‘PM to spell out how to fight poverty next week’

RAWALPINDI: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Naeemul Haq Saturday said Prime Minister Imran Khan will next week announce revolutionary measures on how to fight poverty.

Talking to journalists here, Haq noted that the focus of government as well as the prime minister was on combating poverty. He also reiterated the government’s resolve that five million houses would be readied in five years. He explained that some 80 per cent of the houses would be for the poor, who would be able to pay paltry installments per month while the rest would be for the middle class. He said around 10,000 developers would transform this policy into a reality.

Referring to corruption, Haq said former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif had been awarded sentence and now it was the turn of ex-president Asif Ali Zardari, as previously they had looted and plundered the national wealth. The government, he pointed out, was also working on a comprehensive policy to control population, as it was one of the major hurdles to the way of progress and prosperity, saying 15,000 new souls were being added to Pakistan’s population in every 24 hours.

Sounding optimistic, Haq maintained that the government would be able to ensure health card to every family during its five-year stint, enabling them to get monthly Rs2,000-3,000 free medicines from government hospitals. He said Pakistan was moving towards a golden era and within next few months the economic situation would improve significantly.

Paying tribute to the armed forces, he said the military had rendered massive sacrifices over the years for establishment of peace and fighting terrorism in Pakistan. He said the roots of terrorism were in Afghanistan.

He noted that with efforts of Pakistan, the United States had managed to hold direct talks with the Taliban recently and hopefully peace would return to the war-torn country in next few months.

Referring to the prime minister’s visit to Turkey, he claimed that the visit had been quite successful while US President Donald Trump had expressed his desire to meet Prime Minister Imran Khan. “It has been Imran Khan’s stance for the last 15-20 years that the solution to Afghan problems lies in talks with the Taliban,” he said.