PMLN leaders meet in London. Photo courtesy PMLN
Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) members of the federal cabinet on Wednesday briefed party supremo Nawaz Sharif on the economic, constitutional and administrative crises inherited by the new coalition government and recommended various measures to provide relief to the public.
In a statement issued after the meeting in London, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the ministers gave a “detailed briefing” on the “serious” economic, constitutional and administrative crises left by the ousted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government, adding that the prevailing economic situation was also discussed.
“The government team informed [Nawaz] that it had sought to protect the public from further inflation by maintaining the current price of fuel products,” she said. “In the energy sector, details were provided on the serious energy crises left by the previous government, including loadshedding, and the failure to purchase oil and LNG [for power plants],” she added.
According to the PMLN spokesperson, the PMLN huddle discussed various measures to overcome inflation and loadshedding, as well as recommendations for relief. “The meeting reviewed, in depth, the steps taken by the new government since it came into power,” she said, adding that the government ministers had also presented their views on future measures in light of economic realities.
“The meeting also considered the prevailing political situation of the country in detail and reviewed all the unconstitutional measures that have occurred since April 3,” Aurangzeb said, referring to the date when then-deputy speaker Qasim Suri had dismissed a motion of no-confidence against then-prime minister Imran Khan, provoking a constitutional crisis that had required the Supreme Court to step in. “The meeting agreed that unconstitutional elements should be dealt with in accordance with the Constitution and law,” she added.
The information minister said that the meeting would continue on Thursday under the chairmanship of Nawaz Sharif, adding that decisions on strategies to get the country and people out of crisis would be finalized.
Separately, sources familiar with the meeting said that its participants had principally decided against proceeding toward early elections, adding that it had been decided the government would take tough decisions for economic reform while also working to provide relief to the public. Any decision on elections, they said, would be formally announced after consultations with coalition partners.