ISLAMABAD: In view of the financial challenges being faced by the country, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday formed a committee to curtail government expenses.

“The PM formed the committee to ensure austerity measures on the government side,” Information Minister Attaullah Tarar told Dawn.

Members of the committee comprise federal secretaries of cabinet, finance and I&P divisions, as well as economists Dr Qaisar Bengali, Dr Farrukh Saleem and Dr Naveed Iftikhar.

The committee will devise terms of reference and review a national austerity report of the finance division. The main objective of the committee is to suggest institutional reforms and cut the size of the government.

Says Pakistan ready to move towards second phase of CPEC projects, focused on technological and agricultural uplift

Meanwhile, PM Shehbaz paid surprise visits to different Utility Stores across the federal capital to inspect the execution of the Prime Minister’s Ramazan Relief Package, saying he would not tolerate any compromise on the quality of essential items being sold in these stores at subsidised rates.

During the visit, the prime minister interacted with the beneficiaries of the scheme and inquired whether they faced any issues while benefiting from the package.

He instructed the authorities concerned to ensure that entitled beneficiaries of the relief package faced no problem in availing the facility.

Speaking on the occasion, PM Shehbaz said that under the federal government’s Ramazan Relief Package, Rs77 per kg subsidy was being given on wheat flour and Rs100 per kg on ghee, besides a subsidy of 20-30 per cent on other food items such as rice, pulses, sugar, etc, for the deserving families.

He said that under the package, the BISP beneficiaries would get additional stipend worth Rs10,000 each, while under the Kafalat programme, thousands of families from Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Balochistan would get an additional amount of Rs2,000 each.

The prime minister said he had formed several teams that would pay surprise visits to various USC outlets to check the availability and quality of the food items, adding that strict action will be taken against those involved in selling low quality items at the Utility Stores.

Xinhua interview

Separately, in an interview with the Chinese Xinhua News Agency, PM Shehbaz said that Pakistan was ready to move towards the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

“China has been extre­m­ely helpful in promoting Pak­is­tan’s economic progress, and CPEC has played a very impo­rtant role, which we really appreciate deeply,” he said.

According to Xinhua, Pakistan is planning to build industrial parks and export zones and looks forward to Chinese joint ventures in sectors such as textile and steel, which combine Chinese technologies with Pakistan’s labour assets.

“Through those joint ventures, high-quality products in agriculture, industry, IT, etc., are produced to create hundreds of thousands of jobs and wealth and increase our production and exports,” PM Shehbaz added.

The prime minister said Pakistan is working toward electrifying its transport system to cut import fuel costs and spend the money on development instead. The country also plans to acquire clean energy technologies from China and others.

Expressing his admiration for the Chinese model, PM Shehbaz said the country’s modernisation has created growth centres and sectors competitive in the global market.

“Despite challenges in recent years, China’s growth has still gone steadily compared to other countries, which is a remarkable achievement,” he added.

Published in Dawn, March 14th, 2024