-Emphasizes on political settlement
-Claims Pakistan was deeply affected by the conflict
-Reaffirms full support to Afghan peace process
By Ajmal Khan Yousafzai
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday reiterated his conviction that there was no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan and a negotiated political settlement was the only way forward.
After Afghanistan, Pakistan was the most desirous of restoration of peace in that country as it was deeply affected by the conflict, he added.
The prime minister was talking to Ahmad Wali Massoud, Head of Massoud Foundation, Afghanistan, who called on him here, a press release issued by the PM Media Wing said.
He extended warm welcome to Ahmad Wali Massoud and stated that Pakistan and Afghanistan were bound by a fraternal relationship, rooted deep in shared history and commonalities of faith, culture and traditions.
The prime minister recalled the historic contribution of late Ahmed Shah Massoud, a key Mujahideen leader, during the Afghan resistance movement.
In the context of Afghan peace process, he highlighted that Pakistan had extended full support to facilitate the US-Taliban Peace Agreement and the initiation of Intra-Afghan Negotiations.
Imran Khan stressed that the Intra-Afghan Negotiations provided a historic opportunity, which must be seized by the Afghan leadership to achieve an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement.
He added that Pakistan had been emphasizing all sides to work together constructively, take steps for reduction of violence leading to ceasefire, and secure a political solution for a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan.
The prime minister underscored that the return of peace in Afghanistan would have lasting benefits for the region and beyond, through economic development, regional trade, and improved connectivity.
He further highlighted the range of steps, including introduction of a liberal visa regime, and increased facilitation in bilateral and transit trade to further strengthen fraternal ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Pakistan’s assistance for Afghanistan’s development efforts and human resource capacity-building would continue apace, he added.
The visit of Ahmad Wali Massoud and his delegation is in continuation of Pakistan’s policy to reach out to the Afghan leaders to further strengthen bilateral ties and enhance mutual convergence on the Afghan peace process.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said the government was committed to facilitate the overseas Pakistanis so as to tap their immense potential and divert their financial contribution towards economic growth.
He said Roshan Digital Accounts, introduced for overseas Pakistanis to send their money to Pakistan with ease, would help gain stability of the local currency.
Addressing here at an event by State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to mark Roshan Digital Accounts crossing $500 million in foreign remittances, the Prime Minister said Pakistan was gaining economic stability as the government took effective steps in right direction. In last five months, the overseas Pakistanis from 97 countries have opened over 80,000 Roshan Digital accounts and sent $500 million to the country.
The ceremony held at PM House was attended by Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, PM’s Adviser on Institutional Reforms Dr Ishrat Hussain, Commerce Advisor Abdul Razak Dawood, along with brand ambassadors of banks including squash legend Jahangir Khan, and former cricketers Rameez Raja and Waqar Younis. Imran Khan termed around nine million overseas Pakistanis the ‘biggest asset of the country’ and said the strategy involving banking sector had yielded successful results in increased foreign remittances.
He asked the State Bank of Pakistan to maintain a constant touch with Pakistani community abroad and set up a round-the-clock Facilitation Cell to guide them about account opening and related queries. He stressed a more focused and innovative advertisement campaign on Roshan Digital Accounts to be run on electronic media across the world.
The Prime Minister appreciated the role of banking sector in encouraging the account opening by overseas Pakistanis, adding that the money inflow would play a significant role in giving strength to national economy.
Besides Roshan Digital, he asked the banks to also focus on two more sectors, namely Naya Pakistan Housing project for construction of low-cost residences and the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to uplift less-privileged segment of society.
Both of these areas are important in bringing improvement in the lives of common man, he added. The Prime Minister said the country’s all economic indicators were witnessing positive trends despite the situation of coronavirus pandemic.
He mentioned that the volume of Pakistan’s exports crossed its competitors in the sub-continent including India and Bangladesh.
The textile industry boomed and the power looms in Faisalabad and Gujranwala faced shortage of workers due to the record number of orders received from international market, he added.
Governor SBP Dr Reza Baqir said the overseas Pakistanis could open their accounts with Pakistani banks right from their computers at homes and without going to embassies. He said the deposited money was directly made repatriable to the bank-account holder, which earlier was not possible without the permission of the State Bank of Pakistan.
He announced that on desire of overseas Pakistanis to reduce transfer fee on transactions, only $5-9 would be charged, no matter how big the amount would be.
The Prime Minister awarded the banks for their best performance towards Roshan Digital Accounts, including UBL (highest number of accounts opened), Meezan Bank (highest amount received in Roshan Digital and also for highest amount received for Islamic Naya Pakistan certificates), HBL (highest amount received in conventional Naya Pakistan certificates) and Bank Alfalah (appreciation of marketing efforts).
The overseas Pakistanis including Hamid (United States), Mehdi Raza (United Kingdom), Mansoor Khan (Saudi Arabia), Syeda Paikar Zahra (Oman) and Noor ur Rehman Abid (Bahrain) via video-conference lauded the Prime Minister’s initiative of Roshan Digital Accounts particularly for its high interest rate and user-friendly process. They also suggested proposals to include local currency conversion and ensure information privacy.
On the other hand, terming digitalization of state land data “need of the hour”, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday directed to ensure the availability of the record on the websites of the concerned development authorities. Presiding over a meeting of the National Coordination Committee on Housing and Construction in Islamabad today, PM Imran said that the data of the state land should be accessible to the citizen in general and to overseas Pakistanis in particular.
The prime minister directed all the provinces to provide the state land data to the Surveyor General of Pakistan. PM Imran directed the Sindh chief secretary to expedite work on development projects and boost economic activities in the province. Briefing the meeting, Sindh chief secretary said that they would provide the land record to the Survey General of Pakistan after the approval of the provincial cabinet.
Last year in October, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar had inaugurated 115 land record centers at the ‘Qanoongoi’ level to facilitate the masses.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony in Lahore, he had termed it a historical step towards the provision of land record services in the province. The Punjab Chief Minister had also inaugurated Satellite Land Record Centers and twenty Mobile Land Centers.
