PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, the 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan

[Clueless]

IK faced the biggest crisis in modern time and still manged to get the Debt down, increase exports by a 1/3 , imports down bar oil, remittances up by a 1/3, tax collection nearly doubled. GDP growth at 5.5, 2nd highest in the lasr 14 years. Reserves double what he found them and would be even higher if the oil price was low as the Noora average Suck it up.

<iframe src='https://tradingeconomics.com/embed/?s=wgdppaki&projection=te&v=202107132317v20220312&h=300&w=600&ref=/pakistan/gdp' height='300' width='600' frameborder='0' scrolling='no'></iframe><br />source: <a href='https://tradingeconomics.com/pakistan/gdp'>tradingeconomics.com</a>

Is that growth post 2018?

 

[Bewal Express]

Hey Bewal, off-topic but under which PM of Pakistan will you consider returning to the motherland?

It wasn't Imran Khan, Nawaz Sharif, Zardari or Musharaff - you decided that Tony Blair/Gordon Brown/David Cameron/Theresa May/Boris Johnson provide you a better living environment for now. Is there somebody in Pakistan you are particularly waiting for, or is it moot since you'll stay in the UK regardless?

I have explained before. Search my posts.

 

[Varun]

I have explained before. Search my posts.

There are too many of them. What's the answer in short?

 

[Bewal Express]

<iframe src='https://tradingeconomics.com/embed/?s=wgdppaki&projection=te&v=202107132317v20220312&h=300&w=600&ref=/pakistan/gdp' height='300' width='600' frameborder='0' scrolling='no'></iframe><br />source: <a href='https://tradingeconomics.com/pakistan/gdp'>tradingeconomics.com</a>

Is that growth post 2018?

Tax collection has nearly doubled,remittances up by a 1/3, exports on course for $40bn, imports down, CAD down and a surplus run until the oil price Increase, growth at 5.5

 

[Bewal Express]

There are too many of them. What's the answer in short?

Get searching. You Hindutuva guys are on here for masala, well here is a job for you

 

[Zaz]

Fawad Chaudhary called a sitting PM chaprasi of US.

Thats disrespectful to chapraasis all over the world being compared to chors like the shareefs

 

[Varun]

Get searching. You Hindutuva guys are on here for masala, well here is a job for you

I'm not a Hindutva. Be nice instead of getting defensive - how would you feel if others labelled you a terrorist for asking a simple question?

Even if your intentions are to stay and make the most of the UK regardless of their PM or Pakistan's PM, why not just say so? More power to you.

 

[Clueless]

Tax collection has nearly doubled,remittances up by a 1/3, exports on course for $40bn, imports down, CAD down and a surplus run until the oil price Increase, growth at 5.5

Just repeating without quoting reliable sources dont make them facts.
IK came to power in 2018, and GDP has fallen off the cliff ever since, thats a World Bank fact for you.
How is going from 315 billion to 280 billion dollars a growth of 5% and that too over 4 years??
Has maths taken a back seat in "Naya Pakistan"?

 

[Hermoine Green]

Fawad Chaudhary called a sitting PM chaprasi of US.

Nothing new here. They learn from their leader. The language they use and their behavior is a disgrace to the entire nation.

Imran Khan was called Taliban Khan, Yahudi Agent

His wife who has no business in Politics is being called Jadugarni by Shehbaz Sharif on a national tv.

Murad Saeed and Imran Khan were labelled as homosexual by opposition leaders

But, you are perfectly fine with it

 

[Bewal Express]

Just repeating without quoting reliable sources dont make them facts.
IK came to power in 2018, and GDP has fallen off the cliff ever since, thats a World Bank fact for you.
How is going from 315 billion to 280 billion dollars a growth of 5% and that too over 4 years??
Has maths taken a back seat in "Naya Pakistan"?

You need to search a bit harder. Even Dar accepted the figures. Keep searching

 

[Bewal Express]

Imran Khan was called Taliban Khan, Yahudi Agent

His wife who has no business in Politics is being called Jadugarni by Shehbaz Sharif on a national tv.

Murad Saeed and Imran Khan were labelled as homosexual by opposition leaders

But, you are perfectly fine with it

They want PTI to be Saints while they celebrate a guy on trial becoming PM. Badniyaati on show

 

[Hermoine Green]

Just repeating without quoting reliable sources dont make them facts.
IK came to power in 2018, and GDP has fallen off the cliff ever since, thats a World Bank fact for you.
How is going from 315 billion to 280 billion dollars a growth of 5% and that too over 4 years??
Has maths taken a back seat in "Naya Pakistan"?

2017-18:
Remittances: $15.75B
Exports: $23.20B
Imports: $63.14
GDP growth: 5.9%


2021-22:
Remittances: $32.34B
Exports: $31.70B
Imports: $52.99B
GDP growth: 5.8%

You are welcome to crosscheck it with any source/data.

 

[Hermoine Green]

They want PTI to be Saints while they celebrate a guy on trial becoming PM. Badniyaati on show

According to our constitution and laws, a person who is convicted or from bail is not eligible to hold any GOVT job,

but he is eligible to hold PM kursi

 

[StreetSmart]

few posters here are wow, St. Shobaaz Shareef has some lovely blind and ghajni followers.

 

[Clueless]

You need to search a bit harder. Even Dar accepted the figures. Keep searching

I will simply trust World Bank figures when it comes to nation's GDP or IMF. Maybe even World Bank is conspiring against IK and PTI

Rejecting World Bank data without any basis is what we call bhakti. We see plenty of Modi bhakts who blindly ignore some of his policy blunders on this side of Wagah too. Dont worship your leaders, cheer them on merit. dont cook up numbers and distort facts and lose objectivity.

 

[StreetSmart]

According to our constitution and laws, a person who is convicted or from bail is not eligible to hold any GOVT job,

but he is eligible to hold PM kursi

bhai you are talking about a country where Traitors are considered heroes

 

[Bewal Express]

I will simply trust World Bank figures when it comes to nation's GDP or IMF. Maybe even World Bank is conspiring against IK and PTI

Rejecting World Bank data without any basis is what we call bhakti. We see plenty of Modi bhakts who blindly ignore some of his policy blunders on this side of Wagah too. Dont worship your leaders, cheer them on merit. dont cook up numbers and distort facts and lose objectivity.

You can trust whatever figures you want. The figures I quoted were accepted by both Miftah and Dar. So keep searching, and you will eventually get there.

 

[Hermoine Green]

You need to search a bit harder. Even Dar accepted the figures. Keep searching

Also the no. of jobs created by PTI is highest among all that is around 1.8M per year

If anyone is having any doubts, ask me and i will provide data.

 

[Clueless]

2017-18:
Remittances: $15.75B
Exports: $23.20B
Imports: $63.14
GDP growth: 5.9%


2021-22:
Remittances: $32.34B
Exports: $31.70B
Imports: $52.99B
GDP growth: 5.8%

You are welcome to crosscheck it with any source/data.

Lol we straight away jumped from 2018 to 22 LMAO....
2017-18 falls under the previous regime my brother.
Plz try to see what Pakistan GDP numbers were when IK took over and what they are now. GDP not gdp growth rate ( you have 2 years of negative growth in dollar terms under IK)

1. I have posted GDP data sourced from world bank Data. Plz counter that with relaible source.
2. KSE index was about 42k when IK took over and its 44 K when he departed (hardly any uptick)
3. I never knew high remittances are an achievement of the govt. LMAO

As for export imports: Pakistan Current Account over last 10 years
<iframe src='https://d3fy651gv2fhd3.cloudfront.net/embed/?s=pablcur&v=202203290903V20220312&d1=20120414&h=300&w=600' height='300' width='600' frameborder='0' scrolling='no'></iframe><br />source: <a href='https://tradingeconomics.com/pakistan/current-account'>tradingeconomics.com</a>

Almost all oil importers had significant improvements in CAD due to sharp fall in oil prices due to Covid. Basically your CAD is back to when IK took over. and Trend is actually on the negative side only

 

[Hermoine Green]

I will simply trust World Bank figures when it comes to nation's GDP or IMF. Maybe even World Bank is conspiring against IK and PTI

Rejecting World Bank data without any basis is what we call bhakti. We see plenty of Modi bhakts who blindly ignore some of his policy blunders on this side of Wagah too. Dont worship your leaders, cheer them on merit. dont cook up numbers and distort facts and lose objectivity.

No point in discussion if you want to stay biased

Btw, when you have a time do look at Unemployment rate also.

 

[Bewal Express]

Lol we straight away jumped from 2018 to 22 LMAO....
2017-18 falls under the previous regime my brother.
Plz try to see what Pakistan GDP numbers were when IK took over and what they are now. GDP not gdp growth rate ( you have 2 years of negative growth in dollar terms under IK)

1. I have posted GDP data sourced from world bank Data. Plz counter that with relaible source.
2. KSE index was about 42k when IK took over and its 44 K when he departed (hardly any uptick)
3. I never knew high remittances are an achievement of the govt. LMAO

As for export imports: Pakistan Current Account over last 10 years
<iframe src='https://d3fy651gv2fhd3.cloudfront.net/embed/?s=pablcur&v=202203290903V20220312&d1=20120414&h=300&w=600' height='300' width='600' frameborder='0' scrolling='no'></iframe><br />source: <a href='https://tradingeconomics.com/pakistan/current-account'>tradingeconomics.com</a>

Almost all oil importers had significant improvements in CAD due to sharp fall in oil prices due to Covid. Basically your CAD is back to when IK took over. and Trend is actually on the negative side only

Tax collection nearly doubled, growth 2nd highest in 14 years, remittances up by over a 1/3, exports will have doubled by next year, imports down, CAD down. Amazing in 3.75 years.

 

[Clueless]

Also the no. of jobs created by PTI is highest among all that is around 1.8M per year

If anyone is having any doubts, ask me and i will provide data.

Such numbers are nice red herrings, if you simply ignore the other aspects of the picture.
How many jobs were lost, what is the net growth in employment?
Just like you quoted selective growth rates while ignoring the dip years.

There are 3 kinds of lies: Lies, damned Lies and statistics". If you dont know how to see the full picture anyone can fool you or you can fool yourself.

 

[Clueless]

No point in discussion if you want to stay biased

Btw, when you have a time do look at Unemployment rate also.

Sure I have looked at that, if you trust World bank Data on unemployment I guess all others numbers I posted are true. I am pretty much objective here, have an above average understanding of economics on how data gets fudged on how to make presentations to hide the truth.

From the honest data, it seems Pakistan hasnt grown at all in the last 4 years but some how a few crore Pakistanis are fooled into thinking it has been growth. Thats a God level magic in itself.

PS: In no way, I am seeing that Pakistan's economy was doing any better before. The problems that plague Pakistani economy are much more systemic and fundamental a simple regime change has had little impact in the last 2 decades. The problematic thing for Pakistanis is that somehow IK makes 30% of the believe in something that isnt at all true. Pakistan has truly become a laggard in South Asia and IK has just continued the pattern of falling behind.

 

[daytrader]

I'm not a Hindutva. Be nice instead of getting defensive - how would you feel if others labelled you a terrorist for asking a simple question?

Even if your intentions are to stay and make the most of the UK regardless of their PM or Pakistan's PM, why not just say so? More power to you.

Your lot instigating Pakistanis. Are you in India or overseas???

 

[daytrader]

Incorrect. Debt/GDP ratio is also provided in the SBP links I posted and your figures are wrong. You can check the links provided to get the accurate figures

Selective stats that suit your narrative. Economics is more than $ rate

 

[Bewal Express]

SS after one day. Are these true. What's going on?

Sugar prices increased by Rs. 9
Ghee increased by Rs. 7
Electricity Rs. 5 relief is squashed
Sehat Insaf Card is eliminated
U turn on increase in wages
Ehsas program changed to Benazir Income Support and decreased to Rs. 5000 from Rs. 14000

 

[uberkoen]

Selective stats that suit your narrative. Economics is more than $ rate

LOL. The person I replied to was talking about debt/gdp ratio which btw has nothing to do with $ rate.

Honestly, it feels like I'm debating with a teenager here.

 

[uberkoen]

Imran Khan was called Taliban Khan, Yahudi Agent

His wife who has no business in Politics is being called Jadugarni by Shehbaz Sharif on a national tv.

Murad Saeed and Imran Khan were labelled as homosexual by opposition leaders

But, you are perfectly fine with it

Jaisa karo ge waisa bharo ge

 

[uberkoen]

IK faced the biggest crisis in modern time and still manged to get the Debt down, increase exports by a 1/3 , imports down bar oil, remittances up by a 1/3, tax collection nearly doubled. GDP growth at 5.5, 2nd highest in the lasr 14 years. Reserves double what he found them and would be even higher if the oil price was low as the Noora average Suck it up.

I've already countered all these lies on the Imran Khan performance review thread with actual data backed up with valid references as opposed to just spitting random numbers and lies without any sources.

 

[uberkoen]

SS after one day. Are these true. What's going on?

Sugar prices increased by Rs. 9
Ghee increased by Rs. 7
Electricity Rs. 5 relief is squashed
Sehat Insaf Card is eliminated
U turn on increase in wages
Ehsas program changed to Benazir Income Support and decreased to Rs. 5000 from Rs. 14000

Yes, because Imran Khan's initiatives were built on loans. These were not sustainable. Already clarified this on the Imran Khan performance review thread under the title "Looming IMF Crisis"

 

[uberkoen]

2017-18:
Remittances: $15.75B
Exports: $23.20B
Imports: $63.14
GDP growth: 5.9%


2021-22:
Remittances: $32.34B
Exports: $31.70B
Imports: $52.99B
GDP growth: 5.8%

You are welcome to crosscheck it with any source/data.

Can you provide the sources for your data?

 

[MenInG]

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said that those orchestrating a smear campaign against state institutions will be dealt with as per law.

The statement comes amid an ongoing online smear campaign tapping into the speculations around former prime minister Imran Khan’s ouster through joint efforts of the opposition.

The newly-elected premier expressed the views in a meeting with journalists at his first PM House news briefing, answering queries about issues his tenure inherits to grapple with, including the ‘Lettergate’ scandal, foreign relations, economic woes, electoral reforms and the alleged nexus between the NAB and former premier Imran Khan.

While speaking about short-, medium- and long-term plans to tame inflation and remedy the economic issues, PM Sharif stressed that the nations can’t progress merely by words and the only way to move forward was to "work and work".

“Only prosperous nations take two-day off in a week; we will have to work on Sunday, too, but let’s leave it for completing household chores,” he quipped, “You guys will have to bring groceries as well.”

Shehbaz, who had once earned the title of 'Shehbaz Speed' from the Chinese for development work in Punjab under his tenure as chief minister, said that this time around "new developmental projects will be rolled out at 'Pakistan Speed'".

The prime minister repeated his announcement regarding the increase in salaries and pensions, changing the five-day working week into six days and his decision to bring people from all the provinces and turn the PM House into a 'Pakistan House'.

Similarly, he also indicated that negotiations would be held to discuss the future of the governor of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

To a question, Shehbaz said if the briefing on Kashmir, Afghanistan could be held in parliament, then why not the “Lettergate” scandal.

It is pertinent to mention that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had on Monday announced that he would be soon arranging an in-camera session of the parliamentary security committee to ascertain the facts involved in the purported foreign letter regarding alleged foreign interference into the country's internal affairs.

During his maiden speech in the National Assembly after his election to the office of the prime minister, Shehbaz said that besides others, top military and intelligence brass and Pakistan's ambassador would attend the meeting.

“On behalf of this House, I assure the nation that if any involvement is proved, I will not stay as prime minister for even a second and go home after tendering resignation,” he declared.

On the foreign affairs front, he said that his priority was to mend ties with all allies and neighbours of Pakistan as the previous government made things worse.

“I will work with all neighbours for the betterment of the environment, including India, but ties with India are subject to the Kashmir issue,” he said, adding he has already advised Indian PM Narendra Modi to resolve the Kashmir issue and move towards a lasting peace between the countries and in the region.

He was of the opinion that Imran Khan has even angered the countries once considered friendly.
Shehbaz, who has been under the constant radar of the Imran-led government's accountability drive, recalled his days spent in incarceration but repeatedly made it clear that his dictionary was devoid of the word “revenge”, saying only the law will take its course.

“Everyone is allowed to engage in political activities, we will not allow chaos,” he added.
He stressed that neither he would instruct anyone what the law should do nor anyone should ask for directions.

Shehbaz underscored that every institution should work within the defined boundaries, revealing he has directed bureaucracy to deal with everything on merit. "Nothing but merit," he asserted.

The PM also deplored the former government's aggressive and "unjust" accountability drive, saying that the actions of the "NAB-Niazi nexus" lay bare in front of everyone and were badly exposed in the last few years.

Speaking about the tenure of the new government – a matter which remains subject to curious speculations - PM Shehbaz said that the remaining term of the parliament was a one-and-a-half years but the allies of the government would finally decide how long the period should stay in power before the country goes for new elections. He, however, revealed that PML-N was in favour of going for the electins soon after the electoral reforms were done.

PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif will finalize the portfolios of PML-N ministers, he shared.

For some, the incumbent premier appeared completely relaxed but for others, he dodged several questions instead of giving clear answers. About the tenure of the government, he repeatedly quipped, “as long as you would say I will continue”.

On the renewal of Nawaz Sharif’s passport and his return, Shehbaz said that the former is a Pakistani and it is his right to have the passport, saying he would return to Pakistan only when the doctors allow him to travel – a stance that PML-N has taken since his departure to London in November 2019 on health grounds.

On the first day in office on Tuesday, Shehbaz Sharif reset the schedule of the working of the Prime Minister's Office – starting the day at 8am while the office will remain open for six days of the week instead of five.

PM Shehbaz arrived at the PM Office to formally start his duties as the chief executive of the country. He was presented guard of honour by a smartly turned-out contingent of the armed forces. Later, he was introduced to the PM Office staff.

He reached the office at 8 am, two hours before the scheduled office hours of 10am. The prime minister ordered for starting the government offices at 8am.

During the interaction with his staff, the prime minister directed the officials to get into action for robust performance.

He told his staff that “diligence, honesty, and transparency” were his guiding principles, adding that serving the people of Pakistan was his topmost priority.

Shehbaz assumed the responsibilities at his office at 8 pm – much earlier than the Ramazan working hours of 10 am – saying that he did not want to waste any amount of the time without serving the masses. He ordered a single weekly off for the public departments instead of the earlier two days.

Consequently, upon the prime minister’s orders, the Establishment Division issued a notification, saying that the government offices would be opened from Monday through Thursday and Saturday from 8 to 3 pm and from 8 am to 1 pm on Friday.

Shehbaz also started work on implementing the relief measures he had announced in his speech in the National Assembly on Monday. He issued directives to ensure relief for the masses, including the provision of low-cost edible items at Sasta bazaars and also stressed its strict monitoring.

Shehbaz said that he would not tolerate any irresponsibility in ensuring the provision of inexpensive commodities to the general public. He also ordered the officials concerned to implement his announcement of a 10% increase in pensions and fixing the minimum wages at Rs25,000 per month.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2352322/pm-shehbaz-warns-against-vilifying-state-institutions

 

[MenInG]

SLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is in consultation with the leaders of the coalition parties over the formation of his cabinet, The News reported.

PM Shehbaz held separate meetings with PPP leaders and former president Asif Ali Zardari and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto- Zardari, Pakistan Democratic Alliance (PDM) President and JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, MQM-Pakistan leaders, BNP-Mengal Chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal, parliamentary leader of the BAP Khalid Magsi, Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) Chief Shahzain Bugti and independent member Aslam Bhootani for this purpose.

During the meetings, the premier expressed his resolve to collectively address all public problems with the spirit of unity, cooperation and mutual trust.

Sources privy to the matter said that PPP is unwilling to be a part of the cabinet, saying that it would support the government from the treasury benches in a better way.

According to the sources, one group within the party favours the idea of joining the cabinet to strengthen the coalition, while the other group is of the view that the party should instead focus on electoral reforms for early election.

However, the final decision will be made as per the top leadership's will in a few days.

Sources said the PPP was more interested in the constitutional offices of the parliament and it would join the cabinet in the second phase. There is a consensus in the party on taking over the office of the National Assembly speaker with Raja Pervez Ashraf and Syed Naveed Qamar as its candidates.

They claimed that Ashraf was a strong contender, while Maulana Asad Mehmood of the JUI-F, the son of Maulana Fazlur Rehman, could be the deputy speaker.

Zardari advises tolerance towards PTI
According to sources, in the meeting with Zardari and Bilawal , PM Shehbaz insisted PPP join the cabinet, but Zardari said that the party would take a decision within a day or two. He also advised the prime minister to avoid lodging political cases against PTI leaders and promote reconciliation and tolerance. He advised him that it would not be good for the government to create an impression that it was pursuing a policy of revenge.

Furthermore, Zardari suggested Shehbaz Sharif to let Imran Khan do what he wanted as any move of the government against him would make him a “hero.” However, he had earlier advised him to take action against the former speaker or the deputy speaker for violating the Constitution.

Who will be in the cabinet?
If the PPP agrees to join, the federal cabinet will have 12 ministers from the PML-N, seven from the PPP, four from the JUI-F, two from the MQM-P, one each from the BNP-Mengal and the ANP. Shahzain Bugti of JWP and the BAP will also be given one ministry each while Mohsin Dawar, Aslam Bhootani, Tariq Bashir Cheema of the PML-Q may also be included in the cabinet.

From the PML-N, Khawaja Asif, Rana Tanveer Hussain, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Khurram Dastgir, Ahsan Iqbal, Maryam Aurangzeb, Shaista Pervaiz Malik, Mian Javed Latif, Rana Sanaullah are likely to join the cabinet.

The names of Senator Sherry Rehman, Senator Mustafa Nawaz Kohar, Syed Naveed Qamar, and Shazia Marri from the PPP are also under consideration. The name of Senator Azam Nazir Tarar for Leader of the House in the Senate is also under consideration.

GEO

 

[James]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Congratulations to <a href="https://twitter.com/CMShehbaz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CMShehbaz</a> on his election as Prime Minister of Pakistan. The UK & Pakistan have a longstanding relationship and our people share deep ties. I look forward to working together on areas of shared interest.</p>— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/BorisJohnson/status/1514263165755924482?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Bewal Express]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Congratulations to <a href="https://twitter.com/CMShehbaz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CMShehbaz</a> on his election as Prime Minister of Pakistan. The UK & Pakistan have a longstanding relationship and our people share deep ties. I look forward to working together on areas of shared interest.</p>— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/BorisJohnson/status/1514263165755924482?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

One criminal supporting another

 

[James]

One criminal supporting another

Yes, a bit embarrassing.

 

[Colorblind Genius]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Congratulations to <a href="https://twitter.com/CMShehbaz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CMShehbaz</a> on his election as Prime Minister of Pakistan. The UK & Pakistan have a longstanding relationship and our people share deep ties. I look forward to working together on areas of shared interest.</p>— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/BorisJohnson/status/1514263165755924482?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Is this true too?

 

[wasim-fan]

Been reading good things about Shahbaz as an administrator. He has got his work cut out. He has an economic mess with a possible demographic time bomb to manage. Even the best of leaders will crumble under the current situation.

 

[Bewal Express]

Been reading good things about Shahbaz as an administrator. He has got his work cut out. He has an economic mess with a possible demographic time bomb to manage. Even the best of leaders will crumble under the current situation.

How is his health because when it came to court appearances he wasn't well.

 

[MenInG]

A team of economic experts from the United Arab Emirates have met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and expressed the resolve to strengthen "bilateral economic cooperation" between the two countries, especially in the fields of trade, energy, infrastructure, and petroleum.

The delegation arrived in Pakistan on May 3 with the aim to discuss the implementation of decisions made by the leadership of Pakistan and the UAE during the premier's recent trip to the Middle East.

According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office, in the meeting with the experts on Tuesday, PM Shehbaz said that Pakistan attached the "highest priority to its brotherly relations" with the UAE and was desirous to "strengthen the relations to next level, especially on the economic front".

"This high-level visit during the Eid holidays exhibits the keenness of the Government of UAE to invest in our country," the statement added.

"Pakistan warmly welcomes this brotherly gesture and has a keen interest to welcome significant investments from the Emirati brothers."

The statement added that both sides agreed to strengthen bilateral economic cooperation including in the fields of trade, energy, infrastructure, petroleum, and other important sectors. They further agreed to stay in close contact for the "implementation of the investment and trade decisions made at the leadership level".

The prime minister also hosted a dinner reception for the delegation later that night.

PM Shehbaz visited the UAE on his return from Saudi Arabia. During his visit to UAE, PM Shehbaz met Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

They discussed advancing the longstanding relations between the two nations, and the prospects of propelling cooperation on various fronts.

The two sides reviewed a number of regional and international issues of common concern, according to the Emirates News Agency.

The meeting took place at Qasr Al Shati Palace where the Abu Dhabi crown prince wished PM Shehbaz success in leading Pakistan towards further progress and prosperity over the coming period.

PM Shehbaz had visited the UAE on his return from his official visit to Saudi Arabia, which was his first as premier.

Shehbaz calls Saudi crown prince

Separately, the prime minister made a telephone call to Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman yesterday to extend his best wishes and greetings on Eidul Fitr.

He conveyed his warm wishes and Eid greetings to the custodian of the holy mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and the brotherly people of Saudi Arabia, according to a statement issued by the PM Office.

"Recalling his interaction with the crown prince during the visit, the PM reaffirmed Pakistan’s desire to further strengthen the historic fraternal ties with Saudi Arabia and further elevate the strategic relationship between the two countries in all spheres," it stated.

The premier also underscored the resolve to implement the decisions taken in his recent meeting with the Saudi prince.

"His Royal Highness the crown prince warmly reciprocated prime minister’s Eid greetings and conveyed greetings and best wishes for the people of Pakistan," the PM's Office said, adding that the Saudi prince also reaffirmed his desire to closely work together for "augmenting and diversifying bilateral cooperation".

He, the statement added, also underlined his resolve to follow through on the understandings reached during the Prime Minister’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia.

DAWN

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Upcoming elections to be decisive for Karachi, says Shehbaz

Former premier Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said the upcoming elections will determine the fate of Karachi as he called for collective efforts to deal with issues plaguing the port city.

The PML-N president arrived in Karachi on Thursday to meet MQM-P leaders to finalise the electoral alliance between the two parties in the run-up to general elections scheduled for February 8.

Addressing the media today alongside leaders of MQM-P, Shehbaz said he found the MQM-P leaders very "enthusiastic" as he highlighted the collective achievements of both parties.

Shehbaz said the upcoming elections will have to prove if the political leadership of the country can resolve the issues with mutual consultation.

The PML-N president also questioned if Nawaz was the ladla, as he was someone who was arrested and stripped of his premiership. Taking a dig at PTI founder Imran Khan, he maintained that the ladla was the one who was greeted with 'good to see you' in the apex court.

Referring to the port city, he said "untiring" efforts were needed for Karachi to get its due share and maintained the fate of the city would change after the elections. "No single person can bring about these changes alone.

Speaking at a separate event earlier in the day, Shehbaz promised that Karachi's infrastructure would be developed, the water tanker mafia would end and the youth will be imparted technical skills.

He also lauded the residents of the city for making it the highest tax-paying city in Pakistan. Referring to Nawaz's earlier tenure in power, he lamented that the Karachi-Hyderabad motorway would have been completed by now if the elder Sharif had not been ousted.

Shebaz further expressed his party's intent for a strong election campaign in Karachi, rest of Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

"Public transport is the backbone of a country's development and PML-N will bring it to Karachi as best as we can," said Shehbaz.

Lastly, he emphasised that the PML-N would work collectively with all stakeholders to improve the conditions in the port city.

Source : The Express Tribune