PM desires best healthcare facilities for Nawaz: Firdous

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Friday said Prime Minister Imran Khan was continuously getting update on the health condition of Nawaz Sharif and he had reiterated his resolve to ensure best healthcare facilities for him.

Addressing a press conference along with Adviser for Commerce Razaq Dawood, she said the PM had sent an expert in medical profession Dr Faisal to inquire after the health of Nawaz Sharif. Dr Faisal who heads the Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital, consulted with private and government doctors who were treating Nawaz Sharif. She said the Prime Minister also said that politics should not be given preference over health. Our foremost priority is the health of Nawaz Sharif. Politics is the second priority and health is the first priority and all practical steps will be taken for it. She said opposition was doing politics on the health of Nawaz Sharif.

She said it was decision of the court to grant bail to Nawaz Sharif on health grounds, adding PM personally had taken practical steps to provide Nawaz Sharif medical facilities on humanitarian grounds. The government would continue its goodwill gesture for the health of Nawaz Sharif, she added.

To a question, she said Nawaz Sharif got bail on medical grounds by filing an appeal and his lawyers convinced the court about dangers to his health. The courts were working independently and the government was not creating any hurdle in this regard, she added.

The Special Assistant said the biggest credit of the government of Imran Khan was his legal reforms agenda and freeing courts from the influence of powerful people.

She said the matter of bail of Asif Ali Zardari would be decided by the courts.

She said the world was recognizing the roadmap of Pakistan’s economic progress. World Bank and other international organizations were appreciating the measures taken by Prime Minister Imran Khan for growth of economy, she added. She said Pakistan’s World Bank ranking for ''ease of doing business'' improved due to steps of the government, adding the positive effects of reforms were being reflected in the improvement of the country’s economy. Dr Firdous said improved ranking was proof that now money and financial resources were not getting into the pockets of rulers but were filling the national exchequer.

The government was moving to set direction of the economy right and overcome challenges, she said adding the improved ranking of the World Bank must be an eye-opener for those who were misleading people on economy. The Prime Minister was determined to take further steps for ''ease of doing business'', wealth creation, industrialization and promotion of small and medium enterprises.

She said the Prime Minister had held a meeting on anti-smuggling strategy to ascertain revenue gain and loss due to it. She said all loopholes resulting in smuggling would be plugged with the comprehensive strategy to be made by all stakeholders. Online information sharing would be introduced to end overlapping among departments, she added. The Prime Minister would chair a meeting every month to evaluate and assess the anti-smuggling strategy, she said.

She said unnecessary interventions and regulations were being curtailed to scale up the ''ease of doing business'' and the industries would interact with the government institutions through a one window operation.

Dr Firdous said an inspector-less regime would be introduced through automation and the role of inspectors would be removed to facilitate businesses and industries. She said the Prime Minister had directed that special economic zones should be revitalized to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

Meanwhile speaking as a chief guest at performance of a special theatre play, Half Widow staged by Human Rights Council in Islamabad on the grave human rights situation in the Indian Occupied Kashmir, Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has said that Pakistan is concerned at the alarming situation in Occupied Kashmir and urged the international community to help resolve the Kashmir issue according to UN resolutions and wishes of Kashmiris.

She said Occupied Kashmir is under curfew for the last 82 days with complete media and communication blackout. The whole valley has been turned into a jail and there are disturbing news of shortage of essential items like food and medicines. Firdous Ashiq Awan said all voices would unite to give voice to the Kashmiris suffering from cruelty of Indian forces. We will give strength to the voice of Kashmiris. We will play our role to take this voice to the world, she added.