Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ruled out any large-scale military operation, saying that the Azm-i-Istehkam was a “multi-domain, multi-agency and whole of system national vision” aimed at rooting out remnants of terrorists, and violent extremism.

The prime minister, while presiding over a federal cabinet meeting, took the members into confidence about the “misunderstanding and speculations” about the counterterrorism operation, saying that instead of any large-scale operation, the already ongoing intelligence based kinetic operations would be energised.

Last week, PM Shehbaz approved a reinvigorated national counter-terrorism campaign by launching the operation ‘Azm-i-Istehkam’. It was approved with the consensus of all stakeholders including provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

“Azm-i-Istehkam will integrate and synergise multiple lines of effort to combat the menaces of extremism and terrorism in a comprehensive and decisive manner,” according to a statement issued after the Central Apex Committee on National Action Plan in Islamabad.

But opposition parties expressed concerns over the operation and called for taking Parliament into confidence before taking any such decision.

Amidst this, PM Office issued a statement on Monday and clarified that the operation was aimed at reinvigorating and re-energising the ongoing implementation of the revised National Action Plan. The previous kinetic operations were conducted to physically dislodge terrorists from their known locations which had become no-go areas and compromised the writ of the state.

Moreover, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif assured the nation that Azm-i-Istehkam was “solely focused on eradicating terrorism” and had no political motives. At a press conference in Lahore, he assured that the concerns of PTI and JUI regarding the operation would be addressed.

No additional duty on solar panels

No additional duty would be imposed on the solar panels to ensure the accessibility of low-cost solar energy to every citizen, he said and added that the government was planning to put the national economy on a “positive trajectory” and expressed satisfaction over the country heading towards economic stability.

The prime minister reiterated the resolve to boost the country’s exports by promoting small and medium enterprises and withdrawing privileges from the elite class and those exploiting the national resources. The economic protection of the common man and providing them equal opportunities were among the government’s priorities, he added.

While discussing the annual budget 2024-25, PM Shehbaz instructed the members to ensure their presence in the ongoing budget debate in Parliament.

Bidding for PIA to be held in the first week of August

Some of the cabinet members said that the national flag carrier’s privatisation was moving ahead swiftly as companies showing interest in the pre-bidding process were visiting different Pakistan International Airlines sites. The PIA bidding would be held in the first week of August.

The prime minister called for accelerating the PIA privatisation while ensuring transparency in the process.

Cabinet gives green signal to transit truck from Karachi to Kabul

On the commerce ministry’s recommendation and request from the World Food Programme of Afghanistan, the federal cabinet approved the transit of a truck from Karachi to Kabul carrying the spare parts of the trucks, just for once on humanitarian grounds.

The body gave the go-ahead to the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Pakistan and that of Saudi Arabia. It also extended till March 2025 the timeframe of an implementation committee on the immovable property of the late Ameer of Bahawalpur, in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling and recommendation of the States and Frontier Regions Division.

The federal cabinet also approved the appointment of the Executive Director of the Frequency Allocation Board.

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‘Sufficient stock of sugar available’

Cabinet members told the premier that the country had sufficient stock of sugar available and the Sugar Advisory Board and relevant departments had approved exporting the leftover stock of sugar after taking into account the expected consumption before the next crushing season and assessing the surplus stock.

The prime minister said the government would not tolerate any increase in the sugar price and instructed the formation of a committee to monitor the sugar price and stop its export in case of any possibility of a price hike.

The cabinet approved the annual report of the National Economic Council for Fiscal Year 2022-23 prepared by the planning ministry for tabling before the parliament.