ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has called a meeting of the federal cabinet to discuss the security situation in the country and underway development projects, a private media outlet reported.
As per the agenda of the meeting, the prime minister will approve ad hoc relief for the prime minister and federal and state ministers.
According to reports, the prime minister will also announce a 10 per cent increase in the basic salaries of the chairman and deputy chairman of the Senate, parliamentary secretaries and MNAs.
Moreover, the prime minister will also be briefed on the issuance of arms licences.
The meeting will be held at 8pm today, where the remaining members of the cabinet are likely to get portfolios. The prime minister is also likely to be briefed on the electoral reforms bill submitted to the assembly earlier.
The projects that would be started in Karachi and Hyderabad with Rs30 billion — recently approved for the two cities — will also come under discussion. The amount was allocated and approved by the prime minister for the two cities during his recent visit to Karachi.
The projects in Karachi and Hyderabad will be looked by the federal government and the governor of the province will be the administrator of the projects.
Sources said modern hospitals and medical colleges would be constructed in Karachi and Hyderabad under the package.
During his first official visit to Karachi, the prime minister announced a development project of Rs25 billion for the city, while Rs5 billion was announced for Hyderabad.
FIVE SPECIAL ASSISTANTS APPOINTED:
Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday appointed five new special assistants.
A statement from the PM Office said that the special assistants include Barrister Zafarullah, Miftah Ismail, Dr Asif Kirmani, Dr Mussadiq Malik and Kh Zaheer Ahmad. Their portfolios would be announced later.
The prime minister now has a 54-member team to help in day to day tasks of running the government.
It comprises 28 federal ministers; including Sartaj Aziz as the Planning Commission deputy chairman, 16 ministers of state, five advisers and an equal number of special assistants.
