ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Imran Khan chaired the maiden meeting of the Council of Common Interest (CCI) today, with renewed calls for harmony among the provinces.
The meeting was held at Prime Minister Office and attended by Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM Mahmood Khan, Balochistan’s Jam Kamal and other officials.
In the CCI meeting, a detailed discussion was held on the agreed upon distribution of resources between the centre and provinces after the 18th amendment.
During the session, chief ministers also apprised the council of recommendations and issues.
Prime Minister Khan assured the chief ministers that the provinces would be taken into confidence on all important national matters.
“The nation will proposer from strong contact and harmony between the centre and provinces,” the prime minister said.
Prime Minister Khan stressed on making provinces more autonomous and the need to make sure that the distribution of resources was transparent.
The prime minister also took the council into confidence on the new local government system and comprehensive reforms.
Imran Khan advised the provincial leaders to lead cleanliness campaign and to stick with it permanently.
Earlier on the day, a seven-point agenda was prepared for discussion in the high-profile meeting.
The summaries pertaining to starting a national-level drive for cleanliness and streamlining the regulatory functions of the federal government were part of the agenda to get approval from the CCI.
Harmonising the standards between the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) and provincial food authorities was also part of the agenda, local media claimed.
In today’s meeting, a matter related to import of liquefied natural gas (LNG) were discussed, while the Petroleum Exploration and Production Policy 2012, and Workers Welfare Fund and Employees Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) were also part of the agenda.
Besides the latest agenda, five old agenda items, including water issue in Karachi, energy problems of Balochista and others, were part of the discussion.
