Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed federal ministries to shift 60% of public sector imports and exports to Gwadar Port and announced plans for a “comprehensive meeting” this week to explore options for reducing electricity tariffs.
Speaking at a federal cabinet meeting, the prime minister expressed gratitude to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for rolling over $2 billion in debt, a key financial relief for Pakistan.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) stated that the cabinet was briefed by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs on plans to route public sector imports and exports through Gwadar Port starting March 2024. The PM directed that reports from all relevant ministries be compiled for a detailed analysis and instructed that 60% of these operations be shifted to the port.
In a significant step to protect sensitive government data, the cabinet approved a recommendation from the Revenue Division to place the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) infrastructure under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) 2016. The move aims to safeguard critical data from potential cyberattacks and unauthorized access.
Additionally, the cabinet approved two key agreements: a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Pakistan’s Investment Board and China’s Shandong Ruyi Group for the establishment of textile parks, and another MoU between Pakistan’s Foreign Service Academy and the Diplomatic Academy of Serbia for enhanced diplomatic training and cooperation.
