Imran Niazi damaged country’s economy through protests: PM Shehbaz.

ISLAMABAD/LAHORE  -  Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has invited the coali­tion parties in his outgoing government to sit together and ponder over the possi­bility of seats adjustment in the upcoming elections.

Speaking at a dinner host­ed in honour of leaders of allied parties in Islamabad, he said the allies have their own manifestos and would campaign for their candi­dates but they should work for seats adjustment in the elections in view of the chal­lenges facing the country, Radio Pakistan reported Saturday.

The prime minister said despite insurmountable dif­ficulties, economic and po­litical challenges, inflation and devastating floods, the coalition government re­mained united and worked for betterment of Pakistan.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif commended the out­going government for initi­ating the resurgence of the film industry during a Na­tional Icon Award ceremo­ny held at the Governor's House here on Saturday. 

He expressed optimism that the upcoming caretaker gov­ernment would uphold the momentum, emphasising the film industry's role in show­casing the nation's authentic culture and positive image.

Highlighting the govern­ment's efforts, Prime Min­ister Shehbaz Sharif men­tioned the removal of various taxes on the film industry and the introduc­tion of health insurance for artistes. He called upon ar­tistes to collaborate and es­tablish a committee aimed at restoring the prestige of Pakistani film, drama, and music. He assured them of the PML-N's active support in this endeavor.

Reflecting on the past, Shehbaz Sharif recalled a time when Pakistani dra­mas and films enjoyed popularity in neighbor­ing countries. Prime Minis­ter Shehbaz Sharif under­scored the significance of culture and art in enriching society, recounting names of notable films and artistes. He expressed his desire for providing the masses with quality and wholesome en­tertainment to alleviate the challenges of life.

The event saw Prime Min­ister Shehbaz Sharif distrib­uting health cards to five ar­tistes as a symbolic gesture. Additionally, he conferred the National Icon Awards upon esteemed veteran ar­tistes, acknowledging their valuable contributions to the industry. 

Recipients included Babra Sharif, Sultana Siddiqui, Ha­mayun Saeed, Bushra Ansari, Usman Pirzada, Ghulam Mo­hiyuddin, Sangeeta, Khalid Abbas Dar, Fawad Khan, Bi­lal Lashari, Wahab Ali, Nadia Jamil, Mavra, Moiz Mirza, Sanam Saeed, Meera, Na­deem Baig, Vaniza Ahmad, Ajmal Ch, Hassan Askari, Nisho, Saba Hameed, Rob­ina Ashraf and Iffat Umar. In conclusion, Prime Min­ister Shehbaz Sharif’s ad­dress highlighted the gov­ernment’s commitment to reviving the film industry, fostering cultural heritage, and recognizing the out­standing achievements of artists who have enriched the nation’s artistic land­scape. The Premier also launched Radio Pakistan’s mobile application (App) Awaz Khana and a book “Pakistan Cinema House by Sultan Arshad. Gover­nor Punjab Balighur Reh­man,Former Minister for Information Marriyum Au­rangzeb ,Secretary Infor­mation Sohail Ali khan and others were also present in the ceremony. Earlier, the prime minister launched an application carrying 75 years of archives of Pa­kistan Radio and a book on the film industry of Pa­kistan. Governor Punjab Balighur Rehman attended the ceremony. Marriyum Aurangzeb in her remarks told about the legislation and tax exemptions for the film industry. Secretary Information and Manag­ing Director Pakistan Tele­vision Sohail Ali Khan also spoke on the occasion and highlighted different fea­tures of the initiatives for the artist community and film industry. Youth fu­ture builders of nation: PM Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Saturday congratu­lated youth on the Interna­tional Youth Day and said new generation was future builder of the nation. In a tweet on social media plat­form Twitter, he said more than sixty percent of the population in Pakistan con­sisted of youth. Allah had bestowed upon Pakistan in­numerable natural resourc­es and young human popu­lation which were a source of strength for the country, he added.