Saudi Crown Prince visit a milestone achievement of PTI led government on foreign policy front: Fawad

ISLAMABAD, Feb 14 (APP):Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain Thursday said the upcoming visit of Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman would prove a game changer, besides opening vistas of opportunities for the country.

Addressing a news conference here after the cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, he said the upcoming visit of the Saudi Crown Prince would be a milestone in numerous achievements of Pakistan Tehrik-i- Insaf (PTI) led government at the foreign policy front during the past six months.
He said Pakistan had once again become a key player in the Middle East politics and its re conciliatory role had been recognized. “Pakistan is making sincere efforts to bridge the differences between various brotherly Muslim countries.”
The negotiations with Taliban would prove a game changer event in Islamabad, and likely to bring stability in the region and the country which would help attract investments.
Prime Minister Imran Khan and his cabinet would welcome the Saudi Crown Prince, who would be presented a 21-gun salute. He would hold meetings with the prime minister and the president, besides attending a number of other meetings.
The visit would open new vistas of opportunities for the country, he said adding that a large number of Saudi investors were also accompanying the Crown Prince. Around eight Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) would be inked with Saudi Arabia during the visit and Saudi Arabia was set to invest 8 billion dollars in Gwadar.
Fawad said a large entourage of Saudi investors was accompanying the Crown Prince. The Board of Investment has been assigned to organize workshops for briefing Saudi investors on investment opportunities in Pakistan, Fawad said.
The easing of visas facilities for Saudi investors would prove helpful in attracting tourists from Saudi Arabia and boosting industry in the country, he added.
He said as many as 26 meetings of Federal Cabinet were held during the last six months as compared to only five cabinet meetings held in the corresponding period during the tenure of PML-N. The Cabinet took 440 decisions out of which 243 decisions had been implemented.
The federal cabinet, he said, had decided to provide gas and power to the country’s industrial zones. Owing to the government policies foreign investment was now pouring in from across the globe, he added.
Giving details of other cabinet decisions, he said the cabinet gave approval to appointment of Zafar Usmani as new chairman of Pakistan State Oil, along with reconstitution of its Board.
He said an overseas Pakistani Adnan Ghani had been appointed as head of Zarai Tarqqiati Bank Limited. His appointment gives a message that the PTI government appreciated and recognized the positive contributions of overseas Pakistanis in the country’s economy.
The minister said that Naseer Khan Kashani had been appointed Chairman of Gwadar Port.  He said Essential Services Act had been implemented in the State Life Insurance Corporation of Pakistan.
He said that the Cabinet was also briefed on the process of transferring the management of Sheikh Zayed Hospital and other hospitals to the center. The minister said draft proposal for merger of Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority and National Disaster Management Authority was approved by the cabinet.
The cabinet also granted approval to Board of Pakistan Institute of Management Sciences.
Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said a committee had been set up for water payment of power royalty issue to Azad Kashmir. He said National Anti-Narcotics Policy was also laid before the cabinet.
While responding to questions of media persons, he lamented bail approval of Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Shehbaz Sharif. He said that there was fault in the system as the rich used to go scot-free by hiring the services of costly counsels, while the poor thieves had to endure prolonged incarcerations on petty crimes and languish in jails.
He said that the PTI government was fully committed to change the system of loot and plunder altogether.
Shehbaz Sharif’s bail would have negative effect on Pakistani society, he said adding that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) should challenge the decision and the Government was ready to extend support to NAB.
To a question he said the government had ordered external audit of Sui gas companies and the preliminary reports were not encouraging.
He said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had apparently no political challenge but its fight against the system would continue. He said that the PTI had successfully challenged the two party system and it would change the system as well.
Responding to a question he said one accused (Zardari) of committing billions of rupees corruption, is visiting Sindh by changing vehicles while the other culprit (Shehbaz) was enjoying protocol and roaming in costly vehicles but they would have to be brought to justice.
To a question he said no luxury vehicles had been hired by the government and the news spread on the social media was incorrect. The visit of Saudi Crown Prince would not burden the national exchequer as expenditures of the Crown Prince’s entourage visits were being borne by Saudi Arabia, he added.
He said Pakistan had posted significant achievements in attracting foreign investments during the last six months and it had attracted the Saudi investment which was the largest foreign investment during the last ten years.