Official Blog Of Press Information Department

Courtesy:-   S RAHMAN Instead of getting unnerved over the threatened long marches and protest rallies, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has expressed his resolve to foil all conspiracies with the support of other pro-democracy forces that are being hatched by elements of a particular mindset to derail the ongoing democratic system.   Now let us analyse whether this is merely a morale-boosting and confidence-gaining statement or an expression of real determination that is backed by vision and sound planning?   A little insight into the things reveal that the vision of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is that of prosperity, peace and progress which makes him think and plan things optimistically and with faith in our national destiny.  

Courtesy:- MALIK MUHAMMAD ASHRAF   The phenomenon of terrorism is probably the biggest challenge to the humanity in the 21 st  century, which has affected almost the entire world and more so the countries of the Islamic bloc, including Pakistan, with all the debilitating consequences for the economy and law and order besides traumatic impact on social harmony and peace. It is a challenge that apart from the coordinated efforts of comity of nations at the global level, also needs the support of their respective populations to subdue and eliminate the scourge. Dealing with the faceless terrorists, who have no religion but masquerade as its champions, is an extremely arduous undertaking. Apart from the legal and military muscle to quell them, the most effective way of scuttling their ability to carry on with their inhumane activities, is to deprive them of the fuel for their enterprise i.e., the money to finance their activities.

Courtesy:- S M Hali    Pakistan is losing precious lives due to terror attacks but few people realise that road accidents take a higher toll of lives. According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report, in the last decade, Pakistan suffered a loss of 50,987 lives due to terrorism while, in the same period, traffic accidents claimed 130,000 lives. Thus, while every effort is being made to counter terrorism, from negotiations with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to surgical strikes and now the ongoing military operation Zarb-e-Azb to root out terrorists from North Waziristan, little or no attention is being paid to eradicate the menace of road accidents.

Courtesy:-  S Rahman Common Economic Destination is not merely a collection of three words mentioned in PM  Nawaz Sharif ’s letter to his Indian counterpart Nirandera Modi but a solid objective that the leaders and people of both the countries ought to pursue to come out of the ever-deepening abyss of abject poverty and miseries.

Courtesy:- MALIK MUHAMMAD ASHRAF After exhaustive and determined efforts to sort out issues with the TTP through dialogue as authorized by the APC held in September 2013, notwithstanding the continued terrorist acts against the security forces and security installations, the government perforce has instructed the Army to launch a full-fledged ground assault against the terrorists based in North Waziristan, supported by airstrikes at the hideouts and communication installations of the terrorists by PAF jets. The operation named ‘Zarb-e-Azb’ as stated by the Prime Minister and the COAS will continue until the last terrorist is eliminated. According to the ISPR and media reports, the operation is proceeding successfully and more than 150 terrorists, mostly Uzbeks including the mastermind of the Karachi attack have been killed. To make sure that the terrorists do not cross over to Afghanistan, the Afghan National Army and Afghan border security force have also been contacted to seal...

Courtesy:-     MALIK MUHAMMAD ASHRAF It has taken care of all the segments of the society The budgets that the governments all over the  world  announce annually are of immense interest to all segments of the society, as they embody strategies to propel growth in the economic and social sectors as well as the fiscal and monetary measures that not only provide necessary fiances to the governments for their obligatory undertakings but also affect economic situations of the masses in varying degrees. The judgment on whether a budget is good or bad is based on the overall impact that it is going to create in surmounting debilitating economic factors, developmental activities that it envisages to generate, the scheme of distribution of resources it contemplates and above all the range of relief measures that it stipulates for the poorer sections of the society. The budget for 2014-15, the second by the incumbent  government , announced by the finance minister...

Courtesy:- S Rahman Pragmatism and concern for the poor are the salient features of the Federal Budget 2014-15 announced the other day by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar. At no point in the budget speech, the minister has tried to draw a rosy picture of ‘all okay on all fronts’ as has been usual with many of our finance ministers of the past. Even at the first, cursory look, the budget gives the impression of a realistic outlay of incomes and receipts of a country where the government has taken it upon itself to try in dead earnest to fulfill all the state obligations towards its citizens. That means the protection of the masses against impoverishment, food insecurity and against homelessness and despondency. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has himself pinpointed in his post-budget press conference that 90 million people live in this country below the poverty line. “They are our target.” He aimed to reach to the poorest of the poor.