PM vows to tackle energy, food crisis
By Asim Hussain

ISLAMABAD—Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that the biggest challenge before the new democratic government is to ensure food and energy security for the people and in this regard various initiatives have already been taken on war-footing. He said the 100-day program announced by the government aims at providing immediate relief to the people in all parts of the country.
The Prime Minister said this while talking to a delegation led by Senior Minister, Punjab Raja Riaz, which called on him at the Prime Minister’s House Tuesday afternoon. The Prime Minister while deploring the unfortunate incident that took place in Multan yesterday said that the prevalent power crisis is due to the wrong policies of the previous government as no addition to the power generation capacity was made since the last PPP government. He called upon the people to show restraint as the government is cognizant of the situation and is undertaking both short as well as long term measures to effectively address this issue.
The Prime Minister said that people have given a clear mandate in favour of moderate and democratic forces and the coalition government would do its utmost to live up to the expectations of the people of Pakistan. The delegation apprised the Prime Minister of various matters relating to their areas and told him that people are confident that the government would bring economic stability to the country.
Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that Pakistan values its relations with Iran and the new government would take steps for further strengthening relations between the two brotherly countries. The Prime Minister said this while talking to Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Tashkiri, Iran’s Advisor on Cultural Affairs, who called on him at the PM’s House Tuesday Morning.
The Prime Minister said that Pakistan attaches the highest priority to its relations with Iran, which are marked by shared history, geography, faith, culture as well as goodwill and understanding. The Prime Minister said that both the countries are important members of the OIC and as such have a special responsibility to confront the challenges being faced by the Muslim Ummah from within as well from the outside world.