LAHORE:
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar on Sunday stated that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has given targets to ministers during the cabinet meeting to fulfil International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditions. In a press conference at the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Secretariat in Lahore, he said that the prime minister chaired a cabinet meeting yesterday where he set goals for all ministers for the next five years. “Each ministry has been instructed on what short-term and long-term programmes should be, and it has been decided by the prime minister that the performance of every minister will be evaluated,” he added. “The achievement of ministry targets will be monitored using the latest technology. Written instructions detailing the targets have been issued to all ministries.” Tarar stated that all ministries had been assigned targets aimed at addressing the challenges facing the country. He added, “The cabinet comprises experienced individuals, young talent, seasoned politicians, and technocrats.” He said that targets were established based on a realistic approach, such as reducing inflation and unemployment, increasing GDP growth, restructuring loans, and digitising the Federal Board of Revenue within the finance ministry. Tarar highlighted that ministers showing exceptional performance would be commended. “A self-accountability system had also been developed, with modern IT interventions used to evaluate ministry performance,” he added. The information minister elaborated on the targets set for various ministries. For instance, he said, the interior ministry was tasked with cracking down on illegal weapons, devising anti-terrorism measures, addressing illegal foreign residents, and combating smuggling.