Pakistan will not tolerate any kind of terrorism from across border: PM

Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday categorically stated that Pakistan will not tolerate any kind of terrorism from across the border.

Chairing the federal cabinet meeting in Islamabad today, he said security of geographical frontiers of Pakistan are a redline.

The Prime Minister said Pakistan desires to have cordial relations with the neighboring fraternal country to promote trade and economic relations. However, it is not acceptable that the land of the neighboring country is used for terrorism.

Shehbaz Sharif proposed the formulation of a joint strategy with the sincerity of purpose to defeat the scourge of   terrorism. He said collective efforts against terrorism will help establish peace in the region and address other issues such as that of poverty.  He expressed the confidence that the neighboring country will seriously consider his proposal and work with Pakistan to make the region abode of peace.

Highlighting the sacrifices rendered by Pakistan in the war on terrorism, the Prime Minister reaffirmed the commitment to wipe out the menace of terrorism as was done previously.

The Prime Minister paid glowing tributes to the sacrifices of the security forces and their families.      

Turning to the economic situation, the Prime Minister said the country is compelled to secure another IMF package. He however affirmed the commitment to revive the economy and help it stand on its own feet. We have taken a conscious decision to minimize borrowing and gradually rid the country of loans.   

The Prime Minister said an enabling environment will be created to attract investments across various sectors including agriculture, industries, Information Technology and mines and minerals.  He said Special Investment Facilitation Council is serving as a robust platform to facilitate investment in the country.

Alluding to the pending tax cases worth twenty four hundred billion rupees, the Prime Minister appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to direct the courts to dispose of these cases at the earliest.  

The Prime Minister also expressed the resolve to enhance the tax base and bring the potential sectors into the tax net. He said the FBR will be completely digitalized. For this purpose, the process of hiring consultants will be completed by the third or fourth week of the next month. He said the digitalization process will be supervised to ensure its early completion.  He said the services of honest and dedicated officers in the FBR will be duly recognized.

Shehbaz Sharif said a committee has also been established to cut the expenditures of the government. He assured that its recommendations will be fully implemented.

He said there will be zero tolerance to electricity and gas pilferage.

The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of collaborative efforts amongst the federal and provincial governments to steer the country out of multifaceted challenges.

Shehbaz Sharif expressed the confidence that the cabinet will live up to the confidence of the masses in terms of its performance and responsibility.