Shehbaz Sharif says Pak-IMF deal ‘is in final phase’ Army Chief General Asim Munir made tremendous efforts for IMF deal n Courts never grant stay on implementation of a law before promulgation.

 

ISLAMABAD     -     Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Tuesday that the coalition parties have become a matter of worry for the oppo­sition parties since they had shown an unprece­dented unity through­out the first year of their government. 

The prime minis­ter while addressing a meeting of the coalition parties said that in the beginning, the opposi­tion and even the people in the coalition parties were not hopeful of the durability of the alliance.

However, all of the al­lied parties manifested their democratic spir­it and played their con­structive role to main­tain unity as well as for steering the country out of pervading chal­lenges, he added.

PM Shehbaz said de­spite time to time dif­ferences on certain matters, the allied par­ties remained united to face the challenges in­herited from the previ­ous government. In the democracy, the deci­sions are made through consultation, not impo­sition, he added. Refer­ring to the ongoing con­troversy regarding the court verdict on general elec­tions in Punjab, he said no­where in the world had ever happened that a court grant­ed a stay on the implementa­tion of a law even before its promulgation. The decision of the three-member bench even prompted the bar councils to raise their voice – for sake of the rule of law, not out of love for the government – as they also believed that the decision was contrary to the norms of the jus­tice, he added.

PM Shehbaz said the coalition parties were striving whole­heartedly to take the struggle of overcoming the challenges to a logical end, despite all odds.

He told the participants that the International Monetary Fund’s agreement was in the final phase as their last condi­tionality was to make deposits. He lauded the efforts of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Foreign Min­ister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Army Chief General Asim Munir for the success of the process.

He also appreciated COAS say­ing, “At this moment I will also say — even at the cost of repu­tation — that our army chief has also made tremendous efforts in this regard.”

The premier said he could not share further details regarding the army chief’s contributions and efforts, “but this is also a fact”. He also told the partici­pants of his upcoming telephon­ic conversation with new Chi­nese Premier Li Qiang during the last week of April when they would discuss the matters of mutual interest. He reiterated the coalition government’s re­solve to overcome the challeng­es it had taken up for sake of the country’s progress.

“I again assure you that you have elected me your prime minister and I will try my best to live up to your expectations,” he concluded.

‘NO POLITICS’ ON HEALTH, EDUCATION PROJECTS

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday stressed that the de­velopment projects, particularly those relating to health and ed­ucation, must not be politicised and be implemented in the best interest of the general public.

During his visit to the Rawal­pindi Institute of Urology and Transplantation (RIUT), he said no one should be allowed to politicise the projects of any government.

Shehbaz Sharif said it was time to get united for the proper implementation of the Constitu­tion of the country.

He expressed satisfaction with the successful completion of the first phase of the hospital where patients were being pro­vided best medical treatment in areas of dialysis, kidney ail­ments, and surgeries.

He lauded the Punjab admin­istration of health for effectively carrying out the operationalisa­tion of the hospital and appre­ciated doctors and nurses for their dedication.

He mentioned that Rs 5 billion were spent on RIUT so far and recalled that he laid the foun­dation stone of the hospital in 2012. He regretted that the pre­vious government delayed the project, which otherwise could have been made operational much earlier.

PM Sharif said earlier, an alle­gation put against him by a for­mer chief justice of the Supreme Court halted the work on a kid­ney and liver transplant hospi­tal in Lahore. He said such dis­couragement of development and social work badly impacted the provision of civic facilities for the general public. He said serving the masses was a noble cause that needed a synchro­nized effort by all stakeholders.

The prime minister took a round of various sections of the RIUT and inquired about the health of patients. He also in­structed the administration to leave no stone unturned in pro­viding best medical facilities to the patients.Federal Minister for Information and Broadcast­ing Marriyum Aurangzeb, Paki­stan Muslim League (Nawaz) leaders Hanif Abbasi, Tahira Aurangzeb, and others were present.