Pakistan to sign agreements worth $2bn with Saudis, PM Shehbaz Sharif says

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is scheduled to sign agreements worth around $2 billion with a visiting Saudi delegation later this month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday.

A delegation from Saudi Arabia is expected in the country before the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation meeting that Pakistan is hosting from October 15-16, he said.

‘Pakistan should promote trade, economic ties with SCO member states’

Addressing the federal cabinet meeting, the PM said that in 2014, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) compromised Pakistan’s economy as Chinese President Xi Jinping had cancelled his visit to Islamabad due to the days-long dharna.

He said that he would not allow PTI to repeat what it did through its 2014 sit-in.

“We will not allow it to be repeated. We will not tolerate it at any rate, at any cost. This is my promise. I will not let it happen.”

Regarding the recent attack in Karachi, he said he assured the Chinese ambassador in Pakistan of foolproof security for Chinese nationals in Pakistan.

He said no stone will be left unturned to ensure unbreachable security for Chinese nationals in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the federal cabinet approved the establishment of the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund for Palestine and Lebanon to assist those affected by Israel’s aggression, a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) stated.

Israel-Hezbollah fighting intensifies, Hamas vows to rise again

It also directed the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to open an account for the purpose.

Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal will oversee relief efforts related to Palestine and Lebanon, according to the PMO.

The cabinet also received a briefing from the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications regarding the implementation of e-office in federal ministries and departments.

It was informed that the government’s initiatives in e-governance improved Pakistan’s position by 14 ranks in the United Nations’ E-Government Development Index (EGDI), the PMO said.

Federal government: PM orders swift implementation of e-office system

The meeting was also told that the implementation of e-office was ongoing in all 40 divisions of the federal government, with 100% implementation achieved in some ministries.

The prime minister directed improvements in the e-office implementation and stated that progress would be reviewed in two weeks.

The federal cabinet ratified an agreement for subsidies in the fishing sector in light of the World Trade Organisation’s decisions.

It also approved the signing of an agreement to designate the Gwadar Port in Pakistan and the Shanghai Port in China as sister ports, based on the recommendation of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs.

The cabinet ratified the signing of memorandum of understandings for bilateral political consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Rwanda and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ghana, based on the recommendation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The cabinet consented to the granting of authority to the Judicial Magistrate of Gwadar and the Judicial Magistrate of Hub to hear narcotics cases, based on the directives of the honorable Chief Justice of the Balochistan High Court and the recommendation of the Ministry of Law and Justice.