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ELEMENTS INVOLVED IN CORRUPTION, CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE: PM Saturday, 27 April, 2024 I |18 Shawwal, 1445
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VOWS GOVT WILL PERFORM ‘MAJOR SURGICAL OPERATION’ TO GET RID OF DEEP-ROOTED FLAWS IN ECONOMY
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CABINET APPROVES VALIDITY OF POR CARDS FOR AFGHAN REFUGEES TILL JUNE 30
PM directs committee constitution to consult provinces on carbon credits policy ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
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ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
RIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that the elements involved in the deeprooted menace of corruption and criminal negligence for denting the national economy would be held accountable. “Lot of work needed to be done as the government will perform ‘major surgical operation’ to get rid of the deep-rooted flaws in the country’s economy,” PM Shehbaz Sharif declared while chairing a meeting of the Cabinet at PM’s House here on Friday. Referring to the track and trace system agreement made in 2019, the prime minister said this system was nothing but a cruel joke to the nation as no improvement was seen in the tobacco, cement, sugar and fertilizer sectors. He said the agreement was totally a fraud as even no penalty clause was included in it. He said that he had ordered the formation of an inquiry committee in this regard that will present its report within 72 hours. On the occasion, along with other
agenda items, the federal cabinet approved the validity of Proof of Registration (PoR) cards for Afghan refugees till June 30 with their repatriation set to begin in the third phase. The meeting, however, did not announce any date for repatriation of those refugees holding the PoR cards. There are around 1.3 million registered Afghans still living in Pakistan, according to a spokesman for UN refugee agency UNHCR in Islamabad. “On the recommendation of the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions, the federal cabinet approved the extension of the validity of PoR cards of Afghan refugees from April 1, 2024, to June 30, 2024,” said an official statement, issued by the Prime Minister’s Office. The PoR cardholders will be repatriated in the third phase of the plan that will begin after the repatriation of “illegal foreign nationals” residing in Pakistan is completed, the statement added. The cabinet members were informed that PoR card holders avail schools, bank accounts and other facilities in Pakistan. The statement said the first phase of repatriating foreign residents living in
SC forms new bench to take up judges letter ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Despite initial indications of convening a full court to address the suo motu notice regarding alleged interference by the country’s security agencies in judicial matters, a three-judge committee formed under the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Act 2023 has established a sixmember larger bench to oversee the case. The letter penned by six Islamabad High Court judges to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) sparked significant activity. Signed by Justices Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Babar Sattar, Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan, Arbab Muhammad Tahir, and Saman Rafat Imtiaz of the IHC, the letter dated March 25 addressed concerns about interference by intelligence agencies in judicial proceedings. The Supreme Court, according to its cause list released on Thursday, has appointed a new six-member larger bench, headed by CJP Qazi Faez Isa, to hear the case on April 30. This bench will address the concerns raised by the IHC judges. Earlier, on April 3, a seven-member larger bench led by the CJP had begun hearing the matter, but Justice Yahya Afridi later recused himself from the case. The remaining six judges, including CJ Isa, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Musarrat Hilali, and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, constitute the current bench. The court roster, issued by the committee under Section 2(1) of the SC Practice and Procedure Act, reveals that the decision on the bench’s composition was made in Karachi, with the signature of SC Registrar Jazeela Aslam. During the initial hearing, CJP Isa hinted at the formation of a full court, while Justice Minallah referred to it in his separate note. Lawyers supporting the IHC judges have expressed disappointment over the absence of a full court and urged the committee to reconsider. The outcome of this case, along with others, will be closely scrutinized, particularly in light of proposed judicial reforms and concerns regarding political interference in legal proceedings.
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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed to constitute a committee for consultation with the provinces for policy-making on guiding principles for carbon credits. While chairing the third meeting of Pakistan Council for Climate Change here remarked, the federal and provincial governments would work together to make policies regarding climate change. Premier Shehbaz Sharif said, “Our challenges regarding climate change are increasing with every passing day.” He said without the consultation of provinces on all matters, there was no question of policy making of any kind on climate change. The participants discussed in detail policy guidelines for foreign trading in carbon credits. He instructed that a policy draft should be presented in the next meeting of the council after consultation with the provinces. On the occasion, the chief ministers of the four provinces expressed their viewpoint regarding policy making and gave recommendations. The prime Minister directed that provinces and all stakeholders should be taken into confidence regarding this important policy draft on climate change. Pakistan without any identity documents was in progress. As regards the macroeconomic indicators, the prime minister expressed satisfaction over the collective performance of both incumbent and the interim governments. He said according to a recently published report on Pakistan economy, many indicators including IT export, re-
PM Shehbaz said Pakistan was one of the countries most affected by the adverse effects of climate change, adding the country was gravely affected by the rains in 2022 and the floods caused by them. As a servant of Pakistan, he said, he worked for the relief and rehabilitation of the flood affectees and fought case of Pakistan all across the world regarding climate change. He said Ahsan Iqbal and Sherry Rehman and all the relevant institutions and ministries took important steps to take Pakistan out of that difficult time and to build infrastructure in Pakistan regarding climate change. The prime minister said he and the Pakistani nation were thankful to the friendly countries and the international community particularly Secretary General United Nations for coming to the aid of affected Pakistanis. Federal ministers including Ishaq Dar, Ahad Cheema, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Sardar Awais Khan Leghari, Coordinator of Prime Minister on Climate Change Romina Khurshid Alam, high level officers and experts from the public and private sectors attended the meeting. Prime Minister Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Gilgit Baltistan and the chief ministers of provinces attended the meeting through video link. mittances, capital market were showing positive results due to the prudent policies of the government. PM Shehbaz Sharif informed that he completed the power sector review in four phases in which important decisions were taken to minimize power theft and line losses, and to reduce prices of the electricity.
SIC is second largest party in Lower House of Parliament, ECP tells NA secretariat
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ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday officially informed the National Assembly (NA) Secretariat that the Sunni Alliance Council (SIC) is the second-largest party in the Lower House of the Parliament. As per details, ECP officially notified the National Assembly Secretariat regarding the party positions in the Nation Assembly. According to the ECP report, the Sunni Alliance Council (SIC) has total 82 members including 49 from Punjab and 33 independent candidates after PTI-backed candidate joined the SIC, making it the second-largest party in the National Assembly. The Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) has 82 members (including 49 from Punjab and 33 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), PPP 71, MQM 21, JUI 11, PML-Q 5, IPP 4 and MWM, PKMAP, BNP, PMAP, BAP PML-Z each have one member in the house. The Election Commission has clarified that no specific seats have been allocated to the Sunni Ittehad Council. The National Assembly Sec-
retariat had requested the Election Commission to provide an updated party position, which has now been notified. The development came after the NA Secretariat earlier announced that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) backed independent members of National Assembly (NA) cannot be considered lawmakers belonging to the Sunni Alliance Council (SIC) yet. According to details, the NA Secretariat said that it has not been conveyed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) about independent MNAs joining
the SIC. “The PTI-backed lawmakers would be considered independents until the National Assembly Secretariat receives the party affiliation notification from the ECP,” the secretariat said in a statement. On February 18, the PTI, whose candidates contested the February 8 general elections ‘independently’, decided to form an alliance with the SIC. Previously, the PTI had also announced to form a coalition in Centre and Punjab with the Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) but the move faced backlash by some party members.
FCA of March: Power consumers to endure Rs23b burden in May bills ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Power consumers may endure an additional financial burden of approximately Rs23 billion as the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has completed hearing on a request pertaining to Fuel Charges Adjustment (FCA) for electricity consumed in March 2024. Though NEPRA has reserved its decision on the FCA for March 2024 sought by the power distribution companies (DISCOs), it is anticipated that the power regulator will adhere to past practices and approve the collection of Rs23 billion from already burdened electricity consumers through the May 2024 electricity bills. According to NEPRA, the authority will issue a detailed decision after thoroughly scrutinizing the facts and figures. Earlier, Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) submitted an application to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on the request of distribution companies (DISCOs) to increase the electricity price by Rs2.9402 per kilowatt hour (kWh) under the head Fuel Charges Adjustment (FCA) of March 2024. And, following this request, the NEPRA called a public hearing on April 26, 2024. NEPRA chairman Waseem Mukhtar while presiding over the hearing on FCA of March 2024 said that electricity demand has been decreasing consistently. During the hearing, NEPRA’s Member Sindh highlighted consumer shifts to solar electricity due to the high cost of electricity. Additionally, officials from the National Power Control Center (NPCC) reported a 7.5 percent decrease in power demand in March 2024. Over the year, domestic consumer demand fell by 11.3 percent, and the industrial sector by 4.5 percent, according to CPPA officials. NEPRA officials pointed out that power consumers could have been benefitted of up to Rs580 million had electricity been generated through the Guddu Combine Power Plant (GCPP). Upon this, NEPRA’s Member Sindh emphasized that NEPRA had received numerous complaints regarding violations of the economic merit order of power plants and assured that NEPRA was reviewing these complaints. Officials from the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) informed NEPRA that electricity demand decreased by seven percent in March 2024. The CPPA, in its application, claimed that the total electricity generated with various fuels in March 2024 was recorded a 8,023 GWh, at Rs8.3109 per unit. The total cost of energy was Rs66,680 million. The power generation with the hydel source was 2,217 GWh (gigawatt per hour) constituting 27.63 percent with zero cost of power generation while power production with coal-fired power plants was 862 GWh (local coal) and the total power generated for Rs14,459 million (Rs16.7779/unit). Similarly, the power generation from gas-based power plants was 795 GWh, 9.91 percent of the total generation, totaling Rs13.6857 per unit and the generation from Re-gasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG) was 1,658 GWh, which was 20.67 percent of total generation, at Rs22.1917 per unit. Likewise, power production from bagasse was recorded at 78 GWh, the price of which has been calculated at Rs5.9822 per unit. The electricity generated from wind was recorded at 205 GWh, 2.55 per cent of total generation and solar at 110 GWh, 1.37 per cent of the total generation in March 2024. Moreover, electricity generation from nuclear sources was 2,070 GWh which came out at Rs1.5488 per unit, 25.79 per cent of the total generation, and electricity imported from Iran was 28 GWh amounted to Rs30.3729 per unit, 0.35 per cent of the total power generation in the said month of March 2024. It is also learnt from the data submitted by the CCPA with NEPRA that net electricity delivered to DISCOs in March 2024 was 7,756 GWh (96.67pc) at a rate of Rs9.3819 per unit, the total price of which was Rs72,764 million. It is relevant to note that monthly fuel charges adjustment will be applicable to all consumers of DISCOs except the power consumers of K-Electric, lifeline and electric vehicle charging stations.
Armed forces to fail inimical forces impeding development: COAS RAWALPINDI
STAFF REPORT
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir on Friday declared the armed forces of the country with the support of the nation would fail all the inimical forces bent on impeding Pakistan’s development and prosperity. “Negative propaganda and social media trolls could not distract the nation from working for the development and prosperity of Pakistan and its people”, COAS) General Syed Asim Munir said, reported the military’s wing on Friday. According a statement from the ISPR, the army chief expressed these remarks while addressing the Green Pakistan Initiative (GPI) conference.
Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, Federal Minister for National Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain and other civil and military officials also attended the conference. “We are all a united team Pakistan – Inshallah with the cooperation and support of the people, all efforts of those who distract and obstruct Pakistan’s development journey will fail,” the COAS said during the conference. In July last year, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had inaugurated the initiative along with the army chief which aims to bring investment worth billions of dollars in the next four to five years in the agriculture sector in Pakistan. The premier said that the Green Pakistan Initiative would be the sec-
ond green revolution, paving the way for prosperity and progress in the country. He stated that under this programme, the government anticipated an average investment of 30 to 50 billion dollars in Pakistan over the next
three to four years. “Our efforts are focused to enhance productivity and transform barren land into fertile ground which will significantly bolster our revenues.” The COAS went on to say: “In today’s era, complete independence
without economic stability is not possible, whereas no instability would be tolerated in Pakistan’s journey of prosperity and development. Let us all reject negative forces together and focus on Pakistan’s journey of development and stability.”
“Pakistan is a blessed land with an industrious and resilient nation which needs to come together for national development,” Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) quoted the army chief as saying. Gen Asim Munir said that Pakistan Army would continue to provide all possible support for the economic development of Pakistan, underscoring the army’s efforts would contribute towards comprehensive national security and collective good of the nation. The federal ministers, while concluding the session, lauded the transformative initiative and underscored that agriculture is the lifeline of Pakistan. They hoped the GPI would introduce contemporary best practices in Pakistan’s agriculture sector.