Fawad Ch says govt shares an 'ideal relations with military'

While speaking during a post-cabinet press conference, Fawad Ch said that the issue of the appointment of the Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (DG ISI) was discussed in the cabinet meeting.

"A long meeting took place between PM Imran Khan and the army chief last night," Fawad said, adding that the government shares "an ideal relationship with the military."

"The prime minister shares a very close relationship with the army chief," Fawad said.

"The Prime Minister's Office will never take a step that would hurt the reputation of the army," he said.

He also said that the government will adopt a legal procedure to appoint the DG ISI and will ensure all constitutional requirements are fulfilled in this regard.

The federal minister said that during the meeting, that the matters related to electoral reforms, the issue of the electronic voting machine (EVMs), and the voting rights of overseas Pakistanis, among other issues, came under discussion during the cabinet meeting. The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

"No cabinet meeting goes without the mention of overseas Pakistanis' right to vote," the minister said.

He said the federal government would adopt legal and the constitutional procedure over the appointment of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General (DG).

The Prime Minister had the authority to appoint ISI, DG and had a detailed meeting with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa in this regard.  

He categorically said that there would be no step taken either from the Prime Minister office or the military setup to damage the repute of one another. Both the leaders enjoyed good and close cooperation with each other and the final decision would be taken with mutual consensus, he added.                                                                                          

The minister said there was close liaison between Pakistan's military and political leadership and relationships were ideal.            

He said that the cabinet made a land mark decision for approval of online power of attorney for overseas Pakistanis as this government had feelings for the problems faces by them in that regard.    

Fawad said that in the past, no government ever bothered to resolve the problems of expatriates but the present government had attached special priority to settle their issues. It was the PTI government which took steps for repatriation of hundreds of Pakistani prisoners languishing in foreign jails in petty crimes, he added.                                                        

The minister said that another important development was that the cabinet was given presentation for setting up a new unit in Islamabad police for mob handling.

This unit would be well trained and equipped with latest technology including drones and cameras to ensure that the residents of the capital were protected from such riots and they do not face inconvenience of road closures every now and then, he added.                    

He said that Supreme Court had imposed ban on protests at D-Chowk but still a handful people block the road there whenever they like. The new unit would be a very good initiative to protect the capital from protesters, he added.

Fawad said the Cabinet had decided to include the traders coming from Afghanistan to Pakistan in visa list as the volume of goods being traded between the two countries had increased manifold. The government, he said was keen to encourage the legal entry of Afghan people coming to Pakistan by bringing ease in visa regime to the convenience of the Afghan nationals.

Similarly, the minister said the Cabinet had okayed the code of conduct for visa issuance to Afghan nationals. The visa process for Afghan nationals had also been made online due to the huge influx of people coming to the Pakistan Embassy for the issuance of visas, he added.

The minister said the cabinet also approved the proposal to give online visas to foreigners working on various China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects and decided to write off visa fee for Afghan nationals.      

He said the Cabinet also approved the reconstitution of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) Council of Complaints, Islamabad. Syed Muhammad Ali Bukhari would be the chairman of the council while Journalist Mazhar Barlas, Naeem Khan, and three women Nighat Saeed, Batool Zain, and (Tallat Azeem) had been made members to the council, he added.

Fawad Chaudhry said the Cabinet had approved the Islamabad Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2020 for regulation and promotion of the real estate sector and to protect the interest of buyers in the sector.                                                  

He said the federal cabinet had accorded approval to the establishment of 'Rehmatulil Aalmeen' Authority which would work for promoting the real image of Islam and give advice for preparation of a curriculum for children in light of the life of the Holy Prophet (SAW).                                                                                                                                                                          The minister said that the authority would work for promotion of the traits of tolerance and coexistence in the masses. The love for the Holy Prophet was part and parcel of faith of every Muslim, who was 'Rehmatulil Aalimeen' not  'Rehmatulil Muslimeen' but unfortunately this image could not be highlighted in Pakistan in the past, he added.

Fawad said objective of this authority would be to mold the characters of the young generation in the light of the 'Seerat-un Nabi' (SAW). It would not be a traditional authority, top scholars from not only Pakistan but from all over the world would be its members, he added.

The minister said that the narrative that Islam spread through love, affection and respect and honor of the other people would be promoted and rights of minorities, women and children should be protected. He said that at the outset, the federal cabinet offered 'Fateha' for the soul of renowned nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan.

Over 15 ministers including  National Assembly Speaker, Senate Chairman, Chairman of Joints Chiefs of Staff Committee, and Naval chief attended the funeral. It was unfortunate that there was a tendency on social media to make news from rumours sans verifying the facts, he added.

He appealed to the journalists to demonstrate responsibility and verify the news circulating on social media before reporting to their respective organizations to counter fake news and propaganda.

-- Additional input from APP