Shehbaz Sharif says India’s abeyance of Indus Waters Treaty has no legal basis Expresses serious concern over presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan.
ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday called for a more effective, inclusive and representative United Nations and reiterated Pakistan’s position that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute must be resolved peacefully in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. The prime minister made the remarks while welcoming United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is on an official visit to Pakistan, during a meeting here, a Prime Minister’s Office news release said. Prime Minister Shehbaz welcomed the Secretary-General’s UN80 Initiative and emphasised that reform of the United Nations should remain responsive to the priorities of developing countries, while strengthening conflict prevention, peaceful settlement of disputes, peacekeeping and peacebuilding.
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He reaffirmed Pakistan’s longstanding commitment to UN peacekeeping and its contribution to international peace and security.
The prime minister also highlighted Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts to promote dialogue and de-escalation, including its mediation role between the United States and Iran, stressing that dialogue and diplomacy remained the only viable path to resolving disputes and preventing escalation.
On regional issues, PM Shehbaz reiterated the need for a peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
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He also emphasised that the Indus Waters Treaty was a binding international agreement and maintained that India’s unilateral decision to place it in abeyance had no legal basis.
On Afghanistan, the prime minister said a peaceful and stable Afghanistan remained in Pakistan’s interest. He expressed serious concern over terrorism emanating from Afghanistan and the presence of terrorist groups on Afghan soil, emphasizing the need for concrete and verifiable action against such groups.
Prime Minister Shehbaz also reaffirmed Pakistan’s steadfast support for the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and statehood and its support for implementation of the Gaza Peace Plan and United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803.
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He underscored the need for greater access to affordable and concessional financing for developing countries to advance development and strengthen climate resilience. The prime minister lauded Secretary-General Guterres for his commitment to the UN Charter, multilateralism, international law, dialogue and peaceful settlement of disputes, and acknowledged his contribution to international peace and security during his tenure. Secretary-General Guterres appreciated Pakistan’s longstanding contribution to the United Nations and international peace and security, including its significant role in UN peacekeeping and constructive engagement in the Security Council.
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He particularly appreciated Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts to promote dialogue, mediation and de-escalation and welcomed its continued commitment to multilateralism and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. Later, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hosted a dinner in honour of the UN Secretary-General and his delegation.
Also, PM Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed the authorities concerned to expedite work on the upgradation of Main Line-1 (ML-1) and implement corporate-style reforms in Pakistan Railways to make it strong and economically self-sufficient.
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The prime minister, chairing a review meeting on reforms in Pakistan Railways here, said that ML-1 should be constructed on a commercial basis by utilising the encroached railway land worth billions of rupees.
He appreciated the efforts of the joint teams of the National Accountability Bureau and the Ministry of Railways, under the chairmanship of the NAB Chairman, regarding the identification and retrieval of encroached land belonging to Pakistan Railways. He said that the upgradation of ML-1 was vital to uplift Pakistan Railways, provide better travel facilities to passengers, and increase freight transport, stressing the need to harness the actual commercial potential existing in railway properties.
PM Shehbaz instructed that a comprehensive strategy regarding the commercial utilisation of retrieved railway land and obtaining bank funding for the construction of ML-1 be submitted within two weeks.
The meeting was informed that the upgradation of the 1,726-kilometre-long ML-1 has been divided into four major sections, comprising Karachi-Rohri, Rohri-Multan, Multan-Lahore, and Lahore-Peshawar sections. The international financing is being utilised for the upgradation of the Karachi-Rohri section, while local resources are planned to be used to fund other sections.
PM orders removal of hurdles in financing housing, agriculture, SME sectors
PM Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed the relevant authorities to remove obstacles hindering the provision of financial resources to the housing, agriculture, and Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) sectors, saying that the lending system should be made more effective.
Chairing a review meeting regarding access to finance, the prime minister also directed to make the SME Portal operational by the end of November to facilitate the provision of loans to small and medium-sized enterprises. “The SME Portal will enable real-time monitoring of the latest status of loans being provided by banks, as well as business facilities including Letters of Credit (LCs).”
The prime minister instructed the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) to take effective measures to enhance the capacity of SMEs, promote modern technology, increase productivity, and integrate them into global value chains.
The meeting reviewed the performance of the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and First Women Bank with regard to lending.
The prime minister said that a 76 percent loan approval rate in housing finance by the National Bank of Pakistan was commendable, instructing the newly appointed President of NBP to engage the services of the best professionals to improve the bank’s performance and to take departmental action, without fear or favour, against employees who fail to deliver the required results.
He directed other provinces to accelerate the digitization of land records on the pattern of Punjab to facilitate housing finance for banks.
He said that digitization of land records would make it easier and more transparent for banks to provide housing loans.
The meeting was briefed on the statistics regarding the provision of loans to the housing, agriculture, and small and medium-sized enterprise sectors.
Under the Prime Minister’s Apna Ghar Scheme, loans worth Rs. 426 billion have so far been approved for 71,690 applicants, out of which Rs. 76 billion in loans have so far been disbursed to 13,214 individuals while a target has been set for the provision of Rs. 700 billion in loans for 125,000 residential units during the current year.
Similarly, the total volume of agricultural loans stands at Rs. 1,352 billion, benefiting 3.455 million people while a target has been set to increase the volume of agricultural loans to Rs. 1,500 billion and the number of beneficiaries to 4.5 million by June 2027, the meeting was briefed.