ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq has directed the Ministry of Finance and Information and Broadcasting to solve all the problems faced by the newspapers industry on a priority basis.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, a delegation led by CPNE President Irshad Arif met with caretaker Prime Minister Haq and informed him about the problems faced by Pakistani newspapers.

He said that a systematic campaign of false news and unnecessary criticism was launched about his visit to the USA, which was with a small delegation.

He further stated that he presented Pakistan’s case very effectively regarding climate change.

He said the government’s measures to stop smuggling and illegal buying and selling of dollars were appreciated by the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The caretaker premier said that strict measures were taken to stop smuggling and betting on dollars in the short term and appreciation of the rupee against the dollar is a testament to the success of this campaign.

The smuggling of petroleum products continued to cause serious damage to the country’s economy, he added.

The premier said that steps are being taken across the country to prevent electricity theft.

Pakistan has billions of dollars of trade potential with Central Asian states.

The caretaker premier said that in the upcoming visit to China, Pakistan-China strategic relations, bilateral trade, CPEC, and tourism promotion will be discussed.

Plans to take full advantage of the potential of tourism in Gilgit-Baltistan will also be part of the discussions.

He added that making the process of privatisation of loss-making state-owned enterprises (SOEs) fast and transparent as privatisation of loss-making public institutions will reduce the loss to the country’s exchequer.

Haq added that with the involvement of the private sector, positive business competition will increase and the best facilities will be available to the public.

He added that “Afghans are our brothers and those Afghan refugees living in Pakistan legally are not being sent back.”

Only illegal aliens are being sent back to Afghanistan and the government would take strict action after October 31.

The caretaker premier said Israel’s recent aggression in Palestine is a war between oppressor Israel and oppressed Palestinians. Pakistan stands side by side with the oppressed Palestinians until they achieve their right to self-determination and an independent Palestinian state, the premier added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023