The federal cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, convened on Monday and approved several crucial decisions, including a review petition against the Supreme Court’s decision to lift the ban on the import of monosodium glutamate (MSG).
The cabinet noted that a committee of experts had declared MSG (Ajino Motu) safe for human consumption. Additionally, it approved the renewal of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) for Pakistan Chairs in prestigious foreign universities, including Cambridge University, St. Antony’s College, Oxford University, the University of Jordan, and Peking University.
Other key decisions included:
- Nomination of Mumtaz Shah and Ahmed Farooqui to the Board of Governors of the Center of Excellence in Mineralogy, Quetta.
- Approval in principle for establishing the Islamabad Central Business District Development Authority.
- Approval of the National Prevention of Violent Extremism Policy 2024, as recommended by the Interior Ministry.
- Adjustments to the boundaries and scope of special courts in light of the orders of the Sindh High Court. It approved the alteration in the jurisdiction of Special Courts Customs, Taxation and Anti-Smuggling Quetta and Khuzdar.
- Additional sessions judges and courts concerned were approved to hear cases under the Lawyers Welfare Act 2023.
Prime minister’s address
In his address in the meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif highlighted a notable drop in the inflation rate, now at its lowest in 70 months. “Inflation was 3.5% in 2018, rose to 4.9%, but has now started to decline,” he said, emphasizing that reduced inflation could lower poverty and interest rates.
Talking about the impact of protests, the PM said sit-ins created a state of panic and chaos in the country, resulting in the martyrdom of police and Rangers personnel and crashing of the stock market, which regained momentum once the protests ended.
He further maintained that after a reduction in inflation, the country has to move towards growth. "The reduction in inflation will have positive effects," he stressed. Shehbaz also announced that sugar exports would resume, potentially bringing $500 million into the economy, with no price hikes anticipated.
The prime minister also praised the military’s role in curbing smuggling from Afghanistan, claiming it had been eliminated.
Revival of PIA’s European operations
Prime Minister Sharif commended Defense and Aviation Minister Khawaja Asif and his team for securing European aviation’s approval for the resumption of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flights to Europe. "A certificate has been received by the European aviation authority for the resumption of flights," he added.
“This will remove a major hurdle in the auctioning of PIA,” he noted, adding that previous statements regarding fake pilot licenses had inflicted significant damage on the national carrier.
