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Friday March 29, 2024

PM asks economic team to take business bodies into confidence

By Mumtaz Alvi & Muhammad Saleh Zaafir
July 05, 2019

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan Thursday directed the government economic team to have interaction with various business bodies and apprise them of the reforms in the economy as well as the taxation system.

He gave this direction during a briefing given to a meeting he presided over here at the Prime Minister Office. Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, Adviser to PM on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Minister for Planning Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, Adviser on Commerce and Textile Abdul Razak Dawood, FBR Chairman Shabbar Zaidi and Punjab ministers were present on the occasion.

The meeting was given briefing on the issues concerning industrial sector, agriculture, promotion of tourism, establishment of special economic zones and problems of the business community in Punjab.

Prime Minister Imran Khan said that despite deep financial difficulties, the government presented a balanced budget in which full attention was paid to promotion of the industrial sector and protection of the weak segments of the society. “Keeping in view the economic situation, the government took difficult decisions and objective of which is to put the economy in the right direction and pull the country out of financial difficulties,” he maintained.

He emphasised that the government had full understanding of the reservations of the business community and to restore their confidence in the taxation system, reforms process was under way in FBR so that all segments of the society, including the business community could on their own become partners in national development.

The prime minister said that the business community should be sensitised about the fact that the objective of these reforms was Pakistan’s financial development, improvement in revenue system and encourage the business community.

Meanwhile, a delegation of bishops led by Jamshed Thomas MNA, Thursday called on Prime Minister Imran Khan and mainly issues concerning the Christian community were discussed threadbare during the meeting.

The delegation comprised of Archbishop Joseph Arshad, who is President of Pakistan Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Sebastian Francis Shaw, Archbishop of Lahore, Bishop Benny Travas, Bishop of Multan, Bishop Inderias Rehmat, Bishop Elect of Faisalabad and John Phillip met the prime minister here at the Prime Minister Office.

The prime minister reiterated commitment of the government to make every possible effort for addressing issues of the minority communities. The delegation also presented a cheque worth Rs56,50000 to the prime minister for the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the Prime Minister of Pakistan Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand Dams Fund on behalf of Pakistan Catholic Bishops Conference.

The amount is a contribution from 07 Catholic Dioceses in Pakistan (Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Hyderabad and Quetta).