ISLAMABAD, Jan 11 (dna):Caretaker Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Solangi said on Thursday that major political parties would have to give vision for the economic future of the country.
Delivering his speech at the seminar on “Pakistan Elections 2024: Economic Reforms Agenda of Political Parties”, hosted by Press Information Department here, he said, “Political parties should give a vision for the betterment of the country.” The minister said emphatically that improvement of the economy and economics was the need of the hour.
Stressing the need to discuss the country’s issues openly, he said that everyone should agree on the economic direction of the country.
There was no ban on politics, but there should be no politics on the future of the country, Murtaza Solangi maintained.
The minister opined that politics was the concentration of economy and economic interests. “Our main issues are education, health, gender equality,” Murtaza Solangi remarked.
The minister requested the future rulers and political parties to bring realistic economic reform agenda and do not make promises that were difficult to be fulfilled. The minister said that 2024 was the year of elections which would be held on February 8. “No one should have any doubt about holding of elections in the country”, he said.
The minister said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), using its authority, had given the date of elections and it stood by that position.
He said that ECP was the only constitutional institution in Pakistan, which had to give the schedule and also the date and no other institution had the power to change it. “We are bound to fulfill the financial, administrative and security requirements of the Election Commission and we will fulfill this responsibility,” Murtaza Solangi said.
He said that it was clearly written in the preamble of the Constitution that this country would be run by its elected representatives. He said that as per the constitution, the unelected people did not have the authority to decide the future of the country.
Secretary Information and Broadcasting Shahera Shahid and Executive Director General of Press Information Department Dr Tariq Mehmood Khan were also present on the occasion. Experts on economic affairs and journalists covering economic beat also attended the seminar.
