Interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Tuesday marked his first official day in office following his appointment last week by chairing various meetings to review the prevailing economic situation as well as emphasize the importance of infrastructure development
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, Kakar chaired a meeting on the economic situation and maintained that public welfare projects initiated by the previous government would continue. He also said the interim government would continue to advance the economic policies initiated by the previous government, adding authorities would ensure the provision of international quality facilities in health and education.
Directing officials to expedite ongoing reforms in the power sector and strictly implement measures to increase tax revenue, he said the interim government would focus on deregulation to further improve the economy. He also maintained that one of his government’s top priorities would be increasing foreign direct investigation under the Special Investment Facilitation Council established by former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Kakar further directed officials to submit detailed reports on ongoing reforms in all sectors and directed improvement of the road network linking Balochistan with other provinces.
Per the PMO statement, the meeting was attended by the State Bank of Pakistan governor, finance and power divisions secretaries and the Federal Board of Revenue chairman, as well as other relevant officials.
In a follow-up meeting focusing on infrastructure development, the interim prime minister said an efficient road infrastructure played a pivotal role in the development and progress of any country. Urging authorities to adopt an “out of the box approach” to expedite work on under-construction roads, he stressed it was the government’s responsibility to provide facilities to the masses.
According to the PMO, the meeting’s participants were briefed on the ongoing work on the Pinjara bridge at the Quetta-Sukkur highway as well as the Sawar bridge on the Quetta-Zhob Road. They were informed that the Pinjara bridge, damaged by last year’s floods, would require nine months to be fully restored. The repair work on the Sawar bridge, meanwhile, is nearing completion.
During the meeting, the prime minister was briefed on the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the 118km Quetta-Dhadar Road and the 188km Dhadar-Jacobabad Road, which is set to commence soon.
The statement quoted the caretaker prime minister as saying the National Highway Authority was playing an efficient role in the maintenance and construction of roads. He emphasized the timely completion of road infrastructure in Balochistan and directed officials to work on the reconstruction of the Karachi-Chaman highway.