PESHAWAR - Prime Minister Imran Khan Saturday again expressed his resolve to eliminate status quo resisting reforms being introduced in different sectors of the country and said they would face all resistance and pressures of corrupt mafia who had been taking advantage from the stalemate administrative systems.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the 42nd annual winter meeting of the Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America (APPNA) and Khyber Medical College Alumni Association (KMCAA), he said the corrupt and old mafia was offering resistance to his government’s efforts to introduce reforms in the ailing government departments.

“The government will not budge on its reforms at any cost,” he declared in unequivocal words.

Leave aside such resistance in the health and education system, such elements had been working in Federal Board of Revenue, among traders and those doing business through smuggled goods.

“Whenever you introduce reforms and changes to the old system, these create wrong impressions among masses.”

The prime minister reminded the people that they should not be depressed with such a scenario as ultimately, they would win this war against corrupt mafia.

Dilating upon the difference between functioning of two sets of governments, he said his government wanted to bring reforms and thus facing pressure and resistance.

On the other hand, in the past, different governments just focused on completing their five-year terms.

“It is our responsibility to face this pressure,” he said and urged the nation to support his government’s endeavours in bringing about the change with new reforms and administrative structures.”

The prime minister regretted that during 1960s, Pakistan had been a leading country in the whole region in terms of development. But afterwards, it lagged behind due to the status quo and corrupt system, and even Bangladesh had excelled economically.

Citing the prevalent rustic administrative system and bureaucratic hurdles, he said bringing about a change would be a difficult task, but those nations had succeeded that faced it and referred to successful reforms introduced in Malaysia and Turkey by their political leadership.

The prime minister urged the members of APPNA to effectively highlight in the US the ongoing Indian government’s brutalities in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K) which had turned the whole occupied valley into an open air jail for last five months.

He said whatever, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-Bharatiya Janata Party (RSS-BJP) led fascist and racist Indian government had been doing in the occupied Kashmir and across its country, had been sheer violations of the international laws.

The prime minister likened these patterns of oppression and ethnic cleansing of minorities to those of Hitler Nazi’s regime.

It was unprecedented in the modern history that about eight million Kashmiris had been put under open air prison, he said adding, the controversial Citizens Act was also being strongly opposed by all communities living inside India as it was aimed at targeting Muslim minority.

The prime minister said it was a crucial time for the whole world and Pakistan because fearing from the backlash after lifting of curfew in IOJ&K and home agitation, the Indian government could resort to some kind of misadventure ‘false flag operation’ against Pakistan to divert increasing global attention from its burning domestic issues.

“But the genie has come out of the bottle,” he said, adding that in Myanmar similar acts were taken for ethnic cleansing of the Muslims.

The prime minister said his government was committed to bring investment in the country through ease of doing business initiatives.

He cited a report of the World Bank which marked progress the country had made in ease of doing business and economic outlook.

The prime minister said they were aware of the issues faced by the overseas Pakistanis and were making all out efforts to facilitate them.

Recalling his interaction with the overseas Pakistanis due to his long cricket career experience abroad spanning over about two decades, he said it was a vast interaction which no political figure in the country could ever claim to have.

The prime minister said the overseas Pakistanis possessed huge talent and qualification which could be beneficial for their homeland.

He said Allah Almighty had gifted Pakistan with immense potential and natural resources including water, minerals and gold which required to be tapped for prosperity of the country.

The prime minster welcomed the delegates and appreciated their expertise and mentioned his experiences in establishment of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospitals in Lahore and Peshawar.

He said both got international recognition and certification because of the study and administrative system based upon successful mechanism being practised abroad.

In Pakistan, the corrupt system wanted to create hurdles in the way of reforms programme introduced by his government in the public sector hospitals by misguiding it as privatisation attempt and pushing the people to agitate and sabotage it.

The prime minister said provision of quality services was a must for ideal functioning of different institutes, saying that the system in the country had collapsed in past as it lacked these qualities.

He said here the administrative system in the government-run hospital had decayed due to the bureaucratic system.

Efforts were being made in the KP hospitals with reforms so that the public sector hospitals could compete with the private hospitals, in provision of quality health facilities and efficient administration system.

The prime minister said 2019 had been the year of challenges for his government but they stabilized the country economically by overcoming the current and fiscal accounts deficits.

Now the investment had been on the increase, stock market showing brisk business, and the bleeding corporations now turned into profit making entities.

Declaring the year 2020 as the brighter year for the country, the prime minister said China had been assisting and supporting Pakistan through various China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects, besides provision of latest technical and scientific education to the country’s youth.

 

GOVT ALLOCATED RECORD FUNDS FOR TRIBAL DISTRICTS UPLIFT: PM

 

Prime Minister Imran Khan Saturday said the incumbent government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf had allocated record funds for development of the tribal districts and it was a great success of the government to take forward tribal areas’ merger process.

The prime minister regretted that in the past, these areas had been neglected. The main objective behind merger of erstwhile tribal areas was to provide facilities to the residents of these areas at par with other areas of the country.

In a meeting with members of the provincial cabinet, the prime minister said provision of jobs to youth of the merged districts was among the top priorities of the government.

PM office media wing in a news release said, Imran also stressed upon introducing business opportunities in these areas to create employment opportunities, besides enhancing the social and economic development.

The prime minister observed that Saudi Arabia had showed interest in making investment in the tourism sector and emphasized that the provincial government of KP should pay special attention for fully exploring tourism potential of the province.

People of KP had reposed confidence in PTI, so it was their responsibility to fully serve the masses, he observed.

KP GOVERNOR, CM CALL ON PM IMRAN KHAN

Khyber Pakthunkhwa Governor Shah Farman and Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Saturday called on Prime Minister Imran Khan at Governor House, Peshawar.

They discussed overall situation of the province and exchanged views on matters pertaining to development measures taken by the government for well being of people and other matters of public importance.