ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet in its first meeting on Friday said that revamping the economy is the top priority of the caretaker government.

The cabinet meeting was held under the chairmanship of Caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar.

In a post-cabinet briefing, the caretaker Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Murtaza Solangi, said the interim setup will provide every possible assistance and cooperation to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to ensure free, fair, and transparent elections in the country.

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He further said the election responsibility lies with the ECP. The interim government is committed to comply with the directions of the Election Commission for transferring and posting of any individual, necessary to hold free and fair elections, he maintained.

In a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, the information minister conveyed to him the will and resolve of the cabinet in ensuring transparent polls in the country.

The minister further expressed the resolve and determination of the caretakers to abide by their oath and discharge their responsibilities as per law and the Constitution.

Condemning the Jaranwala incident, Solangi said the state of Pakistan is standing by its minority communities as all citizens have equal rights as per law and the Constitution of the country. He said the cabinet emphasized promoting Sufism in the country.

The caretaker minister for information said that the federal cabinet has emphasised the promotion of Sufism in the country to address extremism, narrow-mindedness, and intolerance in the society.

He said that in the meeting of the federal cabinet, the caretaker prime minister also stressed on the construction of infrastructure in the country.

He said that the cabinet has decided to reduce government expenditure in view of the ongoing economic situation in the country. He said that it is the responsibility of the government not to waste taxpayers’ money.

Solangi said that we cannot afford to buy petroleum products at high prices and sell them at low prices. Due to the agreement with the IMF, the government cannot subsidize commodities.

Answering the questions of the journalists, Solangi said that poverty and inflation are a reality, no one can deny this fact, it is also a fact that the increase in petroleum products has led to inflation. He assured the media that the government would reduce its expenditure to reduce the burden on the national exchequer.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023