Crisis to be over in two months: Imran

By Azeem Samar

KARACHI: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said two more months will be difficult while assuring that afterwards things will phenomenally improve that the whole world will cite our country's successful model.

Addressing the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital (SKMCH) Fund Raiser on Friday, Prime Minister Imran Khan professed the bad times bring out the best from amongst the nations. We are a strong nation that has withstood the challenges of time and we saw that during the mega flood of 2010 also. Citing the reference of post World War Europe, the prime minister said Germany and Japan became nations to reckon with in just a decade with their exemplary development. He said the coming two months will be difficult but things will improve so much that the world will cite Pakistan's successful model as they used to back in the1960s. Imran said people from abroad will come to Pakistan seeking employment.

Thanking people at the SKMCH fundraiser, Imran said the hospital is treating cancer patients free of cost for the last 25 years and we spent Rs 40 billion for that purpose. The donations were spent on treatment of the patients and not for the hospital, he added. He said during the donation campaign it was being said that SKMCH cannot be a free cancer hospital and if at all it ever became one it will not cater to free treatment of 70 per cent patients. But today it has become a reality and over 75 per cent patients are offered free treatment, Imran said. The SKMCH received the certification from internationally acclaimed Joint Commission International for Patient Safety Accredation and Certification for free treatment of 75 per cent patients, he said.

Recalling a journalist's query about India-Pak dispute over Kashmir issue ahead of the Sharjah's Pak-India cricket match, the former cricket skipper said, I told him that instead of wasting billions in defence expenditures by the two poverty struck nations it would be good to decide the outcome of the Kashmir issue in Sharjah match. "My statement offended the Indian crowd so much that they returned the tickets of the match. At that time Seth Abid intervened to support. Abid helped SKMCH great deal." He said this year the hospital suffered losses worth over Rs 8.5 billion but we continued with our work. He said we are happy to report that every year more funds are collected than the preceding year.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Imran Khan has said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf is against the formation of a new province in Sindh as there will be no need to divide Sindh under the new local government system that we will introduce.

The PM stated this on Friday during his meeting at Sindh Governor House with MNAs, MPAs of PTI and its allied parties in the province. Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and federal ministers were also present on the occasion. The prime minister said the PTI is strongly against creating another province in Sindh. " The new local government system that we will introduce in the province will render any need for a new province within Sindh impractical."

He said he would continue with his struggle against the elements, who have plundered Pakistan and destroyed its economy. “This 22 year-long political struggle is not directed to usurp the rights of others but aimed to save Pakistan from thieves and dacoits,” said the PM.

He asked the PTI lawmakers to resolve the public issues on a priority basis and to remain in touch with the people of their respective constituencies. The prime minister directed the legislators to especially concentrate on addressing problems of their constituencies related to education and health. He said his government would soon introduce the poverty alleviation programme Ehsas and the health insurance card scheme in Sindh. He pledged full support of the federal government for development and progress of Sindh.

Later talking to newsmen after their meeting with the PM, PTI MPAs Haleem Adil Sheikh and Khurrum Sher Zaman said the Prime Minister has expressed the resolve to improve the condition of the three major public sector hospitals in Karachi which were recently taken over by the federal government. Zaman said the federal government would ensure provision of such facilities in these hospitals which are available at the Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital. Haleem Adil Sheikh said the federal government would conduct an audit of the accounts of the three public sector hospitals. He said the concerned quarters are frightened over the proposal of audit there. Both the lawmakers of PTI said the standard of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, and National Institute of Child Health would be upgraded and they would be presented as a gift to people of Sindh. He said the centre is not facing shortage of funds to manage them. He said the PTI would deliver in the province through federal government wherever Sindh government failed to do its work. He said the Peoples Party’s neglect has caused AIDS epidemic in the native town of the Bhuttos. He said the PPP is controlling the local government in Sindh for last 10 years but the situation has so worsened that even salaries are not being paid to the workers of companies doing waste disposal work.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister, Imran Khan, has said his mission is to alleviate poverty from Pakistan and he needed the support of the businessmen community for this mission. The prime minister stated this during a meeting at Sindh Governor House with a delegation of Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry and other representatives of the traders’ fraternity. Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi, and Federal Commerce Advisor Abdul Razzak Dawood were present during the meeting. The PM said the private sector should be at the forefront of the struggle to strengthen the national economy and for business development. Imran said it was his desire that his government should become the friendliest to the traders, businessmen and investors in the country. He said his government inherited economy in shambles. He said the past rulers destroyed the national economy through their corrupt practices.

He said the government is concentrating to strengthen the national economy for which experts have been appointed in the State Bank of Pakistan and Federal Board of Revenue. He appealed to the businessmen community to avail the Amnesty Scheme recently announced by his government. He said it is the foremost priority of his government to introduce reforms related to ease of doing business, introduce reforms in the FBR, and provision of business friendly environment in the country. The prime minister said his government would provide full support to expand trade and investment activities in Sindh.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan said the Naya Pakistan Housing Programme is a part of the vital project aimed to provide housing to less income groups of the society. The prime minister stated this while chairing a meeting about Naya Pakistan Housing Project in Sindh. The meeting deliberated upon starting the housing projects in various cities of Sindh. The prime minister said with the housing scheme the people of Sindh particularly the youth would get business and job opportunities while the economy would also grow and various related industries would also be promoted.

Imran said the interest of private sector in the new Pakistan housing programme is very encouraging and added the government wanted to make the private sector a partner in the programme. The private sector representatives presented various suggestions to make new Pakistan housing programme more effective.

The meeting was attended by Governor Sindh Imran Ismail, Federal Ministers Ali Zaidi, Faisal Vawda, Trade Advisor Abdur Razak Dawood , Special Assistant Naeem ul Haq, Akeel Karim Daidee, Zigham Mahmood Rizvi, Arif Habib, Najeeb Haroon, Aftab Siddiqui, Firdous Shamim Naqvi, Samar Ali Khan and Saleh Ahmed Farooqi.

Meanwhile, the prime minister in a messaige said: “Dependence on imported fuels to be brought down from 41 percent to 30 percent in 5 years and less than 20 percent in 10 years using hydel, renewables and local fuels like Thar coal.”