MUSHTAQ GHUMMAN

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has asserted that major cause for a slowdown in public sector working was due to “undue” interference of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in diverse matters.

He made these comments at a meeting of Federal Cabinet held on November 5, 2019 in the Prime Minister’s House.

The Prime Minister argued that the government was determined to address this issue and the civil service must work with full zeal to take the country forward. Recently, top bureaucrats met the Chief of Army Staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa and took the stance that they couldn’t work independently due to undue interference in ministries’ affairs.

The Secretaries Committee argued that NAB is the main impediment to service delivery and good governance.

Prime Minister’s Advisor on Commerce, Textile, Industries and Production and Investment, Abdul Razak Dawood stated that he was not finding good professionals from the private sector for public sector companies due to NAB factor.

The Prime Minister informed his cabinet colleagues that tough decisions taken by the government had resulted in bringing about economic stabilization. The stock market had re-bounded and the exchange rate has stabilized to a point that State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP’s) intervention in the currency market was not required.

These gains needed to be reinforced through improved governance, which should bring about a visible change in life of common man.

The Prime Minister further stated that the vested interest groups were trying harder to manipulate the situation and create public unrest, vowing that the government will not let these elements succeed in their ulterior designs.

The Prime Minister emphasized that the members of the Cabinet should put extra effort and make sure that their Ministries/Divisions work efficiently and diligently.

Imran Khan also directed members of the Cabinet to review the development projects of their respective Ministries/Divisions and remove any bottlenecks that hamper smooth implementation of these projects. Early implementation of these projects will give the necessary impetus to the national economy.

All ministries/divisions will submit status reports of their development projects to the Prime Minister’s office, after the review by the Ministries, within one month.

During the discussion, members of the Cabinet expressed concern that the prices of wheat flour (Atta) and Roti had remained high despite supply of surplus wheat by the government as well as subsidies provided to Roti Tandoors in the energy bill. It was also highlighted that despite announcement of concessions relating to axel load by the government, the transporters had not reduced their fares.

The Ministry of National Food Security and Research explained that measures are being taken to avoid shortage of wheat, including ban on exports to other countries. Representative of Ministry of Commerce explained that the transporters had announced, through newspaper advertisements, a reduction in their fares.