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TOP LEADERSHIP EYES EXPLORING MINING POTENTIAL Wednesday, 2 August, 2023 I 14 Muharram, 1445
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Rs 40.00 | Vol XIV No 32 I 40 Pages I Islamabad Edition
FIRST-EVER MINERAL SUMMIT HELD IN ISLAMABAD AS GOVT STRUGGLING TO ROPE IN NEW INVESTMENT PROFIT
SHAHNAWAZ ALI
ITH new gas reserves discovered by Mari Petroleum in Bannu, and another copper and gold mine in Waziristan as claimed by Dr. Samar Mubarakmand, Pakistan is all set in making a headway in the mining industry. Unfortunately, despite being rich in resources, Pakistan may not have the financial or the scientific resources to reap the benefits of these discoveries by itself. For this very purpose, Pakistan hosted its first ever mineral summit “PAKISTAN MINERALS SUMMIT – DUST TO DEVELOPMENT: INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN PAKISTAN”, on August 01, 2023. The event was aimed at paving the way towards unlock-
ing the vast mineral potential of Pakistan. Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif served as the chief guest, with Chief of the Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir gracing the event as the guest of honour. The summit was a collaborative effort between the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), a council jointly set by Pakistan’s civil and military leadership, and Barrick Gold Corporation. The Ministry of Petroleum provided additional facilitation for the event. The gathering attracted a diverse range of attendees including federal and provincial ministers, foreign dignitaries, investors, and technical experts. The summit assembled industry leaders, specialists, and key stakeholders from both public and private sectors onto a common platform. The comprehensive, day-long agenda included four sessions, four solo speeches, panel discussions, a keynote address, along with special mes-
sages from the Prime Minister and the Army Chief. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in his address, lauded the resilience and hope of the Pakistani people. He saw initiatives like the summit as a means of transforming that hope into tangible reality. The mineral wealth of Pakistan, he emphasised, presents an incredible opportunity for the country to leave its mark on the global economic stage. He also praised the SIFC as a pivotal mechanism to leverage opportunities for Foreign Direct Investment in Pakistan. The Army Chief, General Syed Asim Munir, shared his vision for the evolving mining landscape in Pakistan. He underscored the influential role of the SIFC as a catalyst for this change. He further remarked, “Difficult times test a nation’s resilience. Through unity, determination, and positivity, we will surmount current challenges.” Some of the key panellists of the event included the
NA endorses bill proposing up to 3 years in jail for disclosing identities of intelligence officials ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
The National Assembly passed a bill on Monday to amend the Official Secrets Act, 1923 which proposes up to three years in jail for anyone who discloses the identity of members of intelligence agencies, informants or sources. The bill, titled “Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill, 2023”, was moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Murtaza Javed Abbasi. The Statement of Objects and Reasons of the bill says, “It is imperative to amend the Official Secrets Act, 1923, and make it more effective in view of the changing social milieu to ensure the safety and security of official documents.” The bill, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, proposes adding Section 6-A (unauthorised disclosure of identities) to the act, under which “a person shall commit an offence who intentionally acting in any manner prejudicial to public order, safety, interests, or defence of Pakistan, or any part therefore, discloses in such a manner that exposes the identity of such undisclosed persons in any man-
ner the identity of the members of intelligence agencies, informants or sources thereof”. It proposes imprisonment for a term of up to three years and a fine extending to Rs10 million. The bill says that any person who “abets, incites, conspires or attempts to commit the offence […] shall be liable to the same punishment”. The bill added an additional definition for “enemy” in Section 8-A, which would mean “any person who is directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally working for or engaged with the foreign power, foreign agent, non-state actor, organisation, entity, association or group guilty of a particular act tending to show a purpose that is prejudicial to the interest and safety of Pakistan”. It also proposed substituting Section 9 (attempts or incitement to offences), by stating that anyone who “incites, conspires, attempts, aids or abets the commission of an offence would be punished with the same penalty and liable to be proceeded against in the same manner as if they had committed the offence”. Moreover, the bill added subsection 2-A to Section 11 (search warrants) which said that intelligence
agencies may now “at any time, enter and search any person or place, without warrant, and if necessary, by use of force, and seize any document … or anything which is or can be evidence of an offence committed, or suspecting of been committed”. It further suggested adding Section 12-A (investigations) to the law. The proposed amendment states that an investigating officer under the act “shall be an officer of the Federal Investigating Agency” who would be designated by the FIA director general for investigation. “If the FIA DG deems it suitable, he may constitute a Joint Investigation Team, convened by such officer and consisting of other such officers of intelligence agencies.” It added that FIA would have to complete the investigation of cases “triable by the court established” within 30 working days. The bill also proposed including Section 12-B (admissibility of material collected) under which “all material collected during the course of inquiry or investigation, including electronic devices, data, information, documents, or such other material which facilitates the commission to any offence under this Act, shall be admissible”.
Assistant Deputy Minister for mining enablement of Saudi Arabia, Mr Abdul Rehman Belushi, the Deputy Energy Minister of Azerbaijan, Kamal Abbasov, CEO Barrick Gold (a stakeholder in the Reko Diq project) Mr. Mark Bristow, Managing Director Jefferies- Mr. Oliver Dachshell, The Energy and Petroleum Minister, The Finance Minister and the Minister of Planning and Development of Pakistan. The event also brought to the table some of the leading businessmen of Pakistan like Muhammad Ali Tabba (Lucky Group), Arif Habib ( Arif Habib Corporation) Ghias Khan (Engro Corporation) and Amir Paracha (CEO Unilever and President Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce). Talking to the event, the Planning minister, Prof. Ahsan Iqbal stated that despite political and financial challenges, the current government has been able to “stabilise the ship” and Pakistan is now open for business.
11 dead in Balochistan: PMD forecasts more rains in upper parts today ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Tuesday forecasted another spell of rains in upper parts of the country from Wednesday (today) due to the penetration of “monsoon currents” from the Arabian Sea. According to PMD alert, a “westerly wave” is also likely to enter the country on Thursday (tomorrow). Under the new spell, it said rains with wind/thundershowers are expected in Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s Neelam valley, Muzaffarabad, Poonch, Hattian, Bagh, Haveli, Sudhanoti, Kotli, Bhimber and Mirpur from the night of Wednesday to Aug 7 intermittently. A similar forecast was issued for Diamer, Astore, Ghizer, Skardu, Hunza, Gilgit, Ghanche, Shigar, Murree, Galliyat, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Mandi Bahauddin, Hafizabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot, Narowal, Chitral, Dir, Sheikhupura, Lahore, Shangla, Buner, Mansehra, Kohistan, Abbottabad, Haripur, Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi, and Nowshera as well. The PMD also predicted rains and thundershowers in Kurram, Lakki Marwat, Kohat, Dera Ismail Khan, Banni, Karak, Waziristan, Kasur, Mianwali, Sargodha, Khushab, Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Jhang and Bhakkar from Aug 4 to Aug 7 with occasional gaps. STAFF REPORT
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