Imran directs new team to provide relief to masses

Tariq Butt / NNI

Three days after making changes in his cabinet, Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed the newcomers in his team and the coalition partners to provide maximum relief to people.

He presided over a meeting of senior members of the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) and other key leaders. However, the ministers, who had their portfolios reshuffled in the cabinet shake-up, stayed away from the meeting. They included Fawad Chaudhry, Shehryar Afridi and Ghulam Sarwar Khan. Aamir Mehmood Kiani, who was removed from the post of the national health services minister and former finance minister Asad Umar were also absent.

New adviser on information ministry Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said that the participants of meeting were PTI spokespersons and Fawad Chaudhry had already informed the party that he was going to Lahore. “Chaudhry will attend the next meeting.”

She told reporters that the premier set “targets and responsibilities” to the government’s new economic team headed by Adviser on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh to bring the country out of “difficulties.”

Dr Awan said the prime minister advised Hafeez Shaikh and his economic team to come up to people’s expectations by lessening their hardships.

Shaikh was not present in the meeting which was attended by Minister of State for Revenue Hammad Azhar. Shaikh along with his team called on the prime minister separately.

Besides setting targets for the economic managers, Dr Awan said, different ministries had also been directed to devise strategies to provide relief to people, particularly in the Holy Month of Ramdan.

She said the prime minister directed the ministers to formulate a plan to check price-hike in the Holy Month in coordination with the provinces.

Calling Dr Shaikh as “key player” and “opening batsman” of the government team, Dr Awan said the new finance adviser had been “empowered” to take steps for betterment of the country keeping in view the vision of the PTI and the prime minister.

She said after “discussing in detail” the issues being faced by people, the new economic team had been given “some targets.”

Imran embarked on two-day official visit to Iran on Sunday on the invitation of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani for talks on bilateral and regional matters, officials said.

This is the first visit of Imran Khan to Iran since he assumed office in August last year.

The foreign ministry says the prime minister will call on Iranian Supreme Leader Seyed Ali Khamenei, besides holding detailed consultations with Rouhani.

Imran will also meet members of the Iranian and Pakistani business community in Iran, according to the statement.

“The prime minister’s visit to Iran will further the close bilateral relationship between the two countries,” the foreign ministry said.

The visit will include a brief stop-over in Mashhad city before arriving in Tehran for bilateral talks with the Iranian leadership.

“Pakistan’s relations with Iran are marked by close historic and cultural linkages and strong people to people exchanges,” the statement said, adding Pakistan and Iran are also members of the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Dr Awan announced that Federal Minister for Power Omar Ayub Khan had been given the additional charge of the ministry of petroleum, which was previously held by Ghulam Sarwar Khan.

Asked if the PTI would take steps to placate former finance minister Asad Umar, she said he was a “family member” and part of the team and supported the vision of Imran Khan. “He will be back soon.”

Umar, who had decided to quit the federal cabinet after the prime minister’s decision to change his portfolio, had left for Karachi after submitting his resignation.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal says it is the prerogative of the prime minister to change his team, but wondered at the humiliating way former finance minister Umar was sacked and questioned the appointment of Brig. (retd) Ijaz Shah as an interior minister on the ground that he faces serious allegations of being involved in the killing of Daniel Pearl and Benazir Bhutto.