ISLAMABAD, June 18 (APP): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday termed the regional situation very alarming due to escalated armed conflict between Iran and Israel and said it posed threat not only to the regional but also to the global peace.
The prime minister reiterated Pakistan’s complete solidarity with brotherly country Iran and its people against Israeli aggression and called upon the international community to make efforts for ensuring immediate ceasefire in the ongoing armed conflict.
Addressing a meeting of the cabinet, which was telecast on national Tv channels, the prime minister said that Pakistan had strongly condemned the Israeli aggression against Iran in which hundreds of Iranian people lost their lives and a larger number of others were injured.
“The global community should ensure a ceasefire,” he stressed and expressed the optimism for lasting peace.
He informed the cabinet that during the conflict, he had talked to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and condemned Israeli aggression besides expressed nation’s solidarity.
The prime minister said that he had also held discussion with President of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the evolving situation.
About Gaza situation, he said scenes there were heart-wrenching and painful as over 50,000 innocent Palestinians had been martyred.
“The brutality is being unleashed but when will the world’s conscience wake up!” he questioned.
The prime minister further apprised that Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar would be attending a meeting of the OIC foreign ministers in Turkiye on 21-22 June.
Referring to the fiscal budget, the prime minister appreciated finance minister, his team and chairman FBR for taking the allied parties and other stakeholders onboard in this regard.
He said the government had told IMF against imposing tax on agriculture sector, including levy of taxes on fertilizer and pesticides as this sector was under pressure to which they agreed. The prime minister expressed gratitude to the IMF for accepting their request.
He said that in the current fiscal budget, only one percent tax would be paid by those earning between Rs600,000 to 120,0000 against 5 percent which was imposed last year.
In the recent great victory against India in the armed conflict, he said it was possible due to the professionalism of the armed forces and support of 240 million people of the country.
The prime minister said considering the fight against terrorism, they had increased the fiscal space to meet the requirements of the armed forces with regard to necessary equipments.
He said PSDP volume had been increased to Rs1000 billion in the current fiscal budget and expressed the resolve to achieve the targets.
The incumbent government did not act like those who had broken the promises and took the country to the verge of default, he said, adding that they had pulled back the country from running into financial fiasco and now it was moving forward.
The prime minister also lauded a delegation led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Sherry Rehman, minister for climate and others that had effectively presented Pakistan’s viewpoint over Indian unilateral and illegal aggression during their visits to the US and Europe.
