Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif vows to transform cash-strapped country’s economic landscape

Islamabad, Mar 30 (PTI) Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday vowed to transform the country’s economic landscape as he said he has shared the broad parameters of a five-year plan with all the ministries, the state media reported.

Sharif, who earlier this month took oath as the prime minister for a second time since 2022 amidst staggering economic and security challenges, chaired a Cabinet meeting in which he shared the five-year plan with all the ministries specifying their targets, reported Radio Pakistan.

He emphasised that the ministries would have to devise strategies to achieve these targets and the progress would be reviewed regularly. “We have to cut our expenditures and take the country towards self-reliance,” he said.

Expressing determination to uplift various sectors such as agriculture and information technology, Sharif said “We have to take the country on the growth trajectory and create employment opportunities”.

He was confident that the Ministry of Commerce would take the requisite steps to double the country’s exports before the five-year term of the current government.

Sharif, the younger brother of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supremo and former three-time premier Nawaz Sharif, said strict action will be taken against illegal trade, power theft and other leakages.

The prime minister said a programme has been chalked out for the complete digitalisation of the Federal Bureau of Revenue. For this purpose, consultants will be hired by next month, he said. PTI SH GSP AKJ GSP