Friday, June 24, 2022

Two terrorists killed in gun battle with security forces in DI Khan: ISPR

 security forces
Two terrorists were killed during an exchange of fire with security forces in Kulachi area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Dera Ismail Khan district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement on Friday.

"During exchange of fire, two terrorists [were] killed. Weapons and ammunition [were] also recovered from the killed terrorists," the military's media affairs wing said.

It added that the militants were "actively involved in terrorist activities against security forces".

Five days ago, security forces had killed six terrorists belonging to the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) during a search operation in Paroom area in Balochistan's Panjgur district. Security forces had conducted an operation on a tip-off regarding the presence of terrorists in Zamran Range near Paroom.

The ISPR said the slain terrorists were involved in attacks on checkposts as well as IED attacks on security convoys in Paroom and surrounding areas of Panjgur.



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We have saved the country from defaulting, Miftah Ismail

Miftah Ismail
Finance Minister Miftah Ismail addressed a National Assembly (NA) session convened to wind up the budget debate on Friday and said the country was no longer on the way to default as it was on the path to progress.

During his address, the minister accused the PTI government of bringing the country to the verge of default and said "we have saved the country from defaulting".

"I want to give this good news to the nation today that the country [...] it is no longer on the way to default but on the path to progress," he said.

'Farmer-friendly budget'
Miftah had presented the budget for the fiscal year 2022-23 with an outlay of Rs 9.5 trillion on June 10.


As debate on the budget commenced in the NA today, Ismail said most of the recommendations made by lawmakers in the Senate and NA during preceding sittings had been incorporated into the budget.

He announced that the sales tax on cotton cakes (khal) had been removed and termed the budget "farmer-friendly".

"I don't think a more farmer-friendly budget has been presented in the past 10 to 20 years," he said, adding that this reflected the values of the incumbent coalition government.

The minister said as a result of this "farmer-friendly" budget the country would become self-reliant in the production of edible oil, wheat and other commodities. "These will be long-term benefits," he added.

Ismail said funds for farmers in the budget were not to be considered as subsidies but an investment. "We believe that if we will invest in farmers, they will give us the best returns."



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Thursday, June 23, 2022

Azam Nazeer Tarar hints withdrawing ‘curative review petition’

 Azam Nazeer Tarar hints withdrawing ‘curative review petition’
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar on Thursday hinted at withdrawing the infamous ‘curative review petition’, which his predecessor had moved before the Supreme Court against Justice Qazi Faez Isa, a sitting judge of the apex court.

The law minister also assured the bar representatives that he would personally talk to the PM for taking back the curative review by placing the matter on the agenda of the cabinet during the next meeting.

The law minister come to the Supreme Court building to inaugurate the Directorate of Legal Education at the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) office in line with an earlier directive in an SC judgment highlighting the need for improving the standard and quality of legal education in the country.

A memorandum of understanding was also signed between the law ministry and the PBC in this regard and Usama Malik and Saqib Faraz were appointed director and deputy director, respectively, of the directorate.


During the inauguration of the directorate, SCBA president Muhammad Ahsan Bhoon and PBC vice chairman Hafeezur Rehman Chaudhry had asked the law minister to withdraw the curative review petition to ensure independence of the judiciary, and also take measures for early fixing of an appeal challenging the LHC’s Jan 13, 2020 order that declared as illegal a special court’s Dec 17, 2019 verdict awarding capital punishment to former president Pervez Musharraf for committing high treason.

The law minister said the present government wanted to facilitate the return of ailing Pervez Musharraf to the country, adding that the former president should come to Pakistan and face courts.

Referring to the curative review petition, the law minister said he would raise the issue during the next cabinet meeting so that it could be withdrawn from the Supreme Court. He said he would also highlight the issue of appointment of a permanent secretary law.

Through the unheard of legal remedy, the previous PTI government had pleaded before the Supreme Court that its April 26, 2021 majority judgement in the Justice Faez Isa review case should not be left in the field for being manifestly and patently unjust, against the public interest and public good which defeats the judicial accountability



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Azam Nazeer Tarar hints withdrawing ‘curative review petition’

 Azam Nazeer Tarar hints withdrawing ‘curative review petition’
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar on Thursday hinted at withdrawing the infamous ‘curative review petition’, which his predecessor had moved before the Supreme Court against Justice Qazi Faez Isa, a sitting judge of the apex court.

The law minister also assured the bar representatives that he would personally talk to the PM for taking back the curative review by placing the matter on the agenda of the cabinet during the next meeting.

The law minister come to the Supreme Court building to inaugurate the Directorate of Legal Education at the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) office in line with an earlier directive in an SC judgment highlighting the need for improving the standard and quality of legal education in the country.

A memorandum of understanding was also signed between the law ministry and the PBC in this regard and Usama Malik and Saqib Faraz were appointed director and deputy director, respectively, of the directorate.


During the inauguration of the directorate, SCBA president Muhammad Ahsan Bhoon and PBC vice chairman Hafeezur Rehman Chaudhry had asked the law minister to withdraw the curative review petition to ensure independence of the judiciary, and also take measures for early fixing of an appeal challenging the LHC’s Jan 13, 2020 order that declared as illegal a special court’s Dec 17, 2019 verdict awarding capital punishment to former president Pervez Musharraf for committing high treason.

The law minister said the present government wanted to facilitate the return of ailing Pervez Musharraf to the country, adding that the former president should come to Pakistan and face courts.

Referring to the curative review petition, the law minister said he would raise the issue during the next cabinet meeting so that it could be withdrawn from the Supreme Court. He said he would also highlight the issue of appointment of a permanent secretary law.

Through the unheard of legal remedy, the previous PTI government had pleaded before the Supreme Court that its April 26, 2021 majority judgement in the Justice Faez Isa review case should not be left in the field for being manifestly and patently unjust, against the public interest and public good which defeats the judicial accountability



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PAC wants to abolish free electricity for power sector employees

PAC wants to abolish free electricity for power sector employees
The Pub­lic Acco­unts Committee (PAC) direc­ted the energy ministry’s power division on Thursday to abolish free electricity units for power sector employees.

However, the PAC — which helps parliament oversee the public ex­che­quer — suggested that the emp­lo­yees might be compensated with fin­ancial assistance instead of free units.

The committee examined audit reports of the Ministry of Commu­ni­cations and Power Division for the year 2019-20.

The meeting was presided over by its chairman Noor Alam Khan, who asked the power division secretary to abolish the free units. However, the secretary feared that abruptly withdrawing the facility would create panic among employees.

Dr Ramesh Kumar, a PAC member, asked the secretary not to take pressure from the union or any other quarters to end this facility.

Mr Khan, however, said the employees might be given an additional amount equal to free electricity in their monthly salaries.

He said that even low-paid employees working in both government and private sectors had to pay all the utility bills, and therefore there should be no exce­ption for the power sector.

Briefing the PAC on the current power crisis, the power division secretary disclosed that the system had suffered a loss of Rs1.1 trillion in a year, which were expected to surpass Rs2tr the next year. He said non-recovery was the major reason for the loss.

A recovery report submitted to the PAC by the power division pointed out that distribution companies’ Rs93.16 billion was outstanding in 2018-19, but the companies neither recovered the amount from 411,177 defaulters nor were their connections removed.

In reply to a question about loadshedding, the secretary said areas with higher power theft were experiencing excessive outages. During the meeting, the PAC chairman censured K-Electric officials and expressed displeasure over the absence of its CEO from the meeting. He warned that the PAC would issue an arrest warrant for the utility’s chief if he skipped the next meeting.

K-Electric’s chief financial officer told the committee the company’s CEO could not attend the meeting since he had to attend another meeting at Prime Minister House.

Examining the audit paras of the communication division, the PAC chairman expressed displeasure over the standard of maintenance and repair work on the GT Road.

He also criticised the National Highways and Motorway Police for not keeping a check on violations by heavy traffic on motorways, as trucks and buses routinely used top-speed lanes with impunity.



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PAC wants to abolish free electricity for power sector employees

PAC wants to abolish free electricity for power sector employees
The Pub­lic Acco­unts Committee (PAC) direc­ted the energy ministry’s power division on Thursday to abolish free electricity units for power sector employees.

However, the PAC — which helps parliament oversee the public ex­che­quer — suggested that the emp­lo­yees might be compensated with fin­ancial assistance instead of free units.

The committee examined audit reports of the Ministry of Commu­ni­cations and Power Division for the year 2019-20.

The meeting was presided over by its chairman Noor Alam Khan, who asked the power division secretary to abolish the free units. However, the secretary feared that abruptly withdrawing the facility would create panic among employees.

Dr Ramesh Kumar, a PAC member, asked the secretary not to take pressure from the union or any other quarters to end this facility.

Mr Khan, however, said the employees might be given an additional amount equal to free electricity in their monthly salaries.

He said that even low-paid employees working in both government and private sectors had to pay all the utility bills, and therefore there should be no exce­ption for the power sector.

Briefing the PAC on the current power crisis, the power division secretary disclosed that the system had suffered a loss of Rs1.1 trillion in a year, which were expected to surpass Rs2tr the next year. He said non-recovery was the major reason for the loss.

A recovery report submitted to the PAC by the power division pointed out that distribution companies’ Rs93.16 billion was outstanding in 2018-19, but the companies neither recovered the amount from 411,177 defaulters nor were their connections removed.

In reply to a question about loadshedding, the secretary said areas with higher power theft were experiencing excessive outages. During the meeting, the PAC chairman censured K-Electric officials and expressed displeasure over the absence of its CEO from the meeting. He warned that the PAC would issue an arrest warrant for the utility’s chief if he skipped the next meeting.

K-Electric’s chief financial officer told the committee the company’s CEO could not attend the meeting since he had to attend another meeting at Prime Minister House.

Examining the audit paras of the communication division, the PAC chairman expressed displeasure over the standard of maintenance and repair work on the GT Road.

He also criticised the National Highways and Motorway Police for not keeping a check on violations by heavy traffic on motorways, as trucks and buses routinely used top-speed lanes with impunity.



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IMF do not trust Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif

Shehbaz Sharif
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) did not trust Pakistan as the previous Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government backed out of a “deal” with the Fund by freezing petroleum prices against a promised hike.

“The IMF asked us how it can trust the government once the previous (PTI) regime backed out of the agreement,” the prime minister said while addressing senators from his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party here.

He, however, apprised the nation that even after striking a fresh agreement with the Fund, the crippling economic situation will not change overnight and the government and the people will have to struggle to rid the country of the crisis.


The prime minister remarked the PTI government should not have agreed to the IMF terms if it had reservations over them, hoping the deal with the global body had already matured and if any new conditions were imposed, an agreement would soon be signed.

He said the Fund was adamant on Pakistan fulfilling all the conditions of the agreement. “But it’s a difficult stage and I want to say that more difficulties are to come. Will prosperity come overnight after an agreement is signed? Not at all [...] we have to strengthen our financial position,” he added.

He further said taking the nation towards prosperity was the responsibility of the government, the cabinet and state institutions. “We will have to rise above personal interests and work hard to take decisions that will make us prosper.”

PM Sharif said the government had provided a relief package wherein the common man would get Rs2,000 a month. “More measures will be taken to provide relief.”

Talking about the budget for the new fiscal year, he said “genuine taxes” were being imposed on the net income of wealthy citizens, adding he would address the nation in the next few days to take it on board regarding the steps taken by the government to improve the economic situation.

The premier also talked about the $2.3 billion loan from China. He attributed the country’s economic woes to the habit of seeking loans, adding “crying over the past” would not fix the existing issues.

He regretted that several welfare projects launched by former PM Nawaz Sharif were halted by the PTI government. The laptop scheme was termed a “political bribe”, but time showed that it became a source of online connectivity for students during the Covid-19 pandemic, he added. He said Pakistan did not need a “Naya Pakistan”, but the Pakistan of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

Hazara motorway: Presiding over a meeting on development projects, the PM ordered a probe into the award of Hazara motorway project by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to fix responsibility for the poor quality of work.

He said the National Highway Authority (NHA) should consult the contractor concerned on how to avoid further wastage of public money on the project. He asked the NHA to immediately stop work on the project until the Chinese company vetted it and provided guidelines to move ahead. PM Sharif said instead of allowing a mushroom growth of kiosks and restaurants, two proper rest areas should be developed at equal distances to provide quality services to tourists. He also directed the authorities concerned to contain illegal construction in Jhika Gali.

Regarding the New Murree area, he said a consultancy firm from countries like Switzerland should be engaged to suggest a development plan for the area without damaging the natural beauty. The consultant should suggest good interventions for tourists like cable transport to discourage the movement of vehicles to the resort. He also instructed the administration to ensure proper testing of the existing cable car to prevent accidents.

Minerals exploration: Prime Minister Sharif also stressed the use of modern technology for the exploration of minerals and effective utilisation of raw materials for power generation. He directed to yield benefits from the coal reserves in Thar and Lakhra, and also the iron ores in Mianwali and Chiniot.

‘Saved from default’

Meanwhile, federal Finance Minister Miftah Ismail claimed that by taking tough decisions, the government had saved Pakistan from default as the previous PTI regime had pushed the country on the verge of bankruptcy.

While addressing a press conference along with Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, the minister claimed Pakistan was now returning to a better financial position, citing the increasing valuation of rupee against the dollar and the performance of Pakistan Stock Exchange as examples of the ‘progress’. He further claimed the International Monetary Fund had itself, through a press release, said it had made important progress in negotiations with Pakistan on budgetary measures for fiscal year 2022-23, as reported by APP.

The minister called the budget “progressive and historic” that did not increase indirect taxes nor did it propose taxes on commodities or consumption. Unlike the PTI government, the incumbent regime had taxed the rich. He added the $2.3bn loan from China was expected to be transferred by Monday and the country also rerolled the safe deposits that were due in June and July.

Separately, while presiding over a meeting on the PM’s relief package through Utility Stores, Mr Ismail directed the ministries concerned to work out proposals for the targeted subsidy.

Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Shazia Marri, Industries and Production Minister Syed Murtaza Mahmud, the secretaries of finance, industries, poverty alleviation and BISP, the Nadra chairman and other senior officials attended the meeting.

Ms Marri and Mr Mahmud shared proposals for consolidation of multiple subsidies under one umbrella for better allocation on the basis of household rather than individual.



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Islamabad court dismisses Gill’s bail plea in sedition case

A District and Sessions court of Islamabad dismissed the post arrest bail petition of PTI leader Shahbaz Gill on Tuesday. Additional Dist...