ISLAMABAD - Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi yesterday
said the provinces
should not look up up the centre for everything.
Speaking to journalists here, Qureshi said that the provinces should mobilize their resources to lower their dependency
on the centre.“In the past the provinces
did not mobilise their resources and depended
on the centre. We want this to change now,” he said.To a question, he said the 18th amendment should be revisited to run the country’s affairs effectively while keeping in view the resources of the country.“The government never
intended to undo the 18th amendment. We are consulting the opposition
and the provinces on what can be done,” he maintained.He said that the government
does not deny the importance and usefulness
of the 18th Amendment.“
The provinces will toldhave to sit down with the federal government and review the whole process,”
he said.Meanwhile, Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha
Farooqui yesterday
said Pakistani embassies
working in 100 countries were providing
all possible support to overseas Pakistanis. The spokesperson said the embassy staff had distributed food items among the needy families
residing in Gulf countries, besides giving
financial support to them.The spokesperson said financial support was being
extended to those Pakistanis
who were facing serious trouble in Bangkok,
Turkey and the United
States.“The embassy staffers have also extended help for stranded Pakistanis
who are waiting at the airports for repatriation,” she added.To a question, she said the priority was being given to those Pakistanis
whose visa period had