ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Imran Khan Monday ruled out any compromise on the corruption cases and reiterated that the government is not part of any deal.

Prime Minister Khan once again stressed that he will not give NRO to the opposition political parties.

The prime minister made these remarks as he chaired a meeting of the Parliamentary Party and allied parties in Islamabad.

“Our patience should not be taken as weakness,” official sources quoted the prime minister as saying. “No unconstitutional move [on part of the opposition parties] will be tolerated,” he added.

Dismissing the demands of the combined opposition about his resignation, the premier said the opposition parties wanted to destabilise the country and were looking for a way to wriggle out of the corruption cases.

“The country will not be derailed from the path of progress,” he resolved and added that the government will counter the opposition with a strong political narrative. “The state has a precedence over politics,” he remarked. 

The Parliamentary Party passed a resolution, expressing unflinching support to the prime minister.

The resolution stated that the ruling coalition will not be blackmailed by the opposition. It vowed to strengthen the parliament and denounced unconstitutional and illegal acts of the opposition.

The resolution stressed that the government is an elected, representative body of the people of the country and calling it “selected” was ludicrous.

The meeting witnessed some hawkish postures by a few members as they complained about the attitude of the opposition and lamented that the rival party leaders were not keeping the agreement with the government about the protest in the capital.

The prime minister told the government ministers and lawmakers to ensure their presence in the upcoming senate and national assembly sessions.

Ehsaas programme

Prime Minister Imran Khan yesterday also launched the Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarship Program.

Addressing the launch ceremony, he said that this poor-friendly programme will bring a remarkable change in various segments of society and economy.

The prime minister expressed the hope that the scholarship to deserving and talented students will give them an opportunity to excel in life.

He said 50,000 scholarships will be given each year to undergraduates, which is a big step towards higher education.

Imran Khan said allocating quota for physically challenged persons and women in the scholarship programme was an indication that government believes in inclusive policies for the development of the country.

He said women are the builders of the family and nation and this scholarship will help them bring into the national mainstream.

The prime minister said that he founded NAMAL University in Mianwali for technical education to equip the youth of the area with skills in demand so that they could get jobs and change the economic situation of their families.

He said students from poor households were awarded scholarships in NAMAL to enable them to get education despite having poor socio-economic background.

Khan said the start of Ehsaas program is derived from the concept of State of Madinah. Under this concept, state is taking responsibility of all the vulnerable segments of society.

He said the Health Insaf cards, langar Khanas (free food outlets) and other initiatives will make the dream of State of Madinah come true.

The prime minister said that a ration program is also in the offing in which poorest of the poor families will be provided with flour, ghee, pulses, sugar and other necessities of life.

He said a new database is being created in Ehsaas programme in order to target the real deserving people to benefit from these programmes.

He appreciated the work of Dr Sania Nishtar, who is taking initiatives to bring improvements in the life of the common man.

Addressing the event, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Dr Sania Nishtar said this was the biggest scholarship programme in the history of the country which was being started under joint venture of Benazir Income Support Program and High Education Commission.

She said the HEC had provided scholarships to 30,000 undergraduates in last 14 years but under the new programme as many as 50,000 scholarships will be given in a single year.

The SAPM said five billion rupees will be allocated annually for the programme and the scholarships will also cover accommodation expenses of the students.

Sania said that 50 percent scholarships will be given to women students and two percent to physically disabled persons.

She said these scholarships will be given on need and merit basis. She said these scholarship will be provided in Agriculture, Arts and Humanitarians, Business Education, Engineering, Medical, Physical Sciences and Social Sciences.

This program will be further expanded to all the provinces and Gilgit-Baltistan.