ISLAMABAD: The Federal Cabinet on Friday endorsed the decisions of the National Security Committee made in its meeting on May 16.
Pakistan: Cabinet Endorses National Security Committee’s Decisions
While briefing the federal cabinet members about the Road to Makkah project inked between Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the Road to Makkah project would help facilitate the Hajj pilgrims.
Road to Makkah project
Under the project, the Prime Minister said, about 26,143 Hajj pilgrims would undergo the immigration process at the Islamabad Airport and would be exempted from the lengthy process at airports in Saudi Arabia. He maintained that the execution of the project was started on Thursday and it would be extended to Lahore and Karachi airports by next year.
Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Iran
Apprising the Cabinet regarding his visit to Iran on Thursday, Shehbaz Sharif said Islamabad desired to further enhance cooperation with the neighbouring nation in several sectors. He told the meeting that Islamabad and Tehran had agreed to further improve the security along the 900-km Pak-Iran border. Both countries had emphasized the joint efforts to counter cross-border terrorism, he said. The PM said the import of low-cost electricity from Iran would help uplift the remote areas of Balochistan province. He said Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi took his personal interest to ensure the completion of the much-delayed 100MW Gabd-Polan power transmission line within record time.
The power project would ensure the electricity supply to southern Balochistan, especially Gwadar, he added. Shehbaz Sharif told the cabinet that Iran’s president had also expressed special interest in enhancing bilateral trade, besides discussing cooperation in the sectors of agriculture, solar energy science and technology. A high-level delegation led by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto would also visit Tehran for further deliberations on the said projects. Shehbaz Sharif also extended an invitation to the Iranian President to visit Islamabad, which he accepted.
The cabinet also approved the establishment of an Insurance Tribunal in Rawalpindi. It would incur no additional expenses as the existing Accountability Court No. 4 would be converted into the Insurance Tribunal.
