PM assures Shahbaz of addressing concerns

ISLAMABAD:

                          Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani assured the Chief Minister Punjab Mian Shahbaz Sharif, who called on him at Prime Minister’s House on Wednesday evening, that all their reservations regarding the devolution of ministries to the provinces under the 18th Constitutional Amendment would be addressed. In the meeting Premier Gilani was assisted by Federal Minister for Water and Power Syed Naveed Qamar and Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khurshid Shah while Senator Ishaq Dar assisted the Punjab Chief Minister.

A two-member committee comprising Syed Naveed Qamar and Senator Ishaq Dar was constituted to work on the differences of Punjab government with the devolution process and afterward the Prime Minister and Chief Minister Punjab would thrash out these differences between the two sides.

The sources informed that Punjab government had raised serious concerns over the devolution of ministries at the last leg and also raised the issue of distribution of assets of the devolved ministries with the federal government.

It is pertinent to mention here that Chief Minister Punjab Mian Shahbaz Sharif had written to Prime Minister twice in the recent past asking him to convene a meeting of the Council of the Common Interests so that they could raise their concerns regarding the devolution process at that forum.

Meanwhile, according to the press release issued by the media section at Prime Minister’s House, Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani directed the Ministry of Law and Parliamentary Affairs to clear the file of Nandi Pur Power Project, which after completion will generate 400 Mega Watt of electricity.

The Prime Minister issued the directive in his meeting with Chief Minister Punjab Mian Shahbaz Sharif who along with Senator Ishaq Dar, a PML-N leader, called on him here at the PM House on Wednesday. Syed Khurshid Shah, Minister for Religious Affairs and Syed Naveed Qamar, Minister for Water and Power were also present in the meeting.

In the meeting, it was also decided to convene an energy conference to set a national programme and agenda to address the problem of electricity loadshedding in the country.

It was also decided to hold an education conference in Islamabad to set national standards for education. Education ministers of all the provinces and senior officials of respective education departments will participate in the conference