The federal cabinet has officially ratified the long pending defence cooperation agreement between Pakistan and Kuwait. The decision came during a high level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on Wednesday. This step strengthens the already close ties between the two brotherly nations and opens new doors for military collaboration.
Pakistan and Kuwait had signed the Defence Cooperation Agreement on June 11, 2023. Kuwait had already completed its ratification process on July 19. The agreement covers a wide range of areas including joint work on military manufacturing, electronic communications systems, scientific research, military media, and cultural as well as sports activities between the armed forces of both countries.
A joint military committee will be formed to look after the practical side of the deal. This committee will arrange joint military exercises, official visits, and other cooperative programs. The pact will stay in force for five years and will renew automatically unless one of the countries decides to end it. Both sides have also agreed to keep confidential military information secure and to settle any disagreements through diplomatic talks.
In the same cabinet meeting, the government approved the transfer of powers from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister to the provincial governor. This arrangement will allow the governor to handle day to day administrative matters during the current emergency period in the province. The governor will send a monthly report to the federal government on how these powers are being used. Cabinet members expressed hope that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Advisory Council under the governor’s guidance will work for the welfare of the people and help restore lasting peace and security in the province.
The cabinet also gave the green light to new currency note designs after a detailed briefing from the Ministry of Finance. Artists and designers from across the country had submitted their ideas, and a special committee held extensive consultations. The new notes will carry stronger security features to fight counterfeiting and will use modern materials for longer life. In addition, the cabinet approved the introduction of a Rs10 coin to replace the existing ten rupee banknote.
Several decisions from earlier meetings of the Cabinet Committee on State Owned Enterprises and the Cabinet Committee on Legislative Cases were also formally ratified during the session.
