Wednesday, October 13, 2021

PM Imran Khan orders accelerating Gilgit-Baltistan integrated development plan

Prime Minister Imran Khan chairing a meeting to review the progress of the integrated development plan for Gilgit Baltistan.
Prime Minister Imran Khan Wednesday directed the authorities concerned to remove all the legal and procedural obstacles in the way of Gilgit-Baltistan's development projects.

A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said that the premier chaired a meeting to review the progress of the integrated development plan for G-B.

The meeting was attended by federal ministers Muhammad Hammad Azhar, Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, Syed Amin-ul-Haque, Dr Muhammad Farogh Naseem, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill, and GB Chief Minister Khalid Khursheed, along with relevant senior officials.

“We are focused on accelerating the pace of work on various development projects in Gilgit-Baltistan by taking effective measures to ensure delegation of administrative and financial powers,” said PM Imran Khan during his address to the meeting.

The statement said that the authorities were directed to “clear all legal and procedural hiccups in this regard to facilitate the people of Gilgit-Baltistan who have to travel long distances to reach Islamabad for getting their issues resolved”.

PM Imran Khan also ordered the provision of internet connectivity to the area at the earliest to cater better communication facilities to the local population.

Earlier, the prime minister was briefed about the progress of the implementation of the historic five-year development package for G-B, announced by his government early this year.

Per the statement, Rs370 billion would be released to G-B for various development projects till the fiscal year 2025-26 under the package.



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PM Imran Khan orders accelerating Gilgit-Baltistan integrated development plan

Prime Minister Imran Khan chairing a meeting to review the progress of the integrated development plan for Gilgit Baltistan.
Prime Minister Imran Khan Wednesday directed the authorities concerned to remove all the legal and procedural obstacles in the way of Gilgit-Baltistan's development projects.

A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said that the premier chaired a meeting to review the progress of the integrated development plan for G-B.

The meeting was attended by federal ministers Muhammad Hammad Azhar, Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, Syed Amin-ul-Haque, Dr Muhammad Farogh Naseem, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill, and GB Chief Minister Khalid Khursheed, along with relevant senior officials.

“We are focused on accelerating the pace of work on various development projects in Gilgit-Baltistan by taking effective measures to ensure delegation of administrative and financial powers,” said PM Imran Khan during his address to the meeting.

The statement said that the authorities were directed to “clear all legal and procedural hiccups in this regard to facilitate the people of Gilgit-Baltistan who have to travel long distances to reach Islamabad for getting their issues resolved”.

PM Imran Khan also ordered the provision of internet connectivity to the area at the earliest to cater better communication facilities to the local population.

Earlier, the prime minister was briefed about the progress of the implementation of the historic five-year development package for G-B, announced by his government early this year.

Per the statement, Rs370 billion would be released to G-B for various development projects till the fiscal year 2025-26 under the package.



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'Officially no ban on women’s sport, especially cricket': ACB chief

Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) Chairman Azizullah Fazli
Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) Chairman Azizullah Fazli has said the Taliban-led government has not "officially" banned women's sport, especially cricket, as he turned down speculation's about the newly formed setup having problems with female participation in sports.

"We have spoken to the top Taliban government officials and their stance is that there is officially no ban on women’s sport, especially women’s cricket," Fazli told Al Jazeera.

Following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, there have been concerns regarding women's sports in the country, with several female athletes fleeing Kabul.

Fazli told the publication that the Taliban did not have a "problem" with women's participation in sports and that there was no official policy of stopping them from partaking in it.

"But what we need to keep in mind is our religion and culture. If women adhere to that [attire], there is no problem in them taking part in sporting activities. Islam doesn’t allow women to wear shorts like the other teams do while playing football especially. That’s something we need to keep in mind," the ACB chief said.

On the country's preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup, he said the team had been training for the last two months, even after the group took over Kabul. "They said they support cricket and are fully behind the development of the game."

Fazli said the Taliban had assured him there would be "no political interference" in cricket and other sports.

Speaking about the situation in the country, he said it was "great", as there was no ongoing fighting — apart from isolated events. The ACB chief said before the group took charge, several people were killed on a daily basis.

"The security situation is great and the future is bright from Afghanistan cricket," Fazli said.

On ICC's review of Afghanistan's full member status, the ACB chief said the international cricket body had granted Kabul the status back in 2017 — and it had no clause of expulsion in case there was no women's team.

"We do want to have the team, of course," he added.



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BISP approves new performance management system for employees

Dr Sania Nishtar
The board of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), the government’s social safety net, has decided to adopt an international system of assessing performance of its employees in order to encourage them to improve work and get rewarded accordingly.

Called as the ‘Bell Curve Concept’, the new Performance Management System (PMS) was approved at a meeting of the BISP board on Tuesday.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection Dr Sania Nishtar chaired the meeting.

The system will help in rating the employees’ performance. Those who are identified as high-top performers are rewarded: they feel motivated and work harder to grow.

“Since the current PMS is not compatible with the modern PMS being used by progressive organisations, the board has approved the new principles based on ‘Bell Curve Concept’, essential to leverage optimum performance from employees. The new system will be applicable to regular and contractual employees,” said Dr Sania.

Current system lacks ability to differentiate between good performers and average or poor performers, board meeting told

The new PMS will access the relative performance of employees based on goal-setting sheets and the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) developed for benchmark positions. A new rating grid will be adopted, providing flexibility to recognise the employees who perform and deliver results beyond expectations and identifying those not measuring up.

It will link the employee performance to reward and compensation, training, career development and succession planning, and alignment with key BISP goals and objectives.

Participants of the meeting noted that the existing PMS at the BISP was similar to the methodology used by the government of Pakistan (ACR/PER system). There are several issues in the current system. The system lacks the ability to differentiate between good performers and the average or poor performers. The current system is not creating value for BISP as good performers have no incentives to work harder and poor performers have no reason to perform better.

The system will evaluate every job’s performance in three areas: organisational growth, beneficiary and employee management.

Employees will also be provided appropriate level of training in order to develop comprehensive understanding of PMS’s concepts to ensure smooth implementation of the PMS.

The board approved a new organisational structure, introducing the concept of opening BISP offices at the district level and dividing all provinces into three empowered zones with delegation of administrative and financial powers to ensure quick decision making at the appropriate level.



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BISP approves new performance management system for employees

Dr Sania Nishtar
The board of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), the government’s social safety net, has decided to adopt an international system of assessing performance of its employees in order to encourage them to improve work and get rewarded accordingly.

Called as the ‘Bell Curve Concept’, the new Performance Management System (PMS) was approved at a meeting of the BISP board on Tuesday.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection Dr Sania Nishtar chaired the meeting.

The system will help in rating the employees’ performance. Those who are identified as high-top performers are rewarded: they feel motivated and work harder to grow.

“Since the current PMS is not compatible with the modern PMS being used by progressive organisations, the board has approved the new principles based on ‘Bell Curve Concept’, essential to leverage optimum performance from employees. The new system will be applicable to regular and contractual employees,” said Dr Sania.

Current system lacks ability to differentiate between good performers and average or poor performers, board meeting told

The new PMS will access the relative performance of employees based on goal-setting sheets and the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) developed for benchmark positions. A new rating grid will be adopted, providing flexibility to recognise the employees who perform and deliver results beyond expectations and identifying those not measuring up.

It will link the employee performance to reward and compensation, training, career development and succession planning, and alignment with key BISP goals and objectives.

Participants of the meeting noted that the existing PMS at the BISP was similar to the methodology used by the government of Pakistan (ACR/PER system). There are several issues in the current system. The system lacks the ability to differentiate between good performers and the average or poor performers. The current system is not creating value for BISP as good performers have no incentives to work harder and poor performers have no reason to perform better.

The system will evaluate every job’s performance in three areas: organisational growth, beneficiary and employee management.

Employees will also be provided appropriate level of training in order to develop comprehensive understanding of PMS’s concepts to ensure smooth implementation of the PMS.

The board approved a new organisational structure, introducing the concept of opening BISP offices at the district level and dividing all provinces into three empowered zones with delegation of administrative and financial powers to ensure quick decision making at the appropriate level.



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New NAB ordinance challenged in Islamabad High Court

New NAB ordinance challenged in Islamabad High Court
The National Accountability (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021 has been challenged at the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday by a citizen named Abdul Latif Qureshi.

On October 8, President Dr Arif Alvi had promulgated the ordinance, paving the way for the incumbent National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal to continue holding his post until the appointment of his successor.

Citing various decisions taken by the Supreme Court (SC), the petitioner mentioned that the re-appointment of retired judges is against the independence of the judiciary.

He has also requested the high court to ban the "October 8 ordinance."

Per reports, the federal government, chairman NAB have been made parties to the petition.

Per the amended ordinance, the new NAB chairman will be appointed for a period of four years and his term may be extended.

The method followed for the appointment of the NAB chairman will be the one employed while granting an extension.

The ordinance states that the president will appoint the NAB chairman in consultation with the prime minister and the Opposition leader.

In case of a failure to reach a consensus on the appointment, the matter will be sent to a 12-member parliamentary committee formed especially for the matter of the appointment.

It also states that the NAB chairman can send his resignation to the president.



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Will not let Imran Khan be a political martyr: Maryam

PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz
Prime Minister Imran Khan "will not be allowed to become a political martyr", PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz vowed on Wednesday.

Her remarks came during a media briefing following an appearance at the Islamabad High Court.

Maryam said that the prime minister "should not even try to be like Nawaz Sharif", whom she termed an elected prime minister who came into power with the votes of the people, as opposed to the incumbent ruler who the Opposition frequently allege is "selected".

"Those who have entered into employment contracts, should stick to the terms of their employment," she added.

She asked what Imran Khan's political identity even was.

"Imran Khan's identity is to conspire against the elected prime minister and to hold a 126-day sit-in," she said in response to her own question. She was referring to the PTI's 2014 sit-in in Islamabad.

The PML-N leader went on to say that one does not simply become a lion by cloaking oneself in the creature's hide.

Maryam said PM Imran Khan's identity is confined to "conspiracies" and that he has "nothing to do with the principles of law and democracy".

She said that the premier will have to "answer for his conspiracies".

Speaking further about the so-called "conspiracies", she said that if the use of "magic" has yielded such success, then it should be put to use to alleviate the petrol, diesel, flour crises.

"If your magic is so successful then why don't you use it for the good of the people?" she asked.

"There is no rule of law in the country right now," Maryam said.

"Imran Khan is not a constitutionally appointed leader," she said, adding that he is in fact "guilty of violating it".

The PML-N leader said that her party's struggle is "against individuals like Imran Khan".

Maryam responded to the rumoured differences within the Opposition's Pakistan Democratic Movement alliance. "There are no conflicts within PDM," she insisted.

She also spoke of NAB's request filed at the IHC seeking a cancellation of her bail as well as that of her husband, retired Capt Safdar Awan in the Avenfield properties reference.

"I wish to see who my sympathiser in NAB is who has applied for a revocation of bail," she remarked, adding that their face should be exposed before the nation.

"The person should be given not a 21-gun, but a 22-gun salute," she added.

Maryam said that she fears neither getting arrested, nor being implicated in a "fake case".

She said her father, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, has already declared that he has left such matters to the will of Allah.

"Go ahead, revoke my bail, arrest me, so that the people can see how fearful you are," she challenged the government.



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Islamabad court dismisses Gill’s bail plea in sedition case

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