He credits Field Marshal Asim Munir for global peace deal, praises Dar and Naqvi for their key roles
Prime Minister Shehbaz addresses the NA meeting on Wednesday in Islamabad. Photo: PID
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told the National Assembly (NA) on Friday that a significant reduction in fuel prices would be announced later in the day and called for a unanimous parliamentary resolution to project national unity as he hailed Pakistan’s role in recent diplomatic efforts that he said contributed to global peace.
The NA session began under the chairmanship of Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. When he arrived at Parliament, the Prime Minister was welcomed by desk banging from lawmakers
Addressing Parliament during the budget session, Prime Minister Shehbaz said oil prices had fallen after a ceasefire and expressed hope that they would fall further.
“Today, God willing, a significant reduction will be announced,” he said, referring to fuel prices due to be revised on Friday.
The prime minister said Pakistan had achieved international recognition and urged lawmakers across party lines to support a unanimous resolution.
“If Parliament adopts a unanimous resolution on this matter, it will send a message of unity to the world,” he said, adding that political differences should not stand in the way of national interests.
Prime Minister Shehbaz said the Chief of Defense and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir had played the most crucial role in securing a global peace agreement and had worked tirelessly during the last two to three months.
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He also credited Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi for their contributions, saying there had been several moments when talks appeared close to collapsing.
The Prime Minister congratulated the opposition lawmakers as well as PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, President Asif Ali Zardari and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Prime Minister Shehbaz told parliament that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had called him on Thursday evening to thank Pakistan and had specifically acknowledged the role of Field Marshal Asim Munir.
The prime minister said he had invited Pezeshkian to visit Pakistan and that the invitation had been accepted. He added that the Iranian president had invited Pakistan to attend the funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and that a Pakistani delegation would attend.
The Prime Minister thanked provincial governments, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, petroleum officials and Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb for helping manage the economy under difficult circumstances.
He said government efforts had prevented shortages and queues at gas stations, contrasting the situation with Sri Lanka.
Prime Minister Shehbaz later went to Leader of Opposition Mahmood Khan Achakzai and PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan to shake hands with them.
Speaker Ayaz Sadiq gave details of attendance at the budget debate, saying government members still had two-and-a-half hours of speaking time left.
He said 66 opposition lawmakers had participated in the debate. While nine hours had been allotted to the opposition, its members had spoken for 14 hours and four minutes, exceeding their allotted time by five hours, three minutes and 28 seconds.
The speaker said the opposition’s claims that they were not allowed to speak were belied by repeated calls for members to participate in the debate.
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He added that Thursday’s meeting had been deliberately extended by half an hour to accommodate additional speeches, and that government members had also been invited to speak, but none had done so during the evening meeting.
Ayaz Sadiq announced that Friday’s meeting would be postponed to Saturday before Juma prayers.
Speaking during the debate, PPP lawmaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said that an Iran-US deal had demonstrated Pakistan’s desire for global peace and claimed that Pakistan had helped avert a third world war.
Congratulating Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, he called for a 10 percent hike in the salaries of government employees, arguing that the proposed seven percent hike was insufficient.
Ashraf said political stability, improved law and order, poverty alleviation and consensus-based politics were essential for economic growth and foreign investment.
He also addressed the situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), saying he had served in a government negotiating team that accepted 80 percent of the protesters’ demands, while the issue of refugee seats remained unresolved.
According to Ashraf, electricity rates were reduced to Rs 3 per unit and flour subsidy was provided as part of the negotiations. He called for the formation of another negotiating committee and called on both protesters and authorities to engage in dialogue.
Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai told Parliament that the day should not be used for political point-scoring, stressing that Parliament, the military and national interests belonged to all Pakistanis.
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He called for powers stripped from Parliament to be restored and urged the Prime Minister to make decisions independently. Achakzai also criticized the suspension of lawmaker Iqbal Afridi during the budget session and appealed for the decision to be reversed. He said his party would give unconditional support to strengthen parliament and democracy.
After his remarks, the Prime Minister crossed the floor and held brief consultations with Achakzai, lawyer Gohar Ali Khan and former Speaker of the National Assembly Asad Qaiser. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb joined the discussions, after which the Prime Minister called him aside and issued instructions.
Separately, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif also met opposition leaders at their seats in the house for consultations.
