-Discusses Pak-UK ties over phone
-Directs Ismail to discuss Bundal Islands issue with Sindh
-Says EKP for Special Persons to benefit 2mn families
By Ajmal Khan Yousafzai
ISLAMABAD: Britain’s Prince Charles on Thursday made a telephone call to Prime Minister Imran Khan and reiterated his country’s support for Pakistan in fight against the coronavirus.
According to the British High Commission, matters of mutual interest, bilateral ties, coronavirus pandemic, climate change and other issues were discussed during the telephonic conversation between the two leaders.
The Prince of Whales expressed sorrow over the COVID-19 related deaths in Pakistan. He lauded the country’s commitment to tackle global warming and reaffirmed that his country will support Pakistan to promote renewable energy initiatives in the country.
Both the leaders agreed on the need for global cooperation to cope with the international challenges. On the occasion, Prince Charles told PM Imran that UK will host the United Nations’ climate change summit, known as COP26 next year.
Earlier on September 29, Prime Minister Imran Khan had urged the G20 states and the world economic bodies to grant debt relief to developing countries for at least one year as their economies have been hit hard by the novel coronavirus.
In his virtual address at the Financing for Development summit at UN headquarters in New York, PM Imran had urged the rich countries to set up special fund amounting to $500 billing to mitigate the problems being faced by the developing countries due to the COVID-19.
He had stressed the need to create a UN Infrastructure Investment Facility to mobilize an additional 1.5 Trillion dollars annually in the developing countries as the IMF estimates that developing countries will require an additional 2.5 Trillion dollars to recover from COVID-induced contraction.
Governor Sindh Imran Ismail has reportedly met Thursday Prime Minister Imran Khan in the PM House where the two leaders discussed the one-point agenda of islands development along Karachi’s coast.
PM has advised the governor to resolve long-overdue matters with the Sindh government over Bundal twin islands so the development works can begin, according to the details reported by sources. The islands hold key importance in terms of tourism and aesthetics of Karachi, acknowledged the governor in the meeting today, sources confirmed.
Governor Sindh Ismail said the sites will make for plenty of income sources for many people in the future, referring to post development Bundal Islands.
It may be noted that earlier, the PM said that Bundal Island was an important project for Karachi owing to rising issues faced by the city, expanding manifold with the passage of the time.
“Expansion in the city has caused a rise in pollution,” he said while speaking to media in Lahore adding that the Bundal Island project was aimed at saving the city. Further speaking over the importance of Ravi River Project for Lahore, he said that the green cover of the provincial capital of Punjab has witnessed a decline by 70 percent, which has caused rising pollution besides water scarcity issues in the city.
“Ravi River Project will save Lahore while Bundal Island would save Karachi,” Imran Khan said adding that the former would resolve water scarcity issues while the latter would save agricultural land.
Meanwhile on Thursday, in a post on his official Twitter handle, PM said they will be eligible for a monthly stipend of Rs2000, as many as two million families will benefit from the government’s “Ehsaas Kafaalat Policy (EKP) for Special Persons.”
“This is a step toward a disability-inclusive and sustainable post COVID-19 world,” he said.
On November 27, Prime Minister Khan had visited an Ehsaas Kafaalat handout distribution site in Islamabad, where he was briefed on how women were benefitting from the programme.
“We launched Ehsaas Kafaalat programme to facilitate women and are providing digital wallet facility to them,” Special Assistant on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Sania Nishtar had briefed him. The number of beneficiaries of the programme had risen from 4.3 million to seven million.
