Pakistan prime minister signs performance agreements with ministers
Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan at a ceremony held to review the performance of various ministries and divisions, said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government was left with no excuse for not delivering on its promises. “This is time for performance and delivery,” Khan said.
At the ceremony, the prime minister spoke candidly about the pitfalls, the challenges as well as the hardships his government had inherited and reiterated his resolve to overcome all the obstacles in the way of good governance and public service.
“We have learnt during the first two-and-half years of the government and now we have no excuse that we are new and now the time for performance has come,” the prime minister added.
Ministers sign agreements with PM on performance
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the federal ministers of various ministries signed performance agreements with the Prime Minister during the ceremony entitled “Performance Agreements of the Federal Government 2020-21.”
While evaluating the government’s performance during the past two-and-a-half years, Khan gave targets to all ministries, some of which did not perform, to improve performance in the remaining two-and-a-quarter years of the five-year term.
One-and-a-half years passed without idea of governance
“I must share, for one-and-a-half years we remained unable to even know the actual figures of different sectors, particularly the power sector. From one ministry at times the figures indicated we were performing very well and then sometimes some other figure showed we were not performing that well. So I am giving my assessment that never should a new government come to power without doing homework and without getting briefings,” Khan said.
According to the agreement, the performance of each ministry would be evaluated based on the contracts and every ministry would put pressure on itself to meet its targets.
New police in New Pakistan
Imran Khan also addressed the passing-out ceremony of the Islamabad police and inspected the parade at the Police Line Headquarters and announced provision of health cards and affordable housing to the Islamabad police.
“I want the nation to respect and like police officials. I want to see ‘Nayi police in Naya Pakistan’ and I want you to make the common citizens the Very Important Persons (VIPs) of the country.” he said.
Tributes to police officials
At the passing out ceremony the prime minister paid tributes to police officials for risking, even sacrificing their lives for the cause of maintenance of law and order and peace in society.
“The army is the protector of borders and the police are the protectors of common citizens,” he said, adding that no nation could prosper without proper regulation of law and order in the country.
Police salaries
The prime minister, while responding to a demand of the interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed for a raise in salary of the Islamabad police or at least to keep it on a par with the Punjab police, promised the government would do its best to increase the salaries of the Islamabad police.
“I am a prime minister and not a king. Therefore, I will make the decisions with the consultation of my finance minister,” Khan said.
