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PM CALLS FOR REDEFINING GLOBAL CLIMATE FINANCE TO SUPPORT VULNERABLE NATIONS Wednesday, 13 November, 2024 I | 10 Jamadi ul Awwal, 1446
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PM Shehbaz emphasizes developing nations need $6.8 trillion assistance by 2030 to counter climate challenges
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BAKU
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Urges world community to take developing countries out of debt trap, calling it ‘death trap for poor countries’
STAFF REPORT
RIME Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has urged the developed nations to fulfil their commitments to developing countries for boosts climate resilience, saying developing nations need $6.8 trillion assistance by 2030 so that poor nations can counter the climate challenges. Addressing the opening plenary “World Leaders’ Climate Action Summit” of the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), he lamented that at COP 15, climate financing reached merely $160 billion dollar which is too less than the actual requirement. He told the participants that Pakistan was also facing climate challenges like floods. He urged the world community to take developing countries out of debt trap which is in fact a death trap for poor countries. The Prime Minister urged the world leaders, especially the developed countries, to accept their responsibility re-
garding climate change and provide assistance to the developing countries in dealing with these challenges. The PM calls for strong and climate finance mechanism, saying that developed countries should focus on debt solutions. At the COP-29 climate action summit, the prime minister also championed the cause of millions of Pakistanis affected by the devastating floods and con-
‘First in, First out Basis’: SC’s constitutional bench starts hearing cases from tomorrow ISLAMABAD
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vince the world that Pakistan, which has a negligible share of greenhouse gas emissions, was facing hard time. PM Shehbaz said along with economic conditions, we are struggling with the harmful effects of climate change. Earlier, on arrival at the summit venue, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev welcomed the prime minister.
Later, he also posed for a family photo along with the participating leaders at the venue which followed the opening of the World Leaders Climate Action Summit. The prime minister will also attend several high-level events on the sidelines of the summit; besides holding bilateral meetings with the world leaders. Earlier, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant to PM Tariq Fatemi, the prime minister landed in the capital city of Azerbaijan to attend the moot and several high-level events and roundtable discussions hosted by Pakistan. He will host a Climate Round Table Conference organised by Pakistan today to be attended by world leaders. At the event, the prime minister will highlight the challenges faced by developing countries despite their minimum contribution to carbon emissions. Moreover, the prime minister will also participate in the high-level event “Glaciers 2025: Action for Glaciers” which is being hosted by Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon.
Serving cop facilitated suicide bombing at Peshewar Police Line mosque: KP IGP PESHAWAR
STAFF REPORT
The three-judge committee of the Supreme Court on Tuesday decided to adopt “first in, first out basis,” mode for cases to be heard by the recently established constitutional bench, starting taking up petitions on November 14 and 15. The SC constituted the three-judge committee to fix cases, issue court rosters, form benches, and decide weekly caseload for its recently established constitutional bench. The committee convened on Tuesday chaired by head of the constitutional bench Justice Aminud Din Khan and attended by Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail while Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar joined the meeting through a telephone call from Karachi. The SC, in a press release after the meeting, said that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss matters for the formation of the constitutional bench. During the meeting, the committee was briefed by the court’s registrar’s office regarding the pending constitutional cases, the statement said, adding that the committee decided that priority shall be accorded to the oldest cases.“ The constitutional benches include judge from across the provinces to ensure broad representation. The press release mentioned that Justice Ayesha Malik will not be available on Nov 14 and 15 and “a bench comprising all available Judges shall be constituted to proceed with cases on these dates.” SC Registrar Muhammad Salim Khan released the court roster of a six-member constitutional bench which will begin hearing cases at 9:30am on Nov 14. The bench will include Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Musarrat Hilali and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan. The SC directed the Registrar to schedule cases for hearing before the bench. The next meeting of the committee will be held on Nov 13 at 12:30pm after Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar arrives in Islamabad. On Nov 5, the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), in its maiden session, had picked Justice Amin as head of the constitutional bench by a seven-to-five majority. Chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Yahya Afridi, the reconstituted JCP formed a seven-member constitutional bench, including Justices Aminud Din Khan, Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Ayesha A Malik, Hassan Azhar Rizvi, Musarrat Hilali and Naeem Akhtar Afghan.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police claimed to have arrested the constable who allegedly facilitated the 2023 blast at Peshawar Police Lines mosque, that claimed 84 lives, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police (IGP) Akhtar Hayat Khan Gandapur revealed at a press briefing on Tuesday. “KP Police constable Muhammad Wali, who joined the force in 2019, facilitated the suicide bombing targeting Peshawar Police Lines mosque. He received Rs200,000 for his role as facilitator and the amount was reportedly transferred through hawala system”, IGP Akhtar Hayat Khan Gandapur claimed. Speaking to reporters, IGP Gandapur stated that constable Wali was the “remaining missing link” related to who had facilitated Qari, the alleged suicide bomber. “After hectic efforts and thor-
ough investigation, we managed to arrest this person along with two suicide jackets from near Jameel Chowk on Peshawar’s Ring Road on Monday (11/11,” the KP police chief stated while referring to the facilitator. “Based on the interrogation, it was deduced that the facilitator was our own policeman,” who he identified as Muhammad Wali. On Jan 30, 2023, a powerful explosion ripped through a mosque
in Peshawar’s Red Zone area where between 300 and 400 people — mostly police officers — had gathered for prayers. Terror makes macabre return to Peshawar: “The suspect operated in line with the order of the banned organisation Jamaatul Ahrar and has received Rs200,000 through the hundi-hawala system,” KP IG said, adding that the policeman also received Rs40,000 to Rs50,000 from the banned group per month.
lating Section 144 but were released after being issued a warning.” “The rule of the law will be ensured at all costs,” said the police spokesperson. Earlier, the PTI had said that several of its leaders were arrested from outside the Adiala Jail when they reached there for a meet with incarcerated leader Imran Khan, terming the “arrests” “absolutely shameful.” “Absolutely shameful! Omar Ayub Khan, Shibli Faraz, Asad Qaiser, Ahmed Bhachar, Sahibzada Hamid Raza have been arrested outside Adiala Jail, for simply exercising their right to meet their leader Imran Khan, as permitted by law,” the PTI
said in a post on X. “This should alarm anyone who values the rule of law, as it shows how basic freedoms are being trampled upon,” it added. Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Malik Ahmed Bhachar and ally Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) MNA Sahibzada Hamid Raza were also among those arrested, the party said. A video shared by the PTI showed Ayub being seated in the backseat of a white Toyota Corolla vehicle amid high security, while Raza was also being pulled away by uniformed personnel. A police van could also be seen parked on the road’s opposite side.
PTI leaders released following brief detention outside Adiala Jail RAWALPINDI
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Several top PTI leaders were released after taken into custody on Tuesday from outside the Adiala Jail for violating Section 144 while the party termed the move “absolutely shameful”, saying this should alarm anyone who values the rule of law. “The PTI leaders were taken into custody but were released shortly afterwards after being issued a warning, police said. According to Punjab Police spokesperson Sajjadul Hassan, “PTI leaders were detained for vio-
Govt mulls replacing BPS with contract based workforce to cut budget load g
Public-sector reforms aim to ease budget burden by Rs35-40b annually, starting with non-gazetted workforce PROFIT
MONITORING DESK
The federal government is considering abolishing the Basic Pay Scales (BPS) for public sector employees, initially starting with non-gazetted staff, and replacing them with a contract-based workforce as part of broader public-sector reforms to reduce the long-term financial burden on the national budget. Dawn reported that the Ministry of Finance has discussed these potential changes with multilateral agencies, including the World Bank, and may seek both technical and financial support for their rollout. This move would reduce pension liabilities, which currently exceed Rs1 trillion, and shift new hires to contract terms with performance-based exits. Under these reforms, newly inducted staff would receive fixed salaries with limited long-term benefits, such as medical coverage only through insurance. Current officers recruited through Central Superior Service (CSS) and Provincial Service Commissions (PSCs) would retain their existing rights, while future hires would face performance-based contracts, potentially subject to termination with notice periods of three to six months. The newly implemented pension reforms have already introduced contributory pension schemes for future public sector recruits, including military personnel, aiming to control the rapidly rising pension bill. This year’s budget allocated over Rs1 trillion for pensions, with Rs665 billion for military pensions and Rs220 billion for civil pensions. If implemented across federal ministries and public-sector corporations, the shift away from BPS could save an estimated Rs 35-40 billion annually, easing the growing strain of benefits, medical coverage, and allowances associated with the traditional BPS framework.
LHC told 54 cases in five Punjab districts registered against Imran Khan LAHORE
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The Punjab government on Tuesday informed the Lahore High Court that a total of 54 FIRs are registered against PTI founder Imran Khan across five districts of the province. Punjab’s Assistant Advocate General Muhammad Farrukh Lodhi submitted the report in the LHC during the hearing of the petition filed by Imran’s sister Noreen Khan, seeking details of the cases registered against her brother. According to the report, out of the total 54 cases, 21 have been registered in Lahore alone. “Similarly, 19 FIRs have been registered against the former prime minister in Rawalpindi division, one in Gujranwala, seven in Sheikhupura and five in Faisalabad,” it reads. Assistant Attorney General Sardar Ameer Hamza Dogar also submitted a report in the court, detailing the cases registered against Imran. The report informed that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had registered three cases against the PTI founder, while four inquiries were also pending against him. Earlier on November 8, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore granted bail to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan in four May 9 cases. As per details, the ATC judge Arshad Javed took up the bail pleas and after hearing arguments from both the sides approved the pleas filed by the former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Punjab’s Prosecutor General Farhad Ali, during his arguments, opposed the bail pleas, emphasizing Imran Khan had incited his workers to attack important state buildings if he is arrested. Violent clashes were broken out across Pakistan after former prime minister Imran Khan was arrested from Islamabad High Court on May 9, 2023. The protests were held in remote and major cities as the party workers were agitated due to their chairman’s arrest, with Balochistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad summoning the armed forces to ensure law and order.
IMF mission engages with Pakistan to address revenue shortfall, review economic progress
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Visit seeks updates on revenue recovery measures and recent privatization setbacks amid declining inflation PROFIT
NEWS DESK
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) began an unplanned official visit to Pakistan on November 11, with authorities affirming their commitment to meet budgeted revenue targets despite a significant first-quarter shortfall. The discussions, led by IMF mission chief Nathan Porter and Pakistan’s State Minister for Revenue Ali Pervez Malik, focused on addressing revenue collection gaps and administrative strategies to close the fiscal deficit. According to officials, the IMF mission is here for consultations, not as part of the formal review under the $7 billion Extended
Fund Facility (EFF). That first formal review will assess Pakistan’s end-December performance, which, if satisfactory, could release over $1 billion by March 2025. The ongoing visit will conclude on November 15. The IMF visit follows a reported Rs190 billion revenue shortfall in Pakistan’s first four months, with nearly half of the gap emerging in October. This trend, attributed to falling inflation, raised concerns about meeting future targets and fulfilling the IMF program’s benchmarks, including commitments related to the struggling privatization agenda. Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officials reassured the IMF team that its enforcement measures are underway and should narrow revenue losses by the end of this month.
The FBR, currently adhering to quarterly rolling targets, suggested that a possible downward adjustment in targets could be explored later in the discussions. As part of the EFF, Pakistan has agreed to implement contingency measures if revenue falls short by more than 1% of quarterly targets. Proposed steps include modest increases in advance income taxes and withholding taxes on imports and services, alongside higher federal excise duties on sugary drinks. These measures aim to offset potential shortfalls and maintain program commitments. Additionally, Pakistan’s provincial assemblies are preparing to implement an agricultural income tax from January 2025, with collections beginning in July. This measure
is part of a broader commitment to strengthen fiscal discipline and limit market borrowing. The government has pledged to use a record Rs2.5 trillion profit transfer from the
State Bank prudently, primarily to stabilize the primary balance and fund essential debt payments, reducing the burden on the domestic credit market.