ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar claimed that US military equipment left behind during American withdrawal from Afghanistan has fallen into militant hands.

Equipment which includes wide variety of items, from night vision goggles to firearms is now “Emerging as new challenge” for Islamabad, he said while speaking to foreign journalists. He said there was need to adopt “Coordinated approach” to tackling challenge of leftover equipment. Kakar said that Pak-Afghan ties are deeply rooted in cultural and faith-based linkages as well as social integration.

“Pakistan showed magnanimity to Afghan refugees and government is coming up with policy to address challenge of illegal immigrants,” he added. He said that government would make informed decisions to satisfy electricity consumers on issue of inflated bills without deviating from country’s commitments with international financial institutions.

Mentioning issues of circular debt, power theft and taxes, PM Kakar said government would introduce short-term solutions to issue without undermining agitating people. Caretaker PM assured that interim government was mandated to facilitate holding general elections as early as possible while observing constitutional obligations.

PM Kakar said without redesigning government structure, caretaker setup was mainly focused on rearranging fiscal and monetary policies to build an edifice for economic revival. Calling Special Investment Facilitation Council, strategy for economic revival, he said it focused on agriculture, mines and minerals, defence production and information technology.

He said reforms needed in taxation and power sectors and that government would leave behind basis for mid-level reforms. To question, he said all registered political parties would be provided level playing field to contest general elections without any discrimination. However, he said in certain instances, political behaviour turned into vandalism and country’s law was already in vogue to deal with such conduct. People of Balochistan welcomed every project under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor which had entered second phase. Referring to massive reserves worth $ 6 trillion of copper and gold in Balochistan, he said Reko Diq project was about to start soon.

Published in The Daily National Courier, September, 06 2023

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