New naval base at Ormara approved

ISLAMABAD—Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said that Pakistan is a peaceful country and will continue to provide adequate capability to its armed forces to ensure peace and stability in the region. The Prime Minister said this while chairing the meeting of Defence Committee of the Cabinet at the PM’s House 0n Monday morning.
The Prime Minister said that Pakistan does not have aggressive designs against any country and believes in peaceful settlement of international disputes and good relations with all countries. Pakistan’s defence policy is in conformity with the prevailing geo-strategic environment and measures up to its national inspirations, he added.
The Prime Minister said the government is fully cognizant of the country’s defence needs and will make all resources available to modernize and upgrade its defence forces in view of the fast paced ongoing technological developments. Strong defence is the ultimate guarantee to peace, he pointed out.
The Prime Minister said the country is proud of its armed forces for ensuring peace in the region and also for their role in alleviating the sufferings of the people during the earthquake of October 2005. The Prime Minister said that Pakistan is keen to settle all disputes with India in a peaceful manner including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir.
Without an early settlement of the Kashmir dispute in keeping with the wishes and aspirations of the Kashmiri people, abiding peace in South Asia will continue to elude us, he pointed out. The Committee approved the second phase of the Jinnah Naval Base at Ormara and said that necessary funds will be provided to complete the project.
The Foreign Secretary briefed the Committee about the geo-strategic situation and his recent visit to India and the ongoing process of composite dialogue with it.
The meeting was attended among others by Rao Sikandar Iqbal, Senior Minister for Defence, Maj. (Retd) Habibullah Warraich, Minister for Defence Production, Muhammad Ali Durrani, Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, Minister for Interior, Dr. Salman Shah, Advisor on Finance, General Ehsan-ul-Haq, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Admiral M. Afzal Tahir, Chief of Naval Staff, ACM Tanvir Mehmood Ahmad, Chief of Air Staff, General Ehsan Saleem Hayat, Vice Chief of Army Staff and senior officials.
Shaukat Aziz has said the government takes pride in the country’s civil service; the civil servants are an asset for the country and the government expects them to act as agents of change to bring about a meaningful improvement in the life of average Pakistanis. The Prime Minister was addressing a gathering of federal secretaries on the occasion of the farewell arranged at the PM’s House Monday for Mr. Ejaz Rahim who recently retired as cabinet secretary.
The Prime Minister said that civil servants play a pivotal role in the success of government policies and development of the country. He emphasized the need for avoiding delays in the decision making process and said the commission headed by Dr. Ishrat Hussain will decide steps for simplification of procedures and more delegation of power for better governance.
The Prime Minister said civil servants because of their knowledge of the government working are well placed to improve the functioning of the government.—Agencies