PM directs ensuring availability of food items at affordable prices during Ramazan

Liaquat Ali

Islamabad: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday emphasized that provision of the essential food items to the people at affordable prices was top priority of the government.

He also directed the relevant authorities to prepare a comprehensive strategy to ensure availability of food items at affordable prices during the holy month of Ramazan.

He said the federal and provincial governments should collaborate to ensure provision of eatable items at reasonable prices to the common man.

The prime minister was chairing the meeting of the cabinet at the PM House.

The cabinet, on the recommendation of the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training, approved the appointment of Dr. Hassan Al-Amin (BS-21) as the Director of the National Institute of Pakistan Studies at Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad. The cabinet was informed that his appointment was made on merit through a transparent system.

The cabinet, on the recommendation of the Ministry of Finance, approved the appointment of Tahira Raza as a non-executive member of the State Bank of Pakistan for a period of five years.

Likewise, the cabinet, on the recommendation of the ministry of religious affairs and interfaith harmony, approved the strategy of interfaith harmony policy and religious tolerance.

The cabinet was told that a sub-committee presented the recommendation after reviewing the strategy of interfaith harmony policy and religious tolerance.

Dialogues and conferences with regard to the religious tolerance would be held and public awareness campaigns would also be run under the policy.

An action plan regarding the safety of the rights of religious minorities is also part of the policy. Furthermore, under the religious tolerance strategy, measures would be taken to prevent hate material and literature besides preparing a plan of action to resolve various sectarian differences.

On the recommendation of the ministry of religious affairs and interfaith harmony, the cabinet approved appointment of Laila Ilyas Kalpana and Satwant Kaur as female members of the Evacuee Trust Property Board.

The federal cabinet, on the recommendation of Revenue Division, also approved the signing of the initial draft of the convention between the Government of Pakistan and the Government of Iraq regarding the elimination of double taxation on income tax and capital, as well as measures to prevent tax evasion and tax non-compliance.

The cabinet ratified the decisions made in the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) meeting held on February 3, 2025.

The cabinet also ratified the decisions taken in the Cabinet Committee on Legislative Cases meeting held on February 7, 2025.

The meeting also endorsed the decisions taken in the Cabinet Committee on State Owned Enterprises meeting held on February 11, 2025.