Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif extolled on Tuesday Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Syed Asim Munir and cabinet team for making all-out efforts to put the country’s economy back to the track.

Addressing the Apex Committee on the National Action Plan (NAP), PM Shehbaz said: “The country’s economy is on the verge of the stability. The country’s uplift hinges on the robust economy.”

He stressed the need for collective efforts to lead the country towards prosperity.

The premier said: “We got to take sustainable measures to steer the country towards development and economic stability.”

Acknowledging the cooperation from the provinces, PM Shehbaz said: “The provinces have extended full support to the federal government on the success of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme.”

“The State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) policy has dropped from 22 per cent to reach 15 per cent. The IT sector has also witnessed a boom. The remittances are also on the verge of stability.”

Underscoring the investment in the country, the premier said: “The foreign investors get encouragement by seeing that the local investors are making investments in the country.”

“The provinces and the centre will continue to ensure this will be the final programme with the international lender,” he stated.

PM Shehbaz said: “The billions of rupee will be deposited in the national treasury which will ultimately reap benefits for the country as a whole.”

“Everybody has extended an olive branch to me for the sake of the country’s uplift,” he stated.

Speaking about the political opponents, PM Shehbaz said: “Anybody who wants to stage the protests can do so but after the wrapping up of the important events and occasions. The decision should be made whether to stage the protests or think about leading the country towards the prosperity.”

He made it clear that there is an urgent need to end the menace of terrorism to ensure the country’s uplift.

“We got to make all-out efforts to boost the tax base. We had to take the assistance of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and China for ensuring the completion of the IMF programme,” the premier stated.

Prominent among those who attended the Apex Committee meeting were the chief ministers, federal ministers, chief secretaries, military leadership, and other officials.

Sources divulged that the Apex Committee had stressed the need for embracing unity to eliminate the scourge of terrorism from the country.

The meeting had decided to end the menace of all types of extremism from the country.

Moreover, the Apex Committee meeting resolved to combat the challenges posed by the “digital” terrorists.

The sources privy to the development said that the participants had also emphasized the need for engaging in active diplomacy with the geographical countries to further tighten the noose around the terrorists.

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