ISLAMABAD: In a relief for poor, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday announced a Ramazan package providing free wheat flour to the inflation-hit people.
The program is the first of its kind and is designed to help the underprivileged. The federal government would extend cooperation to the provinces to replicate the program, the prime minister said while presiding over a review meeting. The prime minister gave the relevant authorities instructions to finish developing a comprehensive plan as soon as possible for providing flour to low-income families. The prime minister was briefed on the Ramadan package by the chief secretary for Punjab, Zahid Akhtar Zaman, and the finance secretary, Mujahid Sherdil. The Secretary of Food, along with other senior officials, including interim Chief Minister of Punjab Mohsin Raza Naqvi, attended the meeting.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday extended his heartiest felicitations and greetings to the Hindu community across the globe on the festive occasion of Holi.
The prime minister conveyed his greetings to the Hindus around the world and especially to the Pakistani Hindu community.
He also wished ‘the festival of colours and spring’ to bring peace and joy for all.
Moreover, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has said that the government is committed to ensuring equal and just rights for women in the country by providing them opportunities in all fields of life.
The prime minister, in his message on the International Women’s Day being observed on Wednesday (March 8), said joint support by the government, civil society and media was crucial in protecting the rights of women in the country.
Terming women the ‘pride of the nation’, he said the country needed their services and skills to progress.
Shehbaz Sharif said the government was taking effective steps for the inclusion of women in the national mainstream and extending them equal opportunities in all sectors, including education and employment.
He mentioned in this regard the legislation on women’s inheritance, educational scholarships for girls, women’s special quota in the Punjab Endowment Fund, provision of laptops and ensuring merit in recruitment as Chief Minister of Punjab.
Recently, a 25 percent quota had been reserved for women in the Prime Minister’s Youth Loan Scheme, he said.
The prime minister felicitated women in Pakistan and across the globe, saying the Women’s Day acknowledged the significant role played by women in society and also in recognition of their services for the evolution of mankind.
He said history was witness to the fact that social development was not possible without the key role of womankind.
He said each aspect of a woman, might it be a mother, sister or daughter, was a source of positivity and thus deserved the utmost respect from society.
The prime minister mentioned that Islam as a religion granted equal rights to women some 1,400 years ago and honoured a mother by laying heaven beneath her feet and regarded a daughter as a blessing of the home.
Islam, he said, “focuses on the emancipation of women by encouraging them to explore every aspect of life with dignity”.
Shehbaz Sharif said women in the 21st century were bringing a positive change in society side by side with their male counterparts.
He said that it was an encouraging sign that women were leading with examples in all spheres of life, might it be the fulfillment of domestic responsibilities or exercising their leadership roles.
From the women icons of the Independence Movement, including Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah and Begum Raana Liaquat Ali Khan to former prime minister Benazir Bhutto Shaheed and activist Malala Yousufzai, he said their contribution was significant for the country’s progress.
Shehbaz Sharif expressed satisfaction that the highly capable daughters, mothers and sisters of the nation were engaged in the service of the country in a dignified manner.
He said the entire society needed to actively join hands in further empowering women, and ensuring their protection and just rights.
