PTI govt puts trumpeted 100-day plan into gear

The federal cabinet during its third meeting on Tuesday discussed the 100-day plan of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government and constituted multiple task forces to ensure its timely implementation, especially the initiatives related to creation of 10 million jobs, construction of five million new houses, FATA’s merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, review of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and amendments in accountability as well as civil laws. Briefing media after the meeting, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said the cabinet has constituted a task force headed by Law Minister Farogh Naseem to amend the national accountability laws. The task force will present its recommendations to the cabinet for approval. A task force has also been formed for amendments in the civil laws as there was great need to improve the system, the minister said. Amendments in relevant laws will also be made to ensure that women get their due share in inheritance and social campaigns will be launched to create awareness among the people in this regard, he added. Fawad said anti-terrorism laws will also be reviewed and proposals in this regard will be submitted within 90 days, while NACTA would be made more functional. The minister said the cabinet has formed a committee on CPEC, headed by Minister for Planning Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar with Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed its member. The committee would present a complete review of the CPEC projects to the prime minister. Over $28 billion CPEC projects including $22 billion energy schemes are currently in progress while about $46 billion projects are in the pipeline. For creation of a new province in southern Punjab, a committee comprising Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Minister for Planning Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar was constituted which would approach other political parties for reaching consensus on a workable plan as two-thirds majority in the parliament was needed for the purpose. The minister said the cabinet has decided to remove National Bank of Pakistan Chairman Saeed Ahmed Khan for his involvement in money laundering in connivance with former finance minister Ishaq Dar. He said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) governor and chief minister, and Prime Minister’s Adviser on Establishment Akbar Shahzad will take steps to remove hurdles in the merger of FATA in KP and speed up the process. He said the prime minister will be given review of the work of task forces on the100-day plan after every 15 days. He said reforms in governance and civil service were need of the hour and a report in that connection would be prepared within 90 days. Replying to a question about how more jobs will be created, Fawad said the government will not employ people in its own departments. “This is not how you create jobs … our task is to create opportunities where eligible people can apply and get jobs … that is what the task force is working on,” he said. He said the government had no plan to terminate the services of contractual employees in the government institutions. However, he said, the induction of favourites in the public sector organizations in the past ruined the economy as well as the institutions. The minister said the issue of high prices of commodities could not be resolved merely by raiding traders and shopkeepers, but through revival of the national economy. The minister said a committee headed by Akbar Shahzad was working on unlawful assets abroad and it would present its report within 15 days. To a question, he said honest government officials should not worry as only those involved in corruption would have to face the music. He said the opposition parties had offered to cooperate with the government on the condition that court cases against their leaders should be withdrawn. However, any compromise on the issue of accountability is out of question, he said. About the use of a helicopter by the prime minister, he said, Imran Khan used helicopter once a week to avoid inconvenience to the general public and the use of security vehicles. He clarified that transfer of Pakpattan district police officer was a provincial matter and the prime minister had nothing to do with it. Advisor to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam said the PTI government would launch a countrywide tree plantation campaign under its 10 billion tree plantation drive on September 2 by planting 1.5 million saplings the same day. He urged all the Pakistanis to actively participate in the campaign by collecting saplings free of charge from 190 pick-up points to be established in the big cities. To a question, he said the last Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had successfully completed its one billion tree drive in the province during its five-year tenure. He said for the first time in KP’s history, wood was imported because the KP government successfully launched an operation against the timber mafia and stopped illegal cutting of trees. Published in Daily Times, August 29th 2018.