[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text dp_text_size=”size-4″]Asif Ali Zardari, the president of the Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP), visited Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday night at the PM’s residence to discuss the government’s potential next steps in the wake of President Dr. Arif Alvi’s attempt to compel the ruling alliance to hold elections in two provinces.
The Supreme Court has since taken up the case while exercising its suo moto jurisdiction.
In the meeting, the two bigwigs of the ruling alliance also discussed reducing the federal cabinet’s size in line with its belt-tightening policy amid the financial crisis.
According to an official statement, the PPPP president met the prime minister. Upon his arrival at the PM House, it said, the prime minister received Zardari, also the former president. The one-on-one meeting was followed by dinner.
Sources in the ruling alliance said that the possible areas of discussion between the prime minister and the head of a key allied party included the decision of the federal cabinet empowering the prime minister to write a letter to President Dr Arif Alvi in connection with the president’s step to unilaterally announce the date for the elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).
The president’s declaration of the election dates in two provinces on Wednesday, according to Prime Minister Shehbaz and his cabinet, was unconstitutional.
The premier then declared that, on behalf of the government, he will send President Alvi a letter denouncing his behaviour.
After the Electoral Commission of Pakistan (ECP) declined his request to call a meeting to discuss the schedule for elections in the two provinces, President Alvi fixed April 9 as the poll date on February 20.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said that country’s progress was linked to the success of the Youth Loan Program which besides supporting the unemployed youngsters also benefited the national economy.
The prime minister, addressing a ceremony for cheque distribution among the beneficiaries of the Prime Minister Youth Loan Program, said if provided ample opportunities, Pakistan’s youths would take the country to new heights.
He said the loan scheme was the continuation of the PM Youth Loan scheme launched in 2013 by that time prime minister Nawaz Sharif and billions of rupees were disbursed among the entitled youth.
The prime minister recalled that CM Youth Loan Scheme was also launched in Punjab and 75,000 youths were also given vehicles on loan.
He said the recovery ratio of the youth loan scheme was around 99 percent which manifested the honesty of the country’s youngsters.
Prime Minister Shehbaz said that the 99% recovery ratio of the youth and Kissan loan schemes falsified the misconception about the risks involved in the individual loans by the banks.
“I am giving laptop, not Kalashnikov,” the prime minister remarked who earlier distributed cheques among the beneficiaries of loan scheme besides launching a Freelancer Card.
Meanwhile, the prime minister highlighting the significance of long-standing cooperation between Pakistan and the United States underscored the need to make this partnership diverse and multidimensional.
He underlined that parliamentary exchanges between the two countries, as vibrant democracies, were vital to promoting understanding of each others’ perspectives at the political level.
The US Senate delegation of six Democrats, led by Senator Chuck Schumer, the Senate Majority Leader, visited the prime minister and shared these opinions.
The delegation also comprised Senators Peter Welch, Gary Peters, Amy Klobuchar, Catherine Cortez Masto, and Maria Cantwell.
The prime minister encouraged the US Congress to take responsibility for speaking out in support of Kashmiri rights and against the upsurge in anti-Muslim militancy in India.
Senator Schumer expressed the delegation’s gratitude to the Prime Minister and reaffirmed the intention to further develop bilateral ties between the US and Pakistan in a number of different ways through continuing engagement and expanded cooperation.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
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