Daily Times

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday directed for launching an awareness campaign about the electronic voting machines (EVMs) to apprise the public and all stakeholders of this process in order to counter undue criticism by presenting a factual review.

He was presiding over a review meeting here about the use of EVMs in the elections.

Federal Ministers Chaudhry Fawad Hussain and Shibli Faraz, Advisor to PM on Parliamentary Affairs Dr Babar Awan, Special Assistant to PM Dr Shehbaz Gill and senior officers of National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and the Ministry of Science and Technology attended the meeting.

During the meeting, the prime minister was apprised of the Judicial Commission’s proposed legal amendments regarding the use of EVMs. The measures were aimed at making the process of elections transparent, it was told.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan welcomed the recent investment worth $85 million by the world’s leading Venture Capitals (VCs) in a Pakistani tech start-up, Airlift. “We welcome the recent investment of 85 million USD by leading VCs of the world in Airlift, a company led by young Pakistanis,” he said in a tweet.

The prime minister said Pakistan had huge potential as the country was open for business. He expressed the government’s commitment to create opportunities for foreign investors. “My government is fully committed to creating opportunities,” the prime minister said.

Airlift, a Lahore-based online shopping delivery service, has raised $85 million in Series B financing, the largest single private funding round in Pakistan’s history.

Separately, Prime Minister Imran Khan was told on Friday that a strategy for major institutional and economic reforms in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) was ready for its phased implementation. In a meeting, the prime minister was briefed on the AJK government’s reforms strategy for economic development, employment, food security, better service delivery, institutional reforms and rule of law. Minister for Kashmir Affairs Ali Amin Gandapur, AJK Prime Minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi, AJK chief secretary and other senior officers attended the meeting.

The meeting was told that the reforms strategy would be implemented in two phases. To be implemented in six months, the first phase comprises cleanliness of cities and nullahs, removal of encroachments along banks of water bodies, reforms in education and health sectors, repair and rehabilitation of basic infrastructure and water and power systems. The meeting was told that the AJK government would carry out weekly planning to ensure the implementation of first phase within the stipulated time.

Prime Minister Imran Khan, while inaugurating the expansion of ‘Ehsaas Koi Bhooka Na Soye’ initiative to Gujranwala, Lahore and Multan, on Friday directed the authorities concerned not to compromise on quality of food served to the needy people.