News
Tuesday, March 05, 2013
PM urges workers to get ready for elections* Raja says govt believes in taking political, democratic forces along
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Monday urged the party workers to gear themselves for upcoming general election in the country.
The present government has put the democratic system back on track, he said while talking to MPA Wasim Afzal Chan, who along with his father called on him here at the Prime Minister’s House.
The prime minister said that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has successfully demonstrated that, given the sincerity of purpose, political stability is possible by pursuing coalition politics. He said that with the completion of present democratic government’s tenure, all the critics and detractors of democratic system have been proved wrong and the country is heading towards the general election, which is a milestone in Pakistan’s history.
In a meeting with a BNP-A delegation led by Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, Mir Israrullah Zehri, the prime minister said the PPP-led coalition government believes in taking all political and democratic forces with it for the progress, development and welfare of people of the country.
Zehri discussed with the prime minister the current political situation in the country and expressed grief over the martyrdom of innocent civilians in the bomb blasts in Karachi. He said that the elements responsible for the barbaric acts should be dealt with iron hand in order to safeguard the lives of the citizens.
The prime minister said that such acts cannot deter the resolve of the government, which is committed to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
In a meeting with a delegation of private cellular operators, the prime minister directed the Ministry of Information Technology and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to devise a mechanism on verification of mobile phone SIMs in consultation with cellular companies.
The cellular operators informed the prime minister that the verification of SIMs was taking longer time and it would not be physically possible for them to verify the SIMs within the deadline.
The cellular operators informed the Prime Minister that presently, the SIMs were only being issued by their business offices. Earlier 80,000 outlets were selling SIMs in the country.
The prime minister directed the Ministry of IT to resolve the issue by March 7, 2013.
In another meeting with Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Asif Sandhila, the prime minister said government was committed to provide all possible resources to enhance the capabilities of armed forces for safeguarding the country’s frontiers.
He said that the Pakistan Navy was playing an effective role not only in guarding the territorial waters of the country, but also in providing relief in coastal areas in times of emergencies.
The Chief of the Naval Staff apprised the prime minister about the AMAN 2013 Naval exercise being launched by the Pakistan Navy.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk