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Rs 40.00 | vol XIII no 248 I 40 Pages I Islamabad edition
PPP distaNces itself from Pdm alliaNce for uPcomiNg Polls ISLAMABAD
a
Staff correSPondent
MID intensifying rumours of differences between Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), former president Asif Ali Zardari — who is also the co-chairman of the party has ruled out the possibility of contesting the next elections for an alliance with the ruling coalition. Addressing a press conference in Vehari, the PPP co-chairman said that the party co-chairman made it clear that the PPP would contest the next elections on the “arrow” symbol and not for an alliance with the ruling PDM. “We are not a part of the PDM, but we are their partners in the government,” the PPP stalwart said ahead of the general polls in Punjab — which are scheduled to be held on April 30. The PPP is seemingly at crossheads with the PDM-led government over gov-
ernance and economic issues as the country is witnessing historic inflation and reeling from the damage caused by cataclysmic floods. Zardari also ruled out talks with Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran
Khan and said that the former prime minister is not a politician. In response to a question about the police’s attempt to arrest the PTI chief and whether he was consulted, Zardari said: “It is the prerogative of the interior
minister — why would he consult me?” Khan has been evading arrest attempts by law enforcement agencies and is facing charges of money laundering and illegally selling Toshakhana gifts during his tenure as prime minister. However, despite the legal issues, the PTI leadership remains undeterred and is keen to showcase its strength in Lahore in what it termed as a “historic public rally ” to be held this Wednesday. Meanwhile, Senator Raza Rabbani, a senior PPP leader, underscored similarities between the PDM-led incumbent government and the PTI regime — which the sitting rulers had vehemently opposed. In a press release, the ex-Senate chairman — whose party is in the ruling alliance — said: “It seems be it the PTI or present governments want azadi [freedom] from Parliament and the Constitution, 1973.” The country is witnessing its worst economic turmoil, with the rupee at an
all-time low, the foreign exchange reserves plunging almost every other week, and to top it off, a new wave of terrorism has also hit Pakistan. In light of ongoing issues, Rabbani has also sought clarifications from the government as, according to him, the rulers keep avoiding parliament. PPP Chairman and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had also warned the centre of quitting ministries if the promises made to flood affectees in Sindh about financial assistance are not fulfilled. “The promises to flood victims are needed to be fulfilled otherwise it will be difficult for us to hold our [federal] ministries,” Bilawal said during an event in Karachi. Expressing his severe concerns and regret, the PPP leader said that the promises made to the flood affectees by the federal government could not be fulfilled. The flood-hit community is going through a difficult time amid rising inflation in the country, he added.
BoI to introduce asaan Karobaar Bill in parliament ISLAMABAD Ghulam abbaS
A year after the launch of the Asaan Karobar Programme to promote ease of doing business (EODB) in the country, the Board of Investment (BOI) has completed the dra ft bill of the programme to be presented in the parliament by the end of this month. In March 2022, President Arif Alvi formally launched the Asaan Karobar Programme as part of the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Development Policy to lessen the compliance burden on businesses, particularly for SMEs. Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan had desired BOI to undertake regulatory reforms and guillotine procedures in line with international best practices to identify regulatory obstacles at all three tiers of government, i.e. federal, provincial and local government, for the elimination, simplification and modernisation of regulations. Following the former chief exec-
utive’s wish, BOI was in consultation with different stakeholders to reform and remove technical and legal bottlenecks in doing business in the country. Officials privy to the matter state that by the end of January of this year, at least four rounds of regulatory reforms and guillotine have been launched and around 270 reform proposals have been taken up with federal and provincial departments. More so, 137 reforms have already been implemented as well. During a consultative workshop held on Monday, the concerned stakeholders have agreed to initiate the legislative process to introduce the Asaan Karobar Bill in the parliament at the earliest. The decision was taken in the workshop, in the presence of over 80 participants including representatives from public & private sector, all the provincial governments, AJK, GB, Finance Division, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), Pakistan Single Window (PSW),
Islamabad court upholds Imran Khan’s arrest warrants in Toshakhana case ISLAMABAD Staff rePort
An Islamabad district and sessions court on Monday upheld the non-bailable arrest warrants for PTI Chairman Imran Khan it issued last week in the Toshakhana reference over his persistent absences in the case hearings. Additional Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal announced the verdict reserved earlier in the day after hearing the arguments on an application filed by the PTI chief seeking the cancellation of his warrants. The same court had last week issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Imran after he decided not to turn up before the court while attending hearings of three other cases — prohibited funding, terrorism, and attempted murder filed against him in other local courts located in proximity. On Sunday, an Islamabad police team was sent to Lahore to arrest Imran with the court summons. However, it returned empty-handed after the PTI chief evaded the arrest. Subsequently, Imran petitioned the Islamabad sessions court arguing that the withdrawal of warrants would enable him “a fair opportunity to appear and defend himself” in the case. Former premier Imran Khan is accused of concealing, in his assets declarations, details of the gifts he retained from the Toshakhana — a repository where presents handed to government officials from foreign officials are kept. Officials are legally allowed to retain gifts provided they pay a pre-assessed amount, typically a fraction of the value of the gift. PTI lawyers Qaisar Imam, Ali Bukhari, and Barrister Gohar appeared on behalf of the party head in the hearing.
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Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), Pakistan Business Council (PBC), KPBOI, AJK-BOI, academia, etc. While addressing the concluding session, Ambreen Iftikhar, Additional Secretary at the BOI, said that the valuable discussion between the stakeholders would be incorporated in the final draft of the Asaan Karobaar Bill. She also said that BOI was fully aware of the problems faced by different investors in initiating their businesses and in this regard valuable input was given during the consultative workshop. The Bill would ensure protection and promotion of small business owners to run their businesses with ease and comfort. She also stressed upon the effective implementation of the Bill, after it is passed by the parliament. However, the Bill has challenges as well. According to the officials, the challenges confronting the Asaan Karobar Bill include limited access to finances, lack of skilled
labor, poor infrastructure, and a volatile business environment. The proposed Bill will be introduced in the Parliament by the end of this month after incorporating the relevant suggestions of the participants. As per the documents, the private sector, business associations, and chambers of commerce and industry are all actively involved in the identification of hindering regulations. The proposals received are examined and then the important ones are shared with the concerned departments & agencies in the public sector. The relevant departments also carry out their own impact analysis, and then implement reforms by making suitable regulatory changes to eliminate, reduce or simplify the regulatory difficulties. The initiative is the first of its kind partnership between the public and private sector to simplify the regulatory landscape and create a friendly environment to support the growth of businesses, particularly SMEs.
Hajj to cost Rs1.175m this year g
Govt to generate $444m under sponsorship, private hajj scheme ISLAMABAD Shahzad Paracha
The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet has approved the Hajj Policy2023, estimating Rs1.175 million as a tentative amount of the hajj cost, which is 36.59% higher than its amount in the previous year. The Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar chaired the meeting of the Cabinet’s ECC. The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony submitted a summary on the Hajj Policy-2023. The ECC after discussion approved Hajj-2023 policy and agreed to provide a foreign exchange cover of $90m. The policy states that the Hajj quota allocated to Pakistan for the year 2023 is 179,210 which shall be distributed between the Government and Private Hajj Schemes at a ratio of 50:50. Out of the government and Private Hajj Schemes, a quota of 50% each shall be reserved for sponsorship schemes. Under sponsorship, applicants shall be required to deposit their hajj dues in foreign exchange remitted from abroad and will not be allowed to deposit the hajj dues from the foreign currency accounts in Pakistan. According to sources, under the government’s sponsorship, the hajj quota is expected to generate about $194m and the private hajj scheme is expected to generate more than $250m, depending on the cost of various packages and the applications received for them. In addition, the sponsorship scheme of government hajj quota shall be utilized on a first
come first served basis, and the Ministry of Religious Affairs shall decide about the unutilized quota of sponsorship scheme, and its allocation to regular/private scheme or return to KSA. For the year 2023, tentative Hajj Package for Northern region (Multan, Lahore, Sialkot, Islamabad, Rahim Yar Khan, Faisalabad and Peshawar) is Rs 1.17m and for the South Region (Karachi, Sukkar and Quetta) is Rs 1.16m. Sources informed Profit that there is no age limit for hajj this year and the intending pilgrims who have performed hajj within the last 5 hajj years (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022) years are ineligible for hajj 2023. However, intending pilgrims of the sponsorship scheme are exempted from this bar. The ECC also deferred a summary submitted by the Ministry of Industries and Production on Solar Panel & Allied Equipment Manufacturing Policy-2023 with direction to review and revise the proposed policy considering inputs from all stakeholders. The ECC also approved a Technical Supplementary Grant of RS. 12 billion in favor of the Planning Commission for Conduct of 7th Population & Housing Census and Rs. 3,244m in favor of Poverty Alleviation & Social Safety for National Poverty Graduation Programme (NPGP). The ECC also deferred a summary presented by the Ministry of National Food Security & Research on Urea Fertilizer requirement for year 2023 with direction to incorporate the recommendations of the Committee framed by the ECC on gas distribution plan headed by Mr. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.
Nine martyred, 13 injured in attack on security forces in Balochistan QUETTA Staff rePort
At least nine security personnel were martyred and 13 injured in an explosion near a truck of the Balochistan Constabulary in the Bolan district of Balochistan on Monday. According to Levies officials, the explosion occurred at the Kambri bridge on the Quetta-Sibi highway and targeted a vehicle of security forces. “This seems to be a suicide attack,” a senior security official said. He said the bomber rammed his explosive-laden motorcycle into the police vehicle. Senior security officials are on the spot to collect evidence regarding the attack, he added. The site of the attack was cordoned off after the explosion. The Balochistan Constabulary personnel were returning from duty in Sibi Mela when they were targeted. The truck overturned with the intensity of the explosion. The bodies and injured personnel were shifted to Sibi where they were provided medical aid. The condition of some of the injured is reportedly critical which may increase the death toll. Emergency was imposed in the hospitals of Quetta and Sibi. The attack comes shortly after two Levies personnel were among six people martyred in three separate attacks in different areas of Balochistan, last week. The Levies force sources said four coal miners were killed as armed men opened fire at a mine in the Khost area of Harnai. Three coal miners were also injured in the attack. The attackers managed to flee after spraying the mine with bullets. The injured coal miners were rushed to the district headquarters hospital in Harnai for medical treatment. An emergency was declared in the hospital to provide urgent medical treatment to the injured persons. PResIdenT, PM vow To eRadIcaTe TeRRoRIsM: President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have expressed their resolve to free the country from the menace of terrorism. In their separate statements, both strongly condemned the suicide attack on the personnel of the Balochistan Constabulary in Sibbi that led to their martyrdom.
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