Imran levelling baseless allegations to divert attention from May 9 events: PM

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said that Imran Khan Niazi could go to any extreme to defame the law enforcement agencies and to distract attention from his culpability in the tragic events of May 09.

“Make no mistake about the evil intent behind Imran Niazi’s latest ploy to defame our law enforcement agencies and police. Yet again, he is making misleading and baseless allegations of the rights abuses just to distract attention for his culpability in the tragic events of May 9,” the prime minister on Twitter said, adding that he was not surprised by Imran’s antics.

Shehbaz said that someone who could persistently use foul language against the state institutions, incite people to violence and attack the state symbols and military installations, and bring down martyrs’ monuments, was capable of going to any extreme. The prime minister said that Imran Niazi presided over a disinformation apparatus that deployed fake news methodically to fool the people. “Everything about him is hate, division and lie,” he said.

Meanwhile, the prime minister Thursday directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) chairman to completely stop the illegal sale of cigarettes and tobacco products.

While talking to a delegation of Pakistan Tobacco Company here, the PM said steps should be taken on an emergency basis against the illegal sale of cigarettes and tobacco products. He also ordered the installation of a track and trace system in all the cigarette factories in the country by July 15. He said the smuggling of cigarettes should be stopped, adding nobody would be allowed to cause loss to the national exchequer. He said strict action should be taken against those involved in selling of smuggled cigarettes and tobacco or those products on which taxes were evaded.

Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar, Adviser to the PM Ahad Cheema, FBR chairman and high-ranking officials attended the meeting. Also, the prime minister Thursday said Pakistan considered Japan as an important partner for its progress and prosperity and Japanese companies should avail the immense opportunities for investment in Pakistan.

The PM was speaking to President Toyota Asia Yoshiki Konishi and Chief Executive Officer of Indus Motors Ali Asghar Jamali who called on him here.

Japan’s Ambassador to Pakistan Mitsuhiro Wada, Vice Chairman Toyota Indus Motors Shinji Yanagi, Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar, Minister for Industries and Production Makhdum Murtaza Mehmood, Adviser to PM Ahad Cheema, Special Assistants to PM Jehanzeb Khan and Tariq Bajwa and high-ranking officials attended the meeting. In a briefing, the prime minister was told that Toyota Indus Motors for the first time established a unit for the production of hybrid vehicles in Pakistan with an investment of $100 million.

PM Shehbaz Sharif welcomed the project of Toyota to produce hybrid vehicles in Pakistan. The Japanese ambassador said leading Japanese companies were desirous of further investment in Pakistan. During the briefing, the PM was told that in the current year from July, Toyota Indus Motors would start export of spare parts of vehicles and these exports would make Pakistan a part of the global supply chain.

The prime minister said exports of spare parts should be enhanced by taking benefit of the capacity of engineering sector in the country. He said it should be ensured that the spare parts for the vehicles to be sold in Pakistan should be manufactured locally. The participants of the meeting lauded the prime minister for his government’s business-friendly policies.

On the other hand, the Foreign Office said Thursday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will attend the inauguration ceremony of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on June 3. The prime minister is paying the visit at the invitation of President Erdogan, who was re-elected to his office on May 28. “The prime minister’s visit will be a reaffirmation of the deep-rooted fraternal ties between Pakistan and Turkiye,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said at a weekly press briefing.

The FO spokesperson said the prime minister would convey warm felicitations on behalf of the government and people of Pakistan to President Erdogan. The prime minister would also extend an invitation to President Erdogan to attend the 7th Meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) in Islamabad, she said.Baloch said Minister of State (MoS) for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar will undertake official visits to Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Belgium from June 5-13. “The MoS will hold meetings at the ministerial level to discuss political engagement and cooperation in development, trade and climate change,” she said.

Also, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday here separately held meetings with members of National Assembly, including Ali Musa Gilani, Riazul Haq and Khalid Javed Warraich.During the meetings, the legislators discussed with the prime minister problems related to their constituencies, development projects and the political situation in the country.Special Assistant to the prime minister Attaullah Tarar was present in the meeting.