Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Tuesday that this year’s Ramazan Relief Package would be implemented without the involvement of Utility Stores to prevent corruption and ensure the distribution of high-quality commodities.
Speaking during a televised meeting of the federal cabinet, the prime minister said he had directed the Ministry of National Food Security to devise a package that excludes Utility Stores, citing numerous complaints received last year about the poor execution of the program. He emphasized that the decision was made to address issues of corruption and the sale of substandard goods.
During the meeting, the prime minister also paid tribute to Abdul Khaliq, a policeman killed in Jamrud while providing security to a polio vaccination team. He commended the efforts of the polio team, including PM’s Coordinator on Health Dr. Mukhtar, Polio Coordinator Dr. Ayesha Farooq, and health officials, for their dedication to eradicating polio in Pakistan. Shehbaz Sharif reiterated the government’s commitment to making the country polio-free and honored the sacrifices of those working toward this goal.
The prime minister also briefed the cabinet on his recent visit to Quetta, where he met security personnel injured in an anti-terror operation in Kalat. The operation resulted in the martyrdom of 18 security personnel and the elimination of 23 terrorists. He praised the high morale of the injured soldiers, who expressed their readiness to continue fighting for the country. Shehbaz Sharif highlighted the sacrifices of the army, police, FC, and Rangers, who he said were bearing the consequences of past policies that allowed thousands of terrorists to be released. The cabinet offered Fateha for the martyred security personnel and the policeman killed during the polio duty.
The prime minister expressed satisfaction over the significant drop in inflation, which he said had fallen to a nine-year low of 2.4% on a month-to-month basis, down from 28.73%. He congratulated the nation, the cabinet, the finance minister, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), and other officials for their efforts over the past 11 months to achieve this milestone. Shehbaz Sharif stressed that the government’s focus would now shift toward achieving economic growth, which he described as the next major challenge.
He also shared details of a recent agreement with Saudi Arabia, under which the Kingdom will provide $1.2 billion worth of oil annually on deferred payment. Additionally, the Saudi Development Fund will finance a $40 million water supply project in Mansehra. The prime minister thanked Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for his support and noted that a Saudi delegation had visited Pakistan on Monday to finalize the agreements.
Shehbaz Sharif further announced that the nation would observe Kashmir Solidarity Day on Wednesday to express support for the Kashmiri people. He also lauded the approval of the agricultural income tax by all four provinces, a key condition of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He thanked the chief ministers, as well as political leaders including Asif Ali Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and Mian Nawaz Sharif, for their cooperation in meeting this requirement.
