LAHORE   -   Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar will preside over the provincial cabinet meeting at his office today. The meeting will deliberate upon 19-point agenda. Ministers, advisers, special assistance, chief secretary and senior officials will attend the meeting.

Meanwhile, the CM said for the first time in the history of Pakistan, across the board accountability is being done.

He said: “Powerful people were being made to face trial for the first time in the history of Pakistan.” He said the culture of loot and plunder could no more continue in the new Pakistan.

He said that massive corruption was committed during the previous governments and the corrupt leaders mercilessly looted the national resources.

The bank balances of the former rulers continued to soar with each passing day but the people suffered due to joblessness and inflation, he added.

He said that Pakistan had entangled in the quagmire of corruption in the past, but the new Pakistan was achieving the goal of transparency and it was being transformed under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

“In fact, the foundation of a transparent Pakistan has been laid by the PTI,” he added. The CM said that the whole nation earnestly desired accountability of those who looted the country and crossed all limits in corruption. “No one should remain in any misperception, as in the new Pakistan all were equal before the law. He said that the past rulers would have to face the law for their wrongdoings and corruption,” he added.

“Those who looted the national resources are criminals and their faces have been fully exposed before the people,” he added. He said that loot and plunder was committed in the name of mega projects during the last 10 years, he added.

He said that corruption and foreign loans devastated the national economy and Pakistan reached the brink of devastation in the past decades. He said that basic necessities of people were ignored and exhibitory projects were launched which compounded the public problems.

The PTI government has waged a war against corruption because the government is the custodian of the national exchequer and no one would be allowed to commit embezzlement of funds, the CM concluded.

Uplift schemes okayed

The Punjab Provincial Development Working Party has approved three development schemes of energy and fisheries sectors with an estimated cost of Rs 7666.796 million, reported APP.

These schemes were approved in the 4th meeting of Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) of current fiscal year 2019-20 presided over by Chairman P&D Habib ur Rehman Gilani.

Acting Secretary P&D Babar Aman Babar, all members of the Planning & Development Board, provincial secretaries of departments concerned and other senior representatives of the relevant departments also attended the meeting.

The approved development schemes included: Retrofitting of Public Institutes as a Part of World Bank Funded Punjab Green Development Program at the cost of Rs. 357.540 million, Pilot Shrimp Farming Cluster Development Project at the cost of Rs 3695.526 million and Cage Fish Culture Cluster Development Project at a cost of Rs 3613.730 million.