News
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Cabinet forms committee on Balochistan situationBy Tanveer Ahmed
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf presided over a meeting of the federal cabinet at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat and took up various items on the agenda topped by the alleged Olympics passport scandal and Balochistan, on which a committee was formed under the chairmanship of the defence minister to look into the issue.
It also decided to take legal action against the British tabloid, The Sun, which it believed misreported about the Olympics passport scandal to bring a bad name to the country.
The cabinet also approved a key memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Pakistan and the United States for the transit of US cargo to and from Afghanistan through Pakistani territory.
The defence secretary informed the cabinet that all stakeholders had been consulted for the finalisation of the MoU in light of the recommendations of the parliamentary committee. On Balochistan, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said the cabinet discussed the law and order issue in the province in detail and decided to set up a committee under the chairmanship of the defence minister to submit its report within seven days to the cabinet.
The PM briefed the cabinet about his recent visits to Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan, and termed his audience with Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz “cordial and positive”. He mentioned that there were 1.5 million Pakistanis residing in Saudi Arabia, contributing to the national economy. Raja expressed gratitude over a grant of $100 million announced by King Abdullah for the welfare of Pakistani people.
Regarding his visit to Afghanistan, Raja said in his meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, issues related to peace in the region and improvement of relations between the neighbouring countries were discussed.
He said the trilateral summit in Kabul with the participation of British Prime Minister David Cameron highlighted Pakistan’s significant role in the region in view of the Afghan-led peace process.
The PM said a long-overdue demand of Pakistan business community regarding issuance of multiple visas had been accepted by the Afghan government. This will facilitate the visit of Pakistani businessmen to Afghanistan and enhance trade relations between the two countries. The cabinet approved the signing of an agreement between the defence ministries of Kazakhstan and Pakistan on Training of Military Personnel of the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan at training institutions of Pakistan’s Defence Ministry.
It also approved the signing of an MoU between Pakistan’s Ministry of Production and Ministry of Economic Development of Russian Federation for expansion of Pakistan Steel Mills up to 3.00MTPY.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk