He credits Field Marshal Asim Munir for the global peace deal and praises Dar and Naqvi for their key roles
Prime Minister Shehbaz speaking at the NA session 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, while lauding Pakistan’s role in recent diplomatic efforts which he said contributed to world peace.
The NA session began under the chairmanship of President Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. Upon his arrival at the House, the Prime Minister was welcomed by the deputies.
Addressing the House during the budget session, Prime Minister Shehbaz said that oil prices had fallen following the 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 won international recognition and urged lawmakers from all parties to support a unanimous resolution.
“If this Assembly adopts a unanimous resolution on this issue, 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 that Chief of Defense Force and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir played the most crucial role in bringing about a global peace deal and worked tirelessly for the last two to three months.
Read: Pakistan strikes ‘deal of the century’
He also thanked Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi for their contributions, saying there had been several moments when the negotiations seemed on the verge of collapse.
The Prime Minister congratulated 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 telephoned him on Thursday evening to thank Pakistan and specifically acknowledged the role of Field Marshal Asim Munir.
The prime minister said he had invited Pezeshkian to visit Pakistan and the invitation was accepted. He added that the Iranian president had invited Pakistan to attend the funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and a Pakistani delegation would participate.
The Prime Minister thanked provincial governments, Oil Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, oil officials and Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb for helping manage the economy under difficult circumstances.
He said the government’s efforts had avoided shortages and queues at gas stations, in contrast to the situation in Sri Lanka.
PM Shehbaz then went to the seats of Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai and PTI Chairman’s lawyer Gohar Ali Khan to shake hands with them.
President Ayaz Sadiq provided details on participation in the budget debate, saying government members still had two and a half hours of speaking time.
He said 66 opposition MPs took part in the debate. While nine hours had been allocated to the opposition, its members spoke 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 contradicted by repeated invitations to members to participate in the debate.
Learn more: Iran to hold funeral of slain supreme leader July 4-9
He added that Thursday’s session had been deliberately extended by half an hour to allow for additional interventions and that government members had also been invited to speak, but none did so during the evening session.
Ayaz Sadiq announced that Friday’s session would be adjourned until Saturday before Juma prayers.
Speaking during the debate, PPP MP Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said an agreement between Iran and the United States had demonstrated Pakistan’s desire to achieve world peace and asserted that Pakistan had helped avoid a third world war.
He congratulated Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir and called for an increase in civil servants’ salaries by 10 percent, arguing that the proposed 7 percent increase was insufficient.
Ashraf said political stability, improved law and order, poverty reduction and consensus-based policymaking were key to economic growth and foreign investment.
He also spoke about the situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), saying he had been part of a government negotiating team that accepted 80 percent of the protesters’ demands, while the issue of refugee seats remained unresolved.
According to Achraf, electricity rates were reduced to 3 rupees per unit and flour subsidies were provided as part of the negotiations. He called for the formation of another negotiating committee and urged protesters and authorities to continue dialogue.
Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai told the House that the day should not be used to score political points and stressed that Parliament, army and national interests belonged to all Pakistanis.
Also read: From wild fantasy to reality
He called for the restoration of powers taken from Parliament and urged the Prime Minister to make decisions independently. Achakzai also criticized the suspension of MP Iqbal Afridi for the duration of the budget session and demanded that the decision be reversed. He said his party would provide unconditional support for strengthening parliament and democracy.
Following his remarks, the prime minister walked across the hall and held brief consultations with Achakzai, lawyer Gohar Ali Khan and former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb joined the discussions, after which the Prime Minister called him aside and gave instructions.
Separately, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif also met opposition leaders at their headquarters in the House for consultations.
