Pakistan will not tolerate cross-border terror attacks: PM

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday stated that Pakistan will not tolerate any more cross-border terror attacks on its soil.

Chairing the federal cabinet meeting in Islamabad today, PM Shehbaz Sharif said security of the geographical frontiers of Pakistan is a redline.

Pakistan desires to have cordial relations with the neighboring fraternal countries to promote trade and economic relations. However, it is not acceptable that the land of the neighboring country is used for terrorism in Pakistan, he added.

Shehbaz Sharif proposed the formulation of a joint strategy with the sincerity of purpose to defeat the scourge of terrorism. He said collective efforts against terrorism will help establish peace in the region and address other issues such as that of poverty.

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Highlighting the sacrifices rendered by Pakistan in the war on terrorism, the premier reaffirmed the commitment to wipe out the menace of terrorism as was done previously.

Sharif vows to revive Pakistan’s economy

Turning to the economic situation, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the country is compelled to secure another IMF package. He however affirmed the commitment to revive the economy and help it stand on its own feet. We have made a conscious decision to minimize borrowing and gradually rid the country of loans.

The premier said an enabling environment will be created to attract investments across various sectors including agriculture, industries, Information Technology and mines and minerals.

He said the Special Investment Facilitation Council is serving as a robust platform to facilitate investment in the country.

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Alluding to the pending tax cases worth twenty-four hundred billion rupees, the Prime Minister appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Qazi Faez Isa to direct the courts to dispose of these cases at the earliest.

PM Shehbaz Sharif also expressed the resolve to enhance the tax base and bring the potential sectors into the tax net.

He said the FBR will be completely digitalized. For this purpose, the process of hiring consultants will be completed by the third or fourth week of the next month. He said the digitalization process will be supervised to ensure its early completion.

Shehbaz Sharif said a committee has also been established to cut the expenditures of the government. He assured that its recommendations will be fully implemented.

He said there would be zero tolerance for electricity and gas pilferage.