ISLAMABAD – Acceding to the demands of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the government on Thursday formed two committees to make the petroleum products pricing formula transparent and rationalize the power and gas outage management suggesting that it was willing to implement most of the PML-N’s reforms.
Talking to media after talks with the PML-N, Finance Minister Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh said that there was broad consensus on strengthening the national economy. “Whatever was required for strengthening the economy like expenditure cuts and mobilizing domestic revenue resources would be utilised”. The meeting decided to form a group to reconsider the petroleum pricing formula to make it more transparent, he said, adding that a committee was formed including ministers for petroleum and power, Sardar Mehtab Abbasi and Khurram Dastagir Khan of PML-N to give suggestions for rationalizing power and gas load shedding issues. “Both committees will make their recommendations at the next meeting, which would be held on January 26.”
He said the federal and provincial governments would act together to control prices. “Provincial chief secretaries and federal authorities will meet on January 24 to discuss proposals and make recommendations”. On the PML-N’s demand to retrieve all waived political loans, he said State Bank of Pakistan Governor Shahid Kardar would brief the government on January 22. The minister said the Cabinet Committee on Restructuring (CCOR) had finalised its recommendations on restructuring public sector enterprises, which included recommendations for a mechanism to hire management transparently. Head of the PML-N delegation Senator Ishaq Dar said that the meeting decided that the government would implement the 10-point agenda incrementally without waiting for the 45-day deadline. He said the meeting discussed the transparent mechanism for the appointment of the chief election commissioner as well as other top officials at the Election Commission. “The first step will be formation of the parliamentary committee by the speaker, that will then take up the other issue”.
On the accountability bill, he said the Ministry of Law would be making its recommendations before January 26 and the federal government would be coming up with proposals to cut expenditure. An exercise was already under way in Punjab and Sindh to cut their expenditure. “All these measures will be finalised before January 26”.
8 Cash-strapped govt doles out
Rs 330m to FATA MPs – Page 03
