PM orders immediate abolishment of Pak PWD

Info minister claims over 100 leading businessmen will join PM Shehbaz during his five-day trip. Chinese Ambassador says leaders of both countries will have an in-depth exchange of views on issues of mutual interest.

ISLAMABAD/LAHORE   -  Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will undertake a five-day official visit to China from today at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang.

During the three-segment trip, the Prime Minister will visit the cities of Xi’an and Shenzhen, besides Beijing.

Shehbaz Sharif will meet President Xi Jinping and hold delegation-level talks with Premier Li Qiang in Beijing.

He will also hold meetings with Chairman of Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Zhao Leji and heads of key government departments.

An important aspect of the Prime Minister’s visit will be meetings with corporate executives of leading Chinese companies dealing in oil and gas, energy, ICT, and emerging technologies.

In Shenzhen, Prime Minister will address the China-Pakistan Business Forum with leading businesspersons, entrepreneurs, and investors from both countries. He will also visit Economic and Agricultural Zones in China. The two sides will undertake discussions to further upgrade China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and advance trade and investment.

The talks will be held to enhance cooperation in security and defence, energy, space, science and technology, and education sectors

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar says a delegation of over one hundred top business people from Pakistan will also accompany the Prime Minister to finalize business to business agreements with Chinese companies.

Addressing a news conference in Lahore, he said the business delegation will leave for China from Pakistan tonight and they will bear all their expenditure. The minister said the visit will be a big step forward towards reviving Pakistan’s economy and enhance investors’ confidence.

He said Pakistani businessmen will hold meetings with Chinese entrepreneurs to promote business to business cooperation between the two countries in all sectors, including the Information Technology, Steel, agriculture, and industry.

He said the interactions between the business communities of the two countries will promote partnership to further strengthen economy.

 Highlighting government’s efforts to bring down inflation, he said prices have come at the lowest level in last 29 months.

He said petrol and diesel prices were slashed, which will result in low transport fares.

Chinese Ambassador in Pakistan Jiang Zaidong says the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to China will become another a milestone in the development of China-Pakistan relations.

In an interview with state-run APP, the Ambassador said the leaders of both countries will have an in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest.

He said China stands ready to work with Pakistan through this visit to make greater progress in our all-weather strategic cooperative partnership.

The Ambassador said the landmark BRI project brought a total of 25.4 billion dollars in direct investment, 236,000 jobs, 510km of highways, more than 8000 megawatts of electricity and 886km of core transmission network.

Under the second phase of CPEC, he said both countries would implement the important consensus reached by their leaders including upgradation of ML-1, the Gwadar Port and realignment of Karakoram Highway Phase II.

Moreover, the two countries will strengthen cooperation in industry, agriculture, mining, new energy, information technology and other fields based on local conditions and further negotiate and promote trade liberalization.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Monday directed for immediate dissolution of the Pakistan Public Works Department (Pak PWD) due to years’ long poor performance and corruption.

The prime minister issued the directive during a high level meeting held on reducing the government expenditures and the size of its infrastructure, the PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.

During the meeting, the prime minister observed that the Pak PWD as a department had failed to achieve its objectives and asked for an alternate mechanism for the development projects which were tasked to it.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb, Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, PM’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah, Minister of State for Finance and Revenue, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Jehanzeb Khan and other relevant senior officials.  

For reduction of government expenditures, the prime minister was apprised of a report compiled by a committee headed by Chairman Deputy Planning Commission Jehanzeb Khan.

The committee had recommended for abolishment of certain government entities and merger of others.

The prime minister directed the committee for finalization of further recommendations.