Daily Times

LAHORE: A meeting of the provincial cabinet was held with Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Hassan Askari in the chair at his office, on Monday which lasted for three hours.

Many important decisions were taken unanimously in the meeting including principle approval of closure of non-active and non-functional public sector companies. It was decided that non-functional and non-active public sector companies will be closed down through a legal mechanism. Final opinion will be solicited from law and finance departments to determine the future of public sector companies which have been given funds and in the light of this opinion, a final decision will be taken. The meeting approved to amend the first schedule of code of civil procedure 1908. The meeting also approved to constitute the administrative committee for Punjab Institute of Cardiology, Lahore along with constitution of board of management of Shaikh Zayed Medical College & Hospital, Rahim Yar Khan. The approval was given to formulate board of management for Children Hospital & Institute of Child Health, Lahore. It was decided to give the facility of additional working capital amounting to Rs 3.175 billion to Quaid-e-Azam Thermal Power Limited and the meeting also accorded approval to the decision of setting up of Punjab Tianjin University of Technology at Township. It was decided that Punjab government employees will voluntarily give their salary for the fund established for construction of Diamer-Bhasha Dam and Mohmand Dam. Officials of grade one to 16 will give one day salary while grade 17 to 22 officers will donate their two-day salary.

Addressing the meeting, Punjab Caretaker CM Hassan Askari said that construction of Diamer-Bhasha Dam is vital for the country. The citizens should deposit according to their capacity in this noble cause for meeting the water needs of the country. Punjab government employees will voluntarily donate their one day or two day salary in this fund, he added. The meeting strongly condemned the incidents of terrorism in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and offered fateha for the departed souls of Siraj Raisani, Haroon Bilour, Ikramullah Gandapur and other martyrs.

The chief minister said that Punjab government is standing with its Baloch and Pakhtun brethren in this time of agony. The Punjab government has given Rs 10 million for the financial aid of affectees of Mastung tragedy. He said that Siraj Raisani, Haroon Bilour and Ikramullah Gandapur were patriotic Pakistanis and the nation will never forget their great sacrifices. On the occasion, Punjab cabinet meeting also reiterated the commitment of holding free, fair and impartial elections tomorrow (Wednesday) and decided to further strengthen the security arrangements across the province keeping in view the recent incidents of terrorism.

Hassan Askari said that peaceful atmosphere will be provided to the voters on polling day to help them use their right of franchise. Best arrangements have been ensured at every level for transparent election process, he added. All the line departments will proactively perform their duties on polling day and we shall do our duty in an amicable manner, concluded the CM. Provincial ministers, chief secretary, additional chief secretary, P&D chairman, concerned secretaries and high officials attended the meeting.

Provincial Finance Minister Zia Haider Rizvi disclosed that Rs 40 million saving has been made in the expenditures of CM’s Office in one month only.

The cabinet members expressed their pleasure over it. Askari said that expenditures should be further curtailed. He said that a medical board has been constituted for diagnosis and treatment of former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and further decisions will be taken in the light of report of medical board while an air-conditioner has been provided to him in jail.

Published in Daily Times, July 24^th 2018.