cabinet gave approval in principle to start negotiations on draft MoU between Pakistan and Kuwait for recruitment of Pakistani professionals for Kuwait through public sector. The establishment of electronic data exchange between custom administrations of China and Pakistan under Pak-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) also came under discussion. The cabinet ratified Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters.