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PM WANTS RAMAZAN PACKAGE MECHANISM BE EMULATED FOR OTHER GOVT SCHEMES Tuesday, 25 March, 2025 I 24 Ramazan, 1446
PREMIER SHEHBAZ CHAIRS A REVIEW MEETING g SO FAR, 63% BENEFICIARIES RECEIVED ON RAMZAN RELIEF PACKAGE, DIRECTING A PAYMENT, WITH A TOTAL OF 2,224 THIRD-PARTY AUDIT OF PACKAGE EMPLOYEES DEPLOYED FOR PURPOSE
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Rs 50.00 | Vol XV No 259 I 40 Pages I Islamabad Edition
ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
RIME Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Monday emphasized that mechanism devised for Ramazan Relief Package should be adopted for other government’s run schemes, saying amounts under the Package were being transferred to the beneficiaries through a highly convenient and transparent digital wallet system. The prime minister chaired a review meeting on Ramazan Relief Package 2025. During the meeting, he said the Ramazan package had been introduced across Pakistan, including GilgitBaltistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir without any discrimination and lauded the efforts of the State Bank of Pakistan, NADRA, and tech institutions in ensuring transparency in the package. The meeting was attended by Minis-
ter for National Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain, Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Minister for IT and Telecom Shaza
Fatima, Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Haroon Akhtar, the NADRA Chairman, the PTA Chairman, relevant government officials, and representatives
of private companies related with the Ramadan Relief Package, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.
ISLAMABAD
seed potato production using advanced technology. He said timely availability of good quality seed, fertilizers and medicines will bring revolution in the field of agriculture and result in increase in exports. He thanked Korea for helping Pakistan in setting up the complex for production of potato seed. Korea had a strong economy and Pakistan wanted cooperation with it in different sectors, he remarked.
He said our farmer was hard working and capable and worked in all kinds of weather and with the use of modern seed the production of potato will increase. “Our farmer needed best seeds, fertilizers and genuine medicines,” he added. He emphasized that agriculture graduates should be provided suitable environment so that they could contribute in the development of agriculture sector.
PM asks federal, provincial govts to work together to strengthen agriculture STAFF REPORT
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Monday stressed that federal and provincial governments should work together to provide inputs to farmers at reasonable rates to strengthen agriculture. He was speaking at the inauguration of Seed Potato Production and Aeroponics Complex established with the assistance of South Korea for indigenising
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IHC restores right of PTI founder to meet visitors twice a week ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday restored the right of PTI founder to meet visitors twice a week – on Tuesdays and Thursdays – while hearing petitions related to jail meetings. The three-member bench, headed by Acting Chief Justice Sarfaraz Dogar and comprising Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Muhammad Azam, issued the ruling. According to the court’s decision, only individuals nominated by PTI founder’s coordinator, Salman Akram Raja, will be allowed to meet him. The court, however, strictly prohibited any media interaction following these meetings. During the hear-
ing, PTI founder’s lawyer, Zaheer Abbas, argued that despite submitting requests according to standard operating procedures (SOPs), jail authorities had not facilitated the meetings. He highlighted that even the scheduled meeting on March 20 was not arranged. Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir pointed out that in the intra-court appeal, SOPs had already been set, allowing meetings twice a week. The prison authorities, represented by lawyer Naveed Malik, stated that due to security concerns, they had facilitated two meetings on a single day instead of allowing separate meetings on different days. Malik further explained that PTI founder’s status in jail had changed after he and Bushra Bibi were convicted in January. He emphasized that jail
rules grant the Adiala Jail Superintendent the authority to decide on meetings. The authorities also raised concerns that meetings were being misused for political statements outside jail premises. In response, the court noted that meeting arrangements should not be used for political purposes and questioned why visitors needed to address the media after their meetings. Acting Chief Justice Sarfaraz Dogar suggested taking an undertaking from visitors that they would not engage in political discussions post-meeting. The court ruled that PTI founder’s meetings with his children should be addressed by the trial court. However, it reaffirmed that only individuals nominated by Salman Akram Raja would be permitted to visit him in jail.
IN TODAY’S ISSUE
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IMF rejects FBR’s request to reduce property transaction taxes: report PROFIT
STAFF REPORT
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has officially declined the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) request to reduce transaction taxes on property for the time being, The News reported. Initially, senior officials had indicated that the IMF had agreed in principle to a 2% reduction in withholding tax on property purchasers, set to take effect from April 1, 2025, pending formal approval. However, the global lender has now clarified that it will not approve the proposed reduction in taxes on property transactions. IMF Resident Chief in Pakistan, Mahir Binci, confirmed that the IMF had not agreed to reduce the withholding tax on property transactions, nor had it approved a reduction in the tax collection target for March 2025. In addition to refusing the property tax reduction, the IMF also rejected requests to lower taxes on tobacco and beverages. As Pakistan and the IMF continue negotiations, the two sides are working towards a Staff Level Agreement (SLA), but Pakistan must provide assurances that provincial governments will not engage in wheat procurement. The IMF has also expressed its intent to expand the current $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) to include climate finance through the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). This proposal, which could secure up to $1 billion for climate resilience efforts, will be presented to the IMF Executive Board for approval alongside the second tranche release.