Thursday, 6 October, 2022 I 9 Rabi ul Awwal, 1444 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XIII No 98 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition
Bajwa signals army staying out of politics g
ARMy CHIeF ReITeRATeS He’LL ReTIRe IN NoveMBeR, eNDINg SPeCULATIoN
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INSISTS FoRCeS HAve ‘DISTANCeD THeMSeLveS’ FRoM THe PoLITICAL AReNA FoR gooD
PM orders linking of Thar Coal Mines with railway network by March next year ISLAMABAD staff report
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staff report
He army is not the answer to Pakistan’s political problems, its chief said, insisting the forces have “distanced themselves” from the political arena for good — an unusual occurrence. gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa communicated his intention during a luncheon held in honour at Pakistan’s embassy in Washington. The United States is hosting the top general for a week-long visit, which has led to speculations on the revival of the historic security partnership between Islamabad and Washington. With the government having little sway over generals, it was also not immediately clear how the army chief planned to ensure the military would abide by his decision. Addressing the elephant in the room, gen. Bajwa said he will leave after the completion of his second three-year term
which ends in November, effectively putting to rest rumours that he may seek a third extension in his tenure. He was given an extension in August 2019 when Imran Khan was the prime minister. He reminded the nation that reviving Pakistan’s ailing economy should be the first priority of all segments of society, adding that without a strong economy the nation would not be able to achieve its objectives. “There could be no diplomacy either without a strong economy,” told the army chief to an audience which included a number of Pakistan diplomats. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), at the Pentagon, gen. Bajwa met Lloyd Austin, Secretary of Defence; Jacob Sullivan, National Security Adviser; and Wendy Sherman, Deputy Secretary of State. During the meetings, matters of mutual interest, regional security situations and bilateral cooperation in various fields were discussed, the military’s media wing said.
The army chief thanked Washington for its support and reiterated that assistance from “our global partners shall be vital for rescue/rehabilitation of the flood victims in Pakistan”. The US has provided $56.5 million in aid to Pakistan for flood relief and humanitarian assistance this year. The ISPR said gen. Bajwa expressed his condolences over the devastation caused by the hurricane in Florida, saying Pakistan understands the loss and pain of victims of a devastating storm. Separately, during his meeting with Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed sorrow over the devastation and loss of life throughout the country caused by the catastrophic floods. “He reaffirmed the US commitment to the people of Pakistan, noting the nearly $56.5 million in flood relief and humanitarian assistance provided this year as well as the additional $10 million of food security assistance announced today,” read the US State Department press release.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed the authorities concerned to link the Thar Coal Mines with the country’s railway network by March 2023. During a meeting chaired by the prime minister, it was principally decided that the project of linking Thar Coal Mines with rail network would be jointly executed by the federal and Sindh governments. In this regard, Prime Minister Shehbaz and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah would sign a Memorandum of Understanding today (Wednesday). The prime minister told the meeting that the development projects needed to be completed with the “Pakistan Speed” as the previous government had inflicted irreparable loss to the country during last four years. He said the government was trying to revive the development course which the previous government had deliberately kept halted during 2018 to 2022. “During our previous government, we accomplished the development projects within record period. What to talk of launching
new development projects, the previous government halted the ongoing ones wasting the public money as a grave conspiracy,” he remarked. He said with the linking of Thar Coal Mines with railway network, local coal would be used in power plants replacing the imported one. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the usage of Thar coal in power plants would help save $2 billion annually.The meeting was told that after the linking of Thar Coal Mines with rail network, the local coal would be utilized not only the power plants of Jamshoro and Port Qasim but also other power plants and industries in the country to save the public money. The prime minister instructed the authorities concerned to accelerate the work on the said project to complete it by March 2023.Federal ministers Ishaq Dar, Ahsan Iqbal, Khurram Dastgir, special assistants to PM Jahanzeb Khan, Zafaruddin Mahmood and senior officers attended the meeting. Railway Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah joined the meeting via video link.
SC wonders whether it could order re-enactment of law after its repeal ISLAMABAD staff report
The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday said what it could do when the parliament itself had done away with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law. During the hearing of former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s petition against amendments introduced by the coalition government in the NAB law, the SC wondered whether it had ever ordered reenactment of the law after it was repealed by the parliament. A three-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Umar Ata Bandial, heard PTI chairman’s petition. Counsel for the NAB, on the occasion, submitted to the court in writing the statement in which the bureau said that it was in complete harmony with the attorney general of Pakistan’s stance on
the case. Justice Mansoor Ali Shah remarked that Imran could have raised his voice against these amendments in the National Assembly (NA) since masses had also returned him and other members of PTI to the NA. “Why did Imran and other party members of the NA resigned from their seats without taking their electorate into confidence?” he questioned, and added it would have been better if he had raised his voice from the floor of the House. Khawaja Haris, Imran’s lawyer, replied that the PTI’s decision that its lawmakers would resign from their seats en masse was a political one. He reminded the apex court that it had declared in its previous decisions that corruption was like a ‘cancer’ for the country. “How sad it is that instead of further improving the NAB law, the present government preferred to
weaken it,” he regretted. Imran’s lawyer also reminded the SC that, in one of its decisions, it had ordered reenactment of the law which had been repealed in 1990. Justice Ijazul Ahsan remarked that parliament was not above the laws of Shariah as well as the constitution. “Accountability is the basic tenet of Islam,” he said. Khawaja Haris told the court that as per the changes, the principle of ‘plea bargain’ had been done away with. “Now a suspect, taking advantage of amendments in the NAB law, can also ask for the return of the amount he or she has deposited after striking a plea bargain deal,” he disclosed. CJP said if that happened, the state would have to pay billions of rupees to the suspect. Later, the court adjourned hearing of the case until tomorrow.