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Nacta inks accord with HEC to combat on-campus terrorism, extremism

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The National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for having effective collaboration on prevention and awareness to combat “on-campus” extremism and terrorism.

The MoU was signed by Nacta National Coordinator Khaliq Dad Lak and HEC Executive Director retired Lt Gen Muhammad Asghar.

The scope of the MoU was to establish a sustained and effective collaboration and partnership in order to combat extremism and terrorism in the country through joint research and collaboration.

Both the organisations will consolidate existing research work in the areas of counter-extremism and counter-terrorism, which will help in promoting research culture in the public sector as well as improving the policy-making process.

Editorial: Extremists on campuses

Another main objective of the MoU was to enhance awareness and prevention against extremist ideologies and mindset and to provide education on the topics of counter-extremism and counter-terrorism through participatory approach of the HEC and to increase awareness programmes.

Nacta will provide the basic themes and sub-topics while HEC will undertake the research through its affiliated universities. Both the parties will take measures to consolidate research work in the areas of counter-extremism and counter-terrorism.


Court rejects Shahid Masood's plea for pre-arrest bail in PTV corruption case

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A special court of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Thursday rejected an application for pre-arrest bail filed by Dr Shahid Masood in a case regarding his alleged involvement in the embezzlement of Rs38 million from state-run broadcaster Pakistan Television (PTV).

However, the former chairman of PTV had disappeared from court premises before he could be taken into custody.

According to the prosecution, Dr Masood had signed an agreement with a fake company to negotiate with the Pakistan Cricket Board for grant of rights to the PTV for coverage of cricket matches played in Pakistan. Because of the agreement, the PTV had to face heavy losses.

The Islamabad District Court had in June issued non-bailable warrants for Dr Masood's arrest following a request made by the FIA. He had subsequently appeared before the court and obtained interim bail.

Take a look: The dark side of news media

However, Special Judge Central Kamran Basharat Mufti on Thursday rejected the anchorperson's application for confirmation of interim pre-arrest bail.

The judge instead directed the authorities to arrest Dr Masood and present him before the court.

EPA halts operations of Byco after oil spill ruins Mubarak Village-Churna Island coastal belt

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Balochistan's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday ordered Byco Petroleum Pakistan Limited (BPPL) to halt its operations after a stretch of the Sindh-Balochistan coastal belt became heavily polluted due to an oil spill from Byco's underground pipeline.

A notification was issued in this regard by the EPA to BPPL warning that if operations continue, severe damage would be inflicted on marine life.

Spillage of tar and oil has wreaked havoc on the entire stretch of the coast from Mubarak Village to Churna Island and a strong stench permeates the area, local residents and fishermen told DawnNewsTV.

Earlier in the day, Mubarak Village counsellor Sarfaraz Haroon complained that the spill has turned the popular picnic location known for its blue-green water into a black mess.

He urged the government to take notice of the matter and regretted that the incident was not the first to threaten the local economy, as many such episodes had occurred previously.

"If the government does not take the matter seriously, sea life will be completely destroyed [in the area]," he said, underscoring the need for immediate action.

Haroon said that turtles, dolphins, whales, and other marine organisms were all on borrowed time unless remedial steps were taken.

Local fishermen demanded that the government takes strict disciplinary action against the owners of the company responsible for the spill.

In January this year, the Senate Standing Committee on Maritime Affairs was briefed regarding the rising pollution levels in the sea.

The director general of ports and shipping, Asad Chandna, had told the committee that 450 to 500 million gallons of raw sewage were being discharged daily directly into the sea without any solution in sight to stop the pollution.

PM Khan underscores need to implement National Water Policy

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Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday highlighted the issue of water scarcity, as he chaired the first meeting of National Water Council, and stressed the need to fulfil the growing demands of increasing population of the country.

The meeting held at the PM Office was attended by Finance Minister Asad Umar, Planning Minister Khusro Bakhtiar, Power Minister Omar Ayub, Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda, Minister for National Food Security Sahibzada Mehboob Sultan, the chief ministers of all four provinces and senior bureaucrats.

Explore: How Pakistan wastes its water

PM Khan emphasised upon following an integrated approach for conservation, storage, management and efficient utilisation of the available water resources. Pointing out that no significant attention was paid to water-related issues in the past, the premier underscored the need for chalking out a comprehensive road-map, in consultation with provinces and other stakeholders, for the implementation of National Water Policy.

The prime minister observed that the National Water Council would serve as an effective platform to discuss and develop consensus among the stakeholders on all issues pertaining to water resource management.

Water Resources Secretary Shamail Ahmad Khawaja briefed all those in attendance, in detail, about the contours of the National Water Policy and the strategic priorities set in the policy. He also apprised everyone about the existing water availability and the planned future investments, especially towards the enhancement of the storage capacity.

Read more: Pakistan’s first national water policy – historic or mere electioneering?

Furthermore, the secretary presented various proposals regarding the implementation of National Water Policy.

The Wapda chairman also briefed the meeting about the progress on various projects of water storage and power generation.

The prime minister directed that the proposals be analysed by the steering committee under the Ministry for Water Resources. The steering committee will submit its recommendations in two weeks’ time.

JuD, FIF no more on list of banned outfits, court told

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ISLAMABAD: The Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) and Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF) headed by Hafiz Mohammad Saeed are no more on the list of banned outfits after the presidential ordinance that proscribed them under a UN resolution lapsed.

During the hearing on Thursday of a petition filed by Hafiz Saeed, his counsel informed the Islamabad High Court that the presidential ordinance had lapsed and it had never been extended.

The petitioner had challenged the ordinance under which his organisations had been banned for being on the watch list of the United Nations Security Council.

The ordinance that proscribed these organisations under a UN resolution has lapsed

In February this year, former president Mamnoon Hussain promulgated an ordinance amending the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, with regards to proscription of terrorist individuals and organisations to include entities listed by the UN Security Council — in a move to declare JuD and FIF as proscribed groups.

Hafiz Saeed’s counsel Raja Rizwan Abbasi and Sohail Warraich appeared before Justice Aamer Farooq of the IHC. On a query, the counsel informed the court that the PTI government did not extend the ordinance or table it in parliament to convert it into an act.

Deputy Attorney General Raja Khalid Mehmood Khan confirmed that the ordinance had lapsed. He, however, declined the request of advocate Abbasi for giving a statement on behalf of the interior ministry regarding the lapse of the ordinance.

Mr Khan informed the court that since the petitioner did not cite the interior ministry as a respondent, he could not give a statement unless the petition was amended and the interior secretary added as a party in the petition.

Subsequently, Justice Farooq held that the petition became infructuous since the ordinance challenged by the petitioner had lapsed.

The judge disposed of the petition with an observation that in case the government renewed this ordinance, the petitioner was at liberty to file another petition against the promulgation of the law.

Hafiz Saeed contended in the petition that he established JuD in 2002 and cut off all ties with the banned Lashkar-i-Taiba, but India continued to malign JuD for its past association with the banned outfit.

The petitioner said he was kept in detention in 2009 and 2017 due to India’s pressure. He added that the UN Security Council had passed a resolution against JuD after which the government of Pakistan put it on the watch list.

The JuD chief termed it against the sovereignty of Pakistan that an ordi­na­nce was issued to ban his organisation.

The petitioner claimed that the promulgation of the ordinance and addition of Section 11-EE were not only prejudicial to the sovereignty but also contradictory to the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution.

He said that any law which was violative of constitutional provisions was liable to be struck down.

The petitioner argued that under Article 199 of the Constitution, the court was competent to strike down any legislation which was beyond the scope of the Constitution or ultra vires. He requested the court that the vires of the ordinance and consequent amendment in sections 11 B and 11-EE of the ATA might be declared illegal.

According to a list updated on Sept 5 on the National Counter Terrorism Authority’s website, 66 organisations have been banned in the country and JuD and FIF are not among them. However, the two Hafiz Saeed-linked organisations are “under watch by the ministry of interior” under Section 11-D-(1), read with Schedule-II of the ATA.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2018

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Commuters travelling between Karachi, Hyderabad to be charged once only

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ISLAMABAD: After recommendations from legislators, the National Highway Authority (NHA) has decided that commuters travelling in small vehicles between Karachi and Hyderabad would pay toll tax once instead of being charged twice.

The Senate Standing Committee on Communications met on Thursday to discuss the issue of toll tax collection, which was raised by Senator Moula Bux Chandio in the house in August.

NHA chairman Jawad Rafique Malik told the committee that passengers travelling between Karachi and Hyderabad would now pay toll tax only at the M9 toll plaza.

Senate committee suggests revisiting Sukkur-Multan highway project citing irregularities

Mr Chandio had pointed out that the NHA was collecting tax at the Jamshoro toll plaza and then again at the M9 plaza. He said the two plazas were approximately two kilometres apart and it did not make sense to collect toll tax from the travellers twice.

The committee also discussed progress on the construction of the Sukkur-Multan section of the motorway. The matter was brought up by Senator Nauman Wazir, who pointed irregularities in the project.

The purpose of the 387km-long stretch of the highway was to provide a high-speed, six-lane toll road facility for efficient and safe transportation of passengers and goods to and from industrial and economic hubs of the country.

The total cost of the Sukkur-Multan section of the motorway had been revised from Rs259 million to Rs294m, he said. Approximately 72pc of the project’s civil works had been done and it was expected to be completed in 2019, said Mr Wazir.

Therefore, he argued, the cost of the project should have reduced because a portion of the project had been completed. He also challenged the bidding process of the project, terming it unfair.

“China did not permit international bidding and Pakistan had to select the lowest bidder from three Chinese companies that expressed interest in the project. Above all, the fact that the Chinese are exempt from paying toll tax while travelling on the highway is unreasonable,” said the senator.

Senator Mohammad Usman Khan Kakar supported his colleague and said that Pakistan would be at a loss if Chinese were not charged toll tax.

“The Chinese will be using our roads the most. These projects will come at a highest cost to our environment. So, the Chinese should also be charged toll tax,” Mr Kakar asserted.

The committee unanimously suggested revisiting the project specifically to bring about improvements.

However, communication secretary Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui said the project was part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

The road was being built after a framework agreement between the governments of Pakistan and China, he said, adding that all the ministries had acted in accordance with the agreement.

“Most projects between Pakistan and China have been agreed upon between the two sides along similar terms,” he told the meeting.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2018

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Rs10m transaction in laundryman’s name detected

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HYDERABAD: A washerman in Tando Mohammad Khan suddenly finds himself to be millionaire as the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has detected a transaction of Rs10.4m in his name.

Tariq Saeed, son of Saeed Ahmed and resident of Mushtarka colony, supposedly of M/S Techno Bright Images, was summoned on Oct 19 to appear before the FIA’s Karachi branch on Oct 25 to explain the purchase from M/S Gateway Iron and Steel worth Rs10.4m. He has been asked to provide details of the transaction made in February 2011.

Mr Saeed was shocked to learn about the transaction and on getting a notice under the NAB Ordinance 1999.

In a video message, Mr Saeed said he was a poor washerman and unaware of the transaction.

Appea­ling for justice, he said he was mentally disturbed after having received the notice from the FIA.

The laundryman said he had submitted his papers in Karachi to acquire the job of security guard. The FIA has asked him to bring his national identity card along with him.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2018

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Opposition parties condemn govt for increasing power tariff

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ISLAMABAD: The opposition parties have strongly condemned the government’s decision to increase electricity tariff and termed it a result of the “economic mismanagement” of the present rulers.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator and former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani in a statement here on Thursday said that the increase of 140 per cent in prices of gas and now a raise in the power tariff had been necessitated to qualify for an economic bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which had last month told the government to take tough decisions.

“The abnormal increase in electricity tariff by the government is condemned in the strongest terms,” he said, adding that this price hike had had a snowball effect and the prices of vegetables, pulses and roti (bread) had already gone sky high and almost out of the reach of the working class.

With CNG prices touching Rs100, he said, the fares of buses and rickshaws had also registered an increase.

“It is feared that in its pursuit of making the IMF happy, the government will resort to massive privatisation of national assets and retrenchment of labour. Both these steps will be opposed both inside and outside parliament by the PPP,” he declared.

Mr Rabbani has also moved two adjournment motions in the Senate. The first motion pertains to the statement of the US secretary of state wherein he had said that the US expected Pakistan to curb terrorists fighting in Afghanistan and it would be held accountable if it failed to do so.

The second adjournment motion pertains to the statement of Prime Minister Imran Khan that Pakistan would play the role of a mediator in the Yemeni conflict and in the Middle East.

In a separate statement, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb regretted that the government had announced the decision to increase power tariff soon after the return of PM Khan from Saudi Arabia after getting a bailout package.

She said everybody was thinking that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government would announce reversal of its decisions which led to price hike in the country, but to the contrary, the government announced the decision to increase the price of electricity.

She was of the view that no one else but PM Khan himself was responsible for the economic mess and hardship being faced by the people and the country for the last two months.

“When the PM announces himself that the country is at the brink of default and going to bankrupt soon, the investors will definitely run away from the country,” she said in an apparent reference to Mr Khan’s speech at the investors’ conference in Saudi Arabia.

Ms Aurangzeb said that in 2014 the Saudi government had provided $1.5 billion to Pakistan as declared gift on the basis of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s credibility and trust.

She said that Imran Khan had created doubts about the economic viability of the country as the rulers lacked economic vision, prudent policies and direction.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2018

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Nacta chief calls for timely implementation of FATF plan

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ISLAMABAD: National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) chief Khaliq Dad Lak has called for qualitative change in investigations and prosecutions of terrorism financing cases.

Speaking at a meeting of Nacta’s national task force on combating terrorism financing on Thursday, he urged law enforcement agencies to carry out parallel investigations to unearth the financial trail behind terrorist incidents.

He also briefed the participants on various guidelines and standard operating procedures, which Nacta had recently issued for financial investigations of terrorism cases and other related matters.

During the meeting, it was emphasised that a targeted, organised and wholehearted effort should be made by all responsible stakeholders for timely implementation of the action plan under the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

The meeting was attended by all 29 members of the task force from federal and provincial governments and other organisations, including the Federal Investigation Agency, Federal Board of Revenue, Anti-Narcotics Force, State Bank of Pakistan, Financial Monitoring Unit, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Interior and provincial home departments, as well as counter-terrorism departments.

The Nacta’s national coordinator told the participants that on the directives of the interior minister, the authority had set up the national task force on countering financing of terrorism (CFT), which provided a common platform for sharing experiences and exchanging information.

Earlier, the task force took stock of the progress made on the decisions taken in its 10th meeting and issues concerning implementation of the FATF action plan were thoroughly discussed.

The financial monitoring unit also apprised the participants of the recent onsite visit of the Asia Pacific Group for Pakistan’s mutual evaluation carried out from Oct 7 to Oct 19.

Read More:Pakistan's progress on FATF requirement termed unsatisfactory

Pakistan Customs briefed the task force on the steps it was taking with regard to currency declarations.

Other departments also pro-vided their input on various CFT matters.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2018

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Two security men martyred in attack on FC convoy in Washuk

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QUETTA: Two security personnel were martyred and three injured in an attack on the convoy of the inspector general of Frontier Corps, Balochistan, in Was­huk district on Thursday.

IG Maj Gen Saeed Ahmed Nagra and Commandant of Panjgur Scouts Shajeeullah Qadri, who was travelling with him, remained unhurt in the attack.

Official sources said that the convoy was going from Panjgur to Khuzdar. When it was passing through the mountainous area of Nag tehsil, armed people opened fire on it and fled. Five FC personnel received bullet injuries and two of them died on the spot, they added.

A large number of security personnel rushed to the area soon after receiving information about the attack. They cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.

The martyred FC soldiers were identified as Hawaldar Yahya Uddin and Lance Naik Saifur Rehman. The bodies were first shifted to the district hospital and later to the deceased’s native towns for burial.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

The banned Baloch Libe­ra­tion Front has been active in the area for some time. The group was behind some attacks on security forces in Awaran and Washuk.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2018

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Pakistan eyes ‘integrated’ deal with China

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is seeking an integrated economic package from China envisaging financial support, increase in trade and investment and cooperation in agricultural research and will go ahead with an arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) among various other funding avenues.

Announcing this at a joint news conference after a meeting of the federal cabinet, Finance Minister Asad Umar said the financing support package from Riyadh was not based on any conditions, adding that Pakistan would stand behind Saudi Arabia under difficult circumstances. He was accompanied by Power Minister Omar Ayub Khan and Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry.

The finance minister also formally announced an increase in power tariff after cabinet approval and responded to criticism over ‘indecisiveness and lack of planning’ of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government over the past two months. He said it would have been easier to request for an IMF bailout and increase utility prices at the outset like previous governments, but that was not what his party had promised before coming to power.

Finance minister says Saudi bailout package is not based on any conditions

“Instead, we have been planning since day one in office and working on various sources [to secure funds] and we are still working on multiple avenues and not only the IMF; but it would become clear in the days to come how much support is required from the IMF when we enter into formal dialogue by Nov 7.”

The minister said more than the amount of the loan, the IMF engagement was important to access international capital market for bonds, enable flows from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, World Bank and Asian Development Bank and encourage foreign direct investment.

Responding to questions about the Saudi financial bailout, Mr Umar said there was no truth in concerns expressed by the opposition and others that Pakistan might have to accept some demands in return for the bailout package. “The Saudis did not make any demands that we refused to meet, they made no demands,” he said, adding that “Pak-Saudi relations are based on love and have nothing to do with any government”.

“It is a people-to-people connection. They will stand by Pakistan’s side during our time of need and they know we stand by them when they need [us].”

He said there was no direct link between Saudi Arabia and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor that was a strategic mutual arrangement between Pakistan and China. But there are projects emerging out of the CPEC for which Saudi Arabia has been requested (to invest) with prior discussions with China, and others could also join such projects.

He said Pakistan would play the role of a bridge to promote peace, harmony, unity and friendship among the Muslim Ummah and it could not become part of any conspiracy.

Power tariff

The finance minister said the power sector suffered Rs453bn loss last year and was set to face Rs550bn loss this year, which would ultimately result in tariff increase, debt accumulation or inflation.

Therefore, the Economic Coordination Council of the cabinet discussed over many meetings how to avoid Rs3.82 per unit increase determined by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority in August.

He said Power Minister Omar Ayub Khan and his ministry had committed Rs140bn target for the current year to secure from reducing theft and technical losses and improving recoveries and efficiencies.

He said because of this commitment, the government allowed Rs1.27 per unit average increase in tariff and still remained within the Rs105bn budgeted subsidy.

While increasing the tariff, he claimed, the government had protected domestic consumers of less than 300 units monthly consumption, along with export sector and reduced rates for agricultural tubewells. There are 1.76 million consumers utilising 300 units on monthly basis.

This, Mr Omar said, was the cornerstone of the PTI (government’s) policy to support export and agriculture sector and encourage remittances from abroad to ensure that this be the last IMF programme and at the same time protect poor and lower strata of society from adverse impacts of difficult economic conditions to a level possible.

Omar Ayub said the power division would save Rs50-60bn by reducing inefficiencies besides ensuring maximum recoveries from overdue bills that currently stood between Rs850 and Rs900bn.

He said the anti-theft drive would be launched from Lahore on Saturday in high theft areas. “We are beginning with big fish and then will go down”, Mr Khan said, adding that the campaign would be extended to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Sindh over the next few days. He said people involved in theft and non-payments still had two days to correct themselves otherwise they would face heavy fines and imprisonments.

The tariff sheet released by the power minister showed 10 per cent increase in rates for 301-700 units and 15pc for more than 700 units. Likewise, consumers having three-phase meters (above 5kw) would also face 15pc increase.

Commercial consumers on sanctioned load above 5kw would face 23pc increase in regular meters, 20pc on peak timings and 25pc in off-peak times.

The chart showed an increase of 5 to 6.5pc in the rates of all industrial consumers without any exception, even including export sector, despite the claim by the two ministers that their rate had been fixed at 7.5 cents (Rs9.75) per unit in continuation of the previous government’s decision.

Various bulk supply consumers would face an increase of 25pc while agriculture consumers under Scarp scheme would face a raise of 31pc from Rs12 to Rs15.68 per unit. The rates for other agricultural tubewells would remain unchanged at Rs5.35pc unit.

Official passport for NAB officers

The information minister said the cabinet had decided to grant “official passports” to officials of the National Accountability Bureau to facilitate them in foreign visits and bringing back thieves from anywhere in the world.

PPP leader Nayyar Bokhari termed the decision a move to bribe NAB officers.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2018

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Proposal about new regulator worries CPNE

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ISLAMABAD: The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) has expressed concern over the proposed Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority (PMRA) to be formed under the new media law to control print, electronic and digital media in the country.

In a joint statement issued on Thursday, Arif Nizami, the president of CPNE, Imtinan Shahid, its senior vice president, and Dr Jabbar Khattak, its secretary general, said the move had created fear in media circles because freedom of media, freedom of expression and people’s right to know might be compromised by reinforcing government control over media on various pretexts.

The CPNE said it was deplorable that the government had trampled upon traditions by not consulting the council and other media associations on the important issue. The move had created doubts about the government’s intentions.

It compared the proposed law with the Press and Publication Ordinance issued during Gen Ayub Khan’s rule and stated that collective efforts by the CPNE, PFUJ, APNS and other media associations had foiled the attempts by the martial law regime to curb media freedom. Any attempt to curb media freedom through a black law would not succeed this time too.

The CPNE advised the government to abandon the mindset of imposing discriminatory, prejudiced and special laws on the media, and create an enabling environment by allowing news organisations to work freely under normal laws.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2018

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Centre may abolish section officer tier

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LAHORE: The Task Force on Austerity and Restructuring is planning redesigning of the federal government with initial idea of reducing the number of ministries and abolishing the tier of section officer.

According to official sources here on Thursday, the task force under Dr Ishrat Hussain intends to have the rules of business amended to make the government leaner, cost effective and efficient.

“A breakthrough is expected in the next few days,” an official said.

According to him, the restructuring in the federal government would definitely impact the administrative systems in provinces which too are expected to adopt measures that can make them lean, automated and efficient.

He said the idea at present is to empower the cabinet, saving the prime minister of approving each and every file of the federal government so as to enable him concentrate on major issues confronting the country.

Task force mulls cut in number of ministries; deputy secretary to initiate files

The plan is to get approvals of the cabinet on at least day-to-day matters of all federal subjects through the cabinet secretary, shunning the existing practice of sending all files for approval of the prime minister to his secretary or principal secretary which makes him the all powerful bureaucrat in Pakistan.

Another item under consideration is to abolish the office of section officer and make deputy secretary initiate files. Under this plan every departmental edifice would be reduced to three tiers --- secretary, additional secretary and deputy secretary.

At present section officers initiate files in all government departments.

“The difficult issue at hand is how to absorb section officers already in service as this post will be abolished without rendering anyone jobless,” the official said.

He said the task intends to make the federal government reduce the number of its ministries.

According to this idea, every ministry would have a minister and a secretary but multiple divisions of related subjects. Each division would be headed by an additional secretary. Files would be initiated by deputy secretary under the additional secretary.

The official said that the scheme would help the government save funds it has to spend on staff of so many ministries.

It may be mentioned here that the federal government has already started automation of its departments to make them efficient and to know who is doing what.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2018

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LHC seeks compliance report on anti-smoking law enforcement

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LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Thursday sought compliance report from the Punjab government on the implementation of anti-smoking law at public places in general and educational institutions in particular.

Justice Ali Akbar Qureshi was hearing a petition moved by Advocate Azhar Siddique questioning non-implementation of “Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of non-Smokers Health Ordinance, 2002.”

The lawyer told the judge that the government failed to enforce the law despite a previous order to the effect passed by the court. He said cigarettes were being sold openly in schools, colleges and universities across the province.

He pointed out that under the law no person shall smoke or use tobacco in any other form at any place of public work or use.

He said the law restricted sale, distribution of cigarettes or any other smoking substance or tobacco products within 50 meters from any educational institution.

The lawyer contended that the non-implementation of the anti-smoking law had been leading to health hazards among students and non-smoker citizens. He asked the court to order the government authorities to ensure enforcement of the law.

Justice Qureshi directed the chief secretary to submit a compliance report next week with regard to the implementation of the anti-smoking law.

HELMET:

Justice Ali Akbar Qureshi dismissed as withdrawn a petition seeking exemption for turban-wearing men from wearing safety helmets on motorcycles.

A citizen, Muhammad Waseem, filed the petition pleading that he wore a turban according to his religious belief. He said his religious belief did not allow him to remove turban from his head.

He pointed out that members of the Sikh community were also allowed in many countries to wear turban in place of the helmets.

Therefore, the petitioner said, the court should exempt people wearing turban from wearing helmets while riding motorcycles.

However, the judge observed that the sole purpose of helmet was safety of citizens, which could not be compromised at any cost.

The judge dismissed the petition as withdrawn when the petitioner sought permission to withdraw his plea.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2018

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‘Balochistan can become the only part of the world with full employment’

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ISLAMABAD: Academics, civil servants, media professionals and students attended an insightful presentation by Dr Kaiser Bengali on the five key aspects of deprivation in Balochistan – gas pricing, federal development expenditure, federal social protection, federal civil service and the structure of electoral representation – at the launch of his book A Cry for Justice: Empirical Insights from Balochistan on Thursday.

The book launch was hosted by the Oxford University Press (OUP).

OUP Managing Director Arshad Saeed Husain introduced Dr Bengali and his book, saying: “Dr Bengali has detailed the reality of systematic economic exploitation, discrimination and neglect that Balochistan has shouldered and continues to face, minus the fiction of imagined wrongs.”

Wajiha Anwer, a member of the visiting faculty at the Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) and moderator of the event, said: “I think the question of justice is normative and the phrase ‘a cry for justice’ is often dismissed by certain quarters as merely emotive. This book, however, creates substance for this normative statement and makes an empirically researched case explaining the disparity, discrimination and discontent in Balochistan.”

Dr Bengali briefly described the key points of each of the five parts. He said: “It was a very useful experience for me to work in Quetta from the chief minister’s office as it gives you a view you don’t get elsewhere. As an economist I can only authoritatively talk about something where I have data. Without data it would just be my opinion. What I found was a very systematic and very subtle form of discrimination and exploitation in Balochistan.”

New book tackles key aspects of deprivation in Balochistan

“Everybody says Balochistan is resource rich but we also hear it is the poorest. That is the contradiction of Balochistan. There are only two million families, a very small population."

“At one job per family that means you only have to provide two million jobs, which is not difficult at all. It can be done in less than five years and I am saying this in my professional capacity with full responsibility. Out of this half a million jobs already exist. Balochistan can become the only part of the world where you could have full employment.”

“There is also recurring insurgency in Balochistan, but if you bombard them with jobs, you don’t have to bombard them with drones. Where there are troubled waters, where there is a sense of injustice – real or perceived – our enemies will fish in troubled waters. We must remove that sense of injustice,” he added.

Dr Bengali described in detail how the rest of Pakistan has benefitted from the gas field at Sui while Balochistan remained deprived of gas for the first three decades and still receives a miniscule proportion of gas.

Pointing out the perverse nature of subsidy on gas for the fertilizer industry, while Balochistan uses the least amount of fertilizer, Dr Bengali estimated that Balochistan had foot a bill of more than Rs7 trillion by 2014. With the Sui reserves estimated to reaching an end within the next 10 years, the resource extraction has been alarmingly comprehensive – and gas is not the only resource Balochistan is rich in.

Former senator Farhatullah Babar, while speaking at the launch, proposed one addition to the book.

“That is what these deprivations that you have identified have resulted in and how this can be addressed. These five areas have resulted in a serious disconnect between the state and the citizen in Balochistan,” he said.

Narrating his own experience while he was on the Senate human rights committee, he said that they had found 51 mutilated bodies in Balochistan over the course of two years and not a single family member of any of those victims had filed an FIR, showing a complete lack of trust in the institutions of the state.

Drawing from his firsthand experience as the head of the Chief Minister’s Policy Reform Unit in the Balochistan government between 2013 and 2016, Dr Bengali said: “In 1986 I was in Kharan where there was a flour mill and there were a few bags of flour and a lot of cactus. I asked why the cactus was there. They told me that they mixed the cactus into the flour because no one can buy the flour at the price of wheat.

“I’ve forty years of research, I’ve worked all over Pakistan and the only place in Pakistan where I have found hunger is in Balochistan. There is no other place in Pakistan where I came face to face with hunger.”

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2018

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USC workers end sit-in after govt accepts demands

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ISLAMABAD: The protes­ting employees of Utility Stores Corporation (USC) ended their sit-in near the Parliament House on Thurs­day night after the gover­nment accepted their demands.

The last round of negotiations between USC labour union’s chairman Arif Hussain Shah and Adviser to the Prime Minister Abdul Razaq Dawood proved fruitful.

Soon after their meeting, a notification was issued and the USC employees vacated the place they were occupying since Monday.

The notification stated that no action would be taken by the USC management against the employees who participated in the sit-in ‘as the same was held for fundamental rights’.

The notification said it had been agreed that ad hoc relief announced in the 2017-18 budget by the government in salaries would be paid to the employees. The arrears will be paid in 16 months, once the cash flow position of USC improved.

The key demand of employees regarding regularisation of 7,000 contractual and daily-wage employees has also been accepted.

The USC management agreed to increase the rental ceiling of its employees by 50 per cent for hiring residential accommodation in Islama­bad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Quetta, Karachi and Peshawar.

The government also agreed to upgrade sales and warehouse staff and the details would be discussed in the next board meeting.

The government also acknowledged the demand of the employees that a permanent managing director be appointed in the Utility Stores and the CBA union has been assured that there is no plan to privatise USC.

It has been decided that the USC management would take the CBA union into confidence in restructuring of the Corporation.

The earlier meeting between the union leaders and Mr Dawood held on Wednesday had failed to move ahead, but the union leaders and workers showed no sign of losing heart despite hot daytime and cold nights and they had announced to continue their protest.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2018

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NAB vows to end corruption

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QUETTA: No one can stop the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from eradicating corruption because it pursues a policy of zero tolerance against corruption and corrupt elements.

The director general of National Accountability Bureau for Balochistan, Mohammad Abid Javed, said this during an open hearing held at the bureau’s office on Thursday on the directives of NAB chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal.

A large number of complainants hailing from different parts of the province reached the bureau and submitted their complaints against government functionaries, departments and private individuals.

Mr Javed listened to the complaints and issued directives on various grievances.

“In the light of the documented proof furnished by complainants, strict action will be taken to provide relief to affected people and recover the looted wealth,” Mr Javed said.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2018

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‘Pakistan’s labour laws do not create enabling environment for women’

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ISLAMABAD: A gender audit of Pakistan’s labour laws has found that they do not create an enabling working environment for women and suffer from inconsistencies in the definitions of labour and labour rights, among other problems.

The audit was carried out by Women’s Action for Better Workplaces and its findings and recommendations were revealed at an event attended by parliamentarians, political workers, civil society and working women from various fields on Thursday.

One of the organisers, Jublee Bano, said legal experts were consulted for the audit, as were scholars and parliamentarians and workers from the provinces.

Discussing the findings of the audit, a representative of the forum Rukhsana Shama said Pakistan’s constitutional provisions and international commitments were consulted to devise a criteria through which the existing labour laws could be analysed. These categories included freedom of association or freedom to bargain collectively, wages, occupational safety and health, protection against sexual harassment in the workplace, equality of work and opportunities for women and maternity leave and benefits, among others.

The audit found that labour laws do not effectively combat various forms of discrimination against women, including more subtle forms of discrimination against women based on their age, marital status and reproductive role.

Ms Shama said that while laws do combat overt forms of discrimination, for example firing a pregnant woman, they do not cover “subtle discriminations” that are not documented and are a reflection of the social psyche. For example, there are fields in which women above a certain age are not hired. She added that women they spoke to said employers ask women in interviews whether they intend to get married, and if they are married, what their plans are for children.

There were also no measures to enable women to enter fields with lower representation of women, nor incentives for employers to hire more women.

Ms Shama said the workplace sexual harassment law is not mentioned as a labour law in labour law manuals. Labour departments are also not aware of the law’s importance when considering the conduciveness of a workplace for women.

Labour laws lack legal provisions for paternity leave, and other than the Sindh Maternity Benefits Act, laws do not legally permit breastfeeding breaks. The provision of daycare centres and flexible timings for women and men with children are also missing.

The audit also found inconsistencies in the definitions and rights of labour. Ms Shama said there are nine definitions of ‘labour’ across legal and policy frameworks, and these inconsistencies came forward after the 18th Amendment.

The presentation noted that the definitions of workers “do not account for growing economic sectors - electronic media, hospitals, private schools” and drivers for ride-sharing services.

Ms Shama said labour rights and entitlements are also inconsistent. The minimum wage does not cover all types of works, and there are inconsistencies in social security as well. She added that there are also issues with maternity laws - there are seven maternity laws that do not contain provisions for adoption, and have inconsistent provisions for complications and varied durations of maternity leave.

Ms Shama also discussed the problems facing the labour administration and inspection system. She added that while the labour inspection checklist looks comprehensive on paper, it only covers a few fundamental matters, such as the minimum wage, working hours, weekly holidays and so on.

The representation of women in the labour department is very low, and as inspectors is virtually nonexistent, she added.

She said employers should be penalised for violating labour laws, and given incentives such as tax breaks for complying with them.

A panel discussion followed in which parliamentarians belonging to various political parties took part.

They discussed the importance of extending labour laws to the informal sector, which has a significant percentage of women workers, as well as the need to focus on the implementation of laws rather than just law-making.

They also noted that gender is relevant across the board, and instead of relegating such matters to be ‘women’s issues’, women’s issues should be considered across every sector.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2018

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Senate body displeased by delays in NITB rules

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ISLAMABAD: A subcommittee of the Senate Standing Committee on Delegated Legislation expressed displeasure over delays in the finalisation of rules for the National Institute of Technology Board (NITB).

At a meeting on Thursday, the committee chairperson Senator Rubina Khalid said though IT was the future of the world, in Pakistan efforts were being made to curb its progress.

The NITB is mandated with a broad range of technical guidance and consultancy services to public-sector organisations for the identification of key areas and services for automation, including design, development and implementation.

It also provides technical assistance and subject matter experts to various ministries and divisions for their respective IT operations, infrastructure, general purpose and application specific trainings and e-government projects.

The committee members were surprised to learn that the NITB had sent rules on July 1, 2015, which were then examined by the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication to ensure all the codal formalities and legal requirements were fulfilled.

After a detailed examination, the case was forwarded to the Establishment Division on July 15, 2015, which has been posting queries since.

NITB Executive Director Nasir Naqvi said hiring and retaining human resource was a major challenge. He said hiring capable individuals would not be possible if remuneration packages were not up to the IT job market.

“Retaining people on rules that were formulated centuries ago isn’t feasible,” he said.

Senator Kulsoom Parveen said NITB needed to be made an autonomous body.

Senator Khalid said she would push the case through this forum as well as the standing committee on IT and telecommunication. She asserted that the development of IT in the government sector would put an end to delays in putting up files, which would be extremely beneficial.

While discussing the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap), Senator Khalid said the authority should review food supplements prescribed by trainers to gym-goers.

Senator Parveen also suggested Drap closely review medication and ensure the production of all substandard medication is stopped.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2018

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NA auctions six cars, bike

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ISLAMABAD: After auctioning surplus vehicles and buffaloes at the Prime Minister House, the federal government auctioned six used cars and a motorbike of the National Assembly.

“The National Assembly Secretariat has auctioned six surplus vehicles and a motorbike at price of Rs7,816,000 on Oct 24 in the light of the austerity drive of the government and directions of Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser,” said a press release issued by the NA Secretariat on Thursday.

The vehicles included a Mercedes Benz, four Toyota Corollas, one Suzuki Bolan and a Honda CG-125 bike.

The reserved price of the vehicles was Rs4,774,603 whereas these were sold out for Rs7,816,000. The successful bidders would also have to deposit 10pc withholding taxafter which the actual value of the vehicles would be Rs8,597,600.

Last month, the government auctioned 61 surplus vehicles out of 102 initially marked for selling off at the Prime Minister House and an estimated Rs200 million was collected. Separately, the government earned Rs2.3 million by selling eight buffaloes.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2018

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