Govt stands by all SC rulings: Imran

Prime Minister Imran Khan Saturday categorically said the government stood with all the decisions of the Supreme Court based upon rule of law, and emphasized that there will be no compromise on the rule of law in the country. “I want to make it clear that the government stands with the decisions of the Supreme Court and there will be no compromise on it,” the prime minister said in response to a question after a ceremony organised to lay the foundation stone of a shelter home in Lahore. “If a government does not abide by decisions of the Supreme Court, that the country cannot survive,” he asserted. “The rule of law depends on following the verdicts of the Supreme Court, and if you do not follow the top court’s decision then rule of law in the country is finished,” he added. Earlier addressing the ground breaking ceremony of ‘Panah Gah’, Prime Minister Imran Khan said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government was paying full attention to the public welfare projects, adding that soon Pakistan will emerge as a social welfare model state among the Muslim world. The prime minister said they had identified five spots in Lahore for establishment of shelters for the down-and-out segments of the society who spend nights in different areas of Lahore without a roof on their heads and expressed the confidence that soon, it would be turned into a centre of excellence. Provision of food in all the proposed five centres would be sponsored. A board of governors would oversee the project, whereas support of a number of philanthropists working on different projects in the province would be sought, he added. The prime minister lamented that in the past, nobody paid attention to the pitiable condition of the homeless people, majority among them labourers who spent nights on footpaths and in different other areas of Lahore, including Shahdarah, Ichra, Data Darbar, etc. “They are voiceless people and have no vote bank, that’s why they were ignored,” he said, adding no society can progress without having humane consideration for its down-and-out segments. The reason for the neglect was lack of sense and not that of resources, he added. The prime minister reiterated that Madina was the first state in the world which was called a welfare state and stressed that only those nations which show kindness and empathy towards the deprived sections of society can progress. He said as the issue of balance of payment was now eased out and the imminent danger of the country being declared a defaulter was over, his government would fully concentrate on the public oriented projects under its 100-day performance agenda. Imran Khan said his government would soon introduce a poverty alleviation package to pull the poor people out of the poverty. He cited the Chinese model under which they had lifted 700 million people out of poverty in last 30 years. He said they will place their 100-day performance before the people for evaluation. Later, responding to media questions, the prime minister said he had instructed the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief ministers to identify such places in Rawalpindi and Peshawar also, while for Karachi they would contact the Sindh chief minister. Later, the prime minister chaired a meeting on the ‘Prime Minister’s Punjab Initiatives’ here at the Chief Minister’s Office and reviewed the implementation of Punjab government’s 100-day plan. He stressed the provincial government to adopt innovative methods in the governance, adding that the provincial government must fully focus on the betterment of the common man. The meeting discussed various proposals and implementation strategies for transformation of governance in Punjab and uplift of the common man under the supervision of the prime minister as well as the Punjab government. During the meeting, the prime minister was briefed about different targets and priorities of the Punjab government. Published in Daily Times, November  11th 2018.