He credits Field Marshal Asim Munir for the comprehensive peace agreement and praises Dar and Naqvi for their key roles.
Prime Minister Shehbaz speaks during the NA session in Islamabad on Wednesday. Photo: PID
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday told the National Assembly (NA) 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 praising Pakistan’s role in recent diplomatic efforts which he said contributed to global peace.
The National Assembly session began under the chairmanship of President Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. Upon arriving at the House, the prime minister was greeted with desk-slapping from lawmakers.
Addressing the House during the budget session, Chief Minister Shehbaz said oil prices had declined following a ceasefire and expressed hope that they would fall further.
“Today, God willing, a significant reduction will be announced,” he said, referring to fuel prices that will be reviewed on Friday.
The prime minister said Pakistan had earned international recognition and urged lawmakers from all parties to support a unanimous resolution.
“If this House passes a unanimous resolution on this matter, it will send a message of unity to the world,” he said, adding that political differences should not hamper national interests.
Prime Minister Shehbaz said Chief of Defense Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir had played the most crucial role in securing a comprehensive peace agreement and had worked tirelessly for the last two to three months.
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He also credited Deputy Prime Minister and External Affairs Minister Ishaq Dar and Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi for their contributions, saying there were several moments when the negotiations appeared to be on the verge of collapsing.
The prime minister congratulated the opposition legislators 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 had phoned him on Thursday afternoon to thank Pakistan and had specifically acknowledged the role of Field Marshal Asim Munir.
The prime minister said he had invited Pezeshkian to visit Pakistan and the invitation had been accepted. He added that the Iranian president had invited Pakistan to attend the funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and that a Pakistani delegation would participate.
The prime minister thanked the provincial governments, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, petroleum officials and Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb for helping manage the economy during difficult circumstances.
He said the government’s efforts had prevented shortages and queues at petrol stations, in contrast to the situation in Sri Lanka.
Later, Prime Minister Shehbaz went to the seats of Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai and PTI Chairman Advocate Gohar Ali Khan to shake their hands.
President Ayaz Sadiq provided details of participation in the budget debate and said government members still had two and a half hours of speaking time left.
He said that 66 opposition legislators participated in the debate. While the opposition was allotted nine hours, its members spoke for 14 hours and four minutes, exceeding the 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 extended to members to participate in the debate.
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He added that Thursday’s session had been deliberately extended by half an hour to accommodate additional speeches and that members of the government had also been invited to speak, but none did so during the afternoon session.
Ayaz Sadiq announced that Friday’s session would be postponed until Saturday before the Juma prayers.
During the debate, PPP lawmaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said a deal between Iran and the United States had demonstrated Pakistan’s desire to achieve global peace and claimed that Pakistan had helped prevent a third world war.
He congratulated Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir and called for salaries of government employees to be increased by 10 per cent, arguing that the proposed seven per cent increase was insufficient.
Ashraf said political stability, improved law and order, poverty reduction and consensus-based policy formulation were essential for economic growth and foreign investment.
He also addressed the situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), saying he had been part of a government negotiating team that accepted 80 per cent of the protesters’ demands, while the issue of refugee seats remained unresolved.
According to Ashraf, electricity rates were reduced to Rs 3 per unit and subsidies were provided on flour as part of the negotiations. He called for the formation of another negotiating committee and urged both protesters and authorities to engage in dialogue.
Opposition leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai told the House that the day should not be used to score political points and stressed that parliament, the military and national interests belonged to all Pakistanis.
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He called for powers taken from parliament to be restored and urged the prime minister to make decisions independently. Achakzai also criticized the suspension of legislator Iqbal Afridi during the budget session and called for the decision to be reversed. He said his party would provide unconditional support to strengthen parliament and democracy.
After his remarks, the prime minister crossed the room 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 took him aside and gave him instructions.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif also met opposition leaders in their House seats for consultations.
