News
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Nawaz, Kayani discuss Taliban talks, Karachi* Both mull strategy to implement resolution adopted at APC
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani met on Wednesday and discussed the implementation of the resolutions passed by the All-Parties Conference (APC).
According to media reports, the two leaders also discussed the security situation in the country. The key decision taken during the APC was to hold talks with the Taliban as a measure to tackle terrorism in the country. Separately, in a meeting with a delegation of the International Monetary (IMF), Prime Minister Nawaz said his government will not be influenced by political pressure on economic problems and a dedicated team is working hard to strengthen the national economy.
The IMF delegation was led by Masood Ahmed, director of the IMF Middle East and Central Asia Department, and Jeffery Franks, IMF mission chief. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Finance Secretary Waqar Masood were also present in the meeting. The prime minister said a new and competent team was working day and night to overcome energy crisis in particular. He said Pakistan recognised its responsibilities towards international organisations and there existed an understanding about each other’s mandates.
The premier expressed confidence that the country’s foreign exchange reserves would improve as a result of the investor-friendly environment. The IMF delegation congratulated Nawaz for smooth democratic transition and stated that they were impressed by his economic vision. The IMF representatives expressed satisfaction over the government’s “coherent plan, the clarity of purpose for economic revival” and the capacity to implement the reforms’ plan into action.
In another meeting, with a delegation of the Turkish Housing Authority, Prime Minister Nawaz said that the government has identified housing facilities as a priority area and was planning to provide 500,000 units during the next five years to overcome the shortfall. He recalled that his government’s “Mera Ghar” scheme introduced in 1997 was a move to provide this basic necessity to lower and middle-class families. The Turkish Housing Authority delegation was led by Minister for Environment and Urbanisation Erdogan Bayraktar. Ishaq Dar, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Minister of State for Housing Barrister Usman Ibrahim and Special Assistant to Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi also attended the meeting.
The prime minister resolved to take the bilateral relations with Turkey to new heights and work for promoting and strengthening of the economic and trade relations. He said the government would benefit from Turkey’s Mass Housing Programme under which low-cost housing facility for the poor families could be provided. Nawaz was briefed by the Turkish delegation. It informed him that Turkey had devised a revenue-sharing model according to which 15% of their housing stock was diverted towards “revenue generation” and the remaining 85% towards “social housing”.
The “Social Housing” scheme comprised of two main components, i.e; the land was provided by the government and a flexible payment schedule was offered according to affordability. “We will study the financial model and visit the housing schemes developed in rural and urban areas in Turkey during my forthcoming visit”, the prime minister said. agencies
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk