PM meets bureaucrats: ‘Set example of good governance’

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday directed the newly-promoted federal secretaries to set an example of good governance and use their energies and experience for public welfare. Imran met the federal secretaries here and congratulated them on their promotion.

He said their promotion had been made purely on the basis of performance and merit and expressed the hope they would discharge their responsibilities with dedication and commitment.

He said Pakistan stood at the crucial juncture of its history and that on the one hand the political leadership had to give vision for progress and prosperity, on the other hand, they (officers) had to give a practical shape to that vision. Imran recalled during the decade of 1960s, Pakistan, which was seen as an example of good governance for others, today stood slightly behind the countries of the region due to various reasons.

The present day’s political leadership and bureaucracy, he pointed out, had to determine the country’s future and for this there was a need for a new thinking, approach and better governance. Hecalled on the senior officers to fulfill their responsibilities with the spirit of Jihad and national obligation.

He noted that Allah Almighty had blessed Pakistan with massive resources and manpower and during the last 15 months, the local and foreign investors had evinced interest in every sphere of economy.

“Because of efforts of the government, there is economic stability in Pakistan and there is a need to further strengthen it and the local and foreign investors and businessmen are expressing faith in the government’s policies and the economy. Likewise, the world institutions are also

The prime minister said for giving more stability, it was imperative that the bureaucracy and governance was further improved for the benefit of the masses. Referring to the overseas Pakistanis’ interest in investment in Pakistan, he regretted that in the past due to issues of governance overseas Pakistanis and foreign investors were discouraged.

“We have to improve this environment further and create an enabling environment for overseas Pakistanis and investors, particularly the small and middle level investors, and create the ease of doing business opportunities,” the prime minister emphasised.

Meanwhile, chairing a meeting of his economic team at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) here, Prime Minister Imran Khan Monday said achieving economic stability and creating jobs for the youth and skilled persons was among the top priorities of government. He said the government was paying full attention to providing relief to the common man.

Minister for Economic Affairs Hammad Azhar, Minister for National Food Security Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, Minister for Planning Asad Umar, Minister for Energy Omar Ayub, Advisor on Finance Dr. Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Advisor Dr. Ishrat Hussain, Special Assistant to the PM on Information and Broadcasting Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan, Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan, Special Assistant Nadeem Babar, BOI Chairman Syed Zubair Gillani, SBP Governor Reza Baqir and ex-finance minister Shaukat Tareen attended the meeting.

The meeting was updated on the measures being taken and those in the pipeline for providing relief to the masses in different spheres of life. Imran explained that ensuring unhindered progress on the development projects would not only accelerate the economic process, but also create more jobs for the youth.

He directed that special attention be paid to improving coordination among the ministries and departments, while promoting out-of-box thinking and suggestions. Chairman FBR Shabbar Zaidi briefed the prime minister on the measures taken to pay refunds to the exporters.

The prime minister directed the FBR to further simplify the system of refund payments so that small and medium exporters faced no difficulty in receiving the refunds. The meeting was informed that out of a total of 1,089 cases relating to the FBR, 551 had been decided by the superior judiciary.

Imran said the country had achieved economic stability due to the government’s steps and trust of the business community had increased.

He said all-out facilities should be provided to small and medium traders and exporters in order to encourage them and to promote the positive sentiments and trust. Special Assistant on Petroleum Nadeem Babar apprised the meeting of TAPI gas pipeline progress.

The meeting was informed that the export figures of July-November indicated increase in the export volume and income in terms of dollars. Exports registered an increase of six percent in October this year in comparison with the same period last year. November also saw an increase of 9.6 percent. The prime minister expressed satisfaction over this positive trend.

He was informed that 551 out of 1,089 cases relating to the FBR had been decided by the superior judiciary, while 285 were under trial. To this, the prime minister directed the attorney general to expedite the resolution of cases on a fast track basis.

He directed provision of all necessary resources to the Attorney General's Office to put the government's viewpoint before the court in the FBR related cases.

He said early resolution of cases would help resolve the problems of business community. The meeting was also informed about increase in the non-tax revenue and the prime minister lauded the continuous efforts on this count.

Meanwhile, taking to Naser Haghamed, Chief Executive Officer of humanitarian and development INGO Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), the prime minister shared his vision of inclusive and sustainable development of all segments of the society and encouraged the IRQ to partner with the government’s flagship Ehsaas Programme.

He commended the IRW role in supporting socio-economic development of Pakistan, especially in health, post disaster and disaster risk reduction, water and sanitation, education and climate change.

Haghamed appreciated the prime minister’s vision and assured that the IRW will continue to contribute towards the well-being of Pakistanis through projects conceived and developed in consultation with the government, and in line with the government’s priorities.

Headquartered in the UK, and working in 47 countries worldwide, the IRW is the largest Islamic INGO, and has been working in Pakistan since 1992.