The 30-member parliamentary committee formed to finalise the terms of reference (ToRs) for the impending probe into allegations of rigging during the 2018 elections held its opening session on Wednesday and unanimously appointed Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Pervez Khattak as the committee chairperson.

Khattak's name for the chairperson's role was proposed by PPP's Naveed Qamar. After no one objected to it, the federal defence minister assumed the role unopposed.

However, the opposition and government's representatives appeared to be at loggerheads over the name of the probe committee, with the former insisting that the name should mention a "rigging probe" but government members pointing out that the National Assembly resolution on the issue only talks about a "review".

After some deliberation, it was decided that the members should move forward from the impasse over what the committee should be called.

"The name of the committee is a trivial matter; we will settle it mutually," Khattak told the media later on. "The [task] for this committee today was to elect a chairperson, which it did by choosing me."

The former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM made it clear that "appointing a co-chairperson was out of the question. There will only be one chairperson."

The committee today also formed a sub-committee to outline the ToRs for the committee that will prove or disprove alleged rigging in the 2018 polls.

The eight-member sub-committee, Khattak said, will make its recommendations within 15 days.

Pakistan and Afghanistan held a second meeting of a refugee working group (RWG) under the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Stability (APAPPS) on Wednesday to discuss matters relating to Afghan refugees as well as other Afghan nationals "illegally" residing in Pakistan, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement.

The meeting, held at the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions (Safron) in Islamabad, was led by Ministry of States and Frontier Regions Secretary Muhammad Aslam on behalf of the Pakistani side, and Deputy Minister of the Afghan Ministry for Refugees, Dr Alema.

According to the FO statement: "Both sides deliberated on ways to enhance mutual cooperation for a dignified, gradual, time bound and complete return of the Afghan nationals to their country."

It added that it was decided during the meeting that agreed timelines and procedures for repatriation of "various categories" of Afghan nationals to Afghanistan "would be observed".

In the meeting, the two parties also signed off on standard operating procedures (SOP) to streamline the working of the RWG.

"APAPPS working groups work on the principle of direct, regular contact between [the] relevant ministries in both countries, under the umbrella of the politico-diplomatic working group co-chaired by the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs."

According to the FO statement, the two sides emphasised the importance of the APAPPS to further bilateral relations between the countries and agreed to "optimally utilise" it to "deepen engagement, communication and understanding for [the] early return and resettlement of Afghan refugees," as well as, to promote cooperation under numerous working groups.

The first meeting of the working group was held on July 22 while Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua was in Kabul for the inaugural meeting of the APAPPS.

The next meeting of the APAPPS working group is to be held in Kabul at a date that is convenient for both sides.

A young soldier was martyred and another critically injured while neutralising an improvised explosive device (IED) in the Mohmand district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor tweeted on Wednesday.

The DG ISPR said, "Captain Zarghaam Fareed embraced martyrdom while neutralising an IED detected at Mohmad Gat in Mohmand Distt."

He was 25.

"Sepoy Rehan of Bomb Defusal team [also] got critically injured" while defusing the IED, the spokesperson added.

The martyred soldier's funeral prayers were offered in Peshawar.

Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi said in a recent interview that Aasia Bibi's name cannot be placed on the Exit Control List (ECL) until she is proven guilty by a court of law or until such orders are given by the Supreme Court (SC).

In an exclusive interview to Voice of America, Afridi said that rumours circulating about Aasia leaving the country are false and that the government is providing her and her family security.

The Supreme Court had acquitted Aasia Bibi on Oct 30, but the decision sparked three-day-long mass protests led by the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).

The protests were called off after the religio-political party reached an agreement with the government, the foremost condition of which was the placement of Aasia's name on the ECL.

However, the government had only agreed to "initiate the legal process" to place her name on the list, while also agreeing that it would not oppose any review petitions being filed against the SC judgement.

When asked about the conditions of the agreement, Afridi replied that a review petition is everyone's right as per the law.

He, however, stated that any order given by the SC would be followed to the letter.

"Unless a person is declared guilty, there is no legal ground ─ how can his or her name be placed on the ECL?" he asked. "There is no question regarding this."

"Every Pakistani, regardless of his creed or religion, is the state's responsibility. No one in Pakistan can be given a license to play with someone's life or property in order to get their terms accepted."

Referring to the law and order situation in the wake of the SC decision, Afridi said that hateful speeches are made even in more civilised countries.

The minister said that when the protests broke out, the government had decided against the use of force, subsequently engaging with the TLP.

"In Balochistan, even one who surrenders his arms is forgiven," he said by way of explaining the government's decision to not proceed with force.

When asked whether the protesters had also laid down their weapons, he called attention to the fact that an apology from the TLP was one of the points included in the agreement.

He said that when footage of protesters engaging in acts of violence was shown to TLP leaders, the party leadership distanced itself from those individuals.

Afridi said that hundreds of miscreants were subsequently detained and criminal proceedings against them are underway.

A joint investigation team (JIT) formed by the Supreme Court last week to probe alleged abuse of power by Minister for Science and Technology Azam Swati visited the lawmaker's residence on Wednesday.

Swati, a member of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), is accused of playing a role in the transfer of former Islamabad police chief Jan Mohammad — an allegation over which the SC had last week pondered taking action against him under Article 62 of the Constitution before forming a JIT.

Led by National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) Irfan Mangi, the JIT, also comprising members of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB), began its inquiry against Swati and visited his residence in Islamabad on Wednesday.

The alleged abuse of power on Swati's part had emerged following an altercation between his domestic staff and neighbours, whose cattle had reportedly ventured on the minister's farmhouse and caused damage to his property.

The altercation, coupled with the IGP's transfer, had caught the attention of the media as well as the apex court. In the meantime, it had appeared that Swat's family may have been encroaching upon government land, following which the Capital Development Authority (CDA) had issued Swat's wife, the owner of the property, a notice to remove encroachments and unauthorised construction from her farmhouse in 15 days.

The JIT today sought from the CDA complete details of Swati's residence.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told the Senate on Wednesday that Pakistan has not agreed to become part of any conflict in the Middle East in exchange for the financial assistance package from Saudi Arabia.

"Pakistan has received an unconditional package [from Saudi Arabia]. No conditions have been imposed," the minister said while responding to concerns expressed by opposition senators.

Examine: What's the Saudi deal?

Prime Minister Imran Khan had only offered to play a mediatory role to resolve the Yemen conflict and his initiative has been welcomed by all the parties concerned, Qureshi told the upper house.

He recalled that former premier Nawaz Sharif too had tried to arbitrate in the Yemen dispute, but had remained unsuccessful.

The confrontation between Iran and Saudi Arabia has reached "unprecedented levels" as the two countries fight for regional dominance in Yemen and Syria, the minister observed, adding that the strain could affect the entire region, including Pakistan.

He said Pakistan's relations with Saudi Arabia had been frosty for a few years and the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government has been successful in rectifying the same.

"We have re-engaged [the Saudis]... and the vacuum has been broken," he said, adding that the PTI government has been able to reach the understanding that the previous two governments could not.

He informed the house that the Iranian foreign minister had said his country would welcome and "respond positively" Pakistan's role in the Yemen dispute. He said he was also seeing a "slight shift" in Saudi Arabia's position with regard to the war and progress could be made by continuous engagement.

Visit to China 'highly beneficial'

The foreign minister said Prime Minister Khan's recent visit to China had been "highly beneficial" for the country, adding that this was the first time the top four Chinese leaders had separately met the Pakistani leadership.

"We have agreed to upgrade strategic dialogue between China and Pakistan to the foreign ministers' level," Qureshi said while highlighting the successes of the visit.

Read: Was Imran’s visit to China a failure? Yes. Here’s why

China has also agreed to play its role in a "trilateral engagement" to advance the Afghan peace process, he announced. A meeting in this regard will be held in Kabul in December, to be attended by China, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

He assured the Senate that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects that have already been started will reach completion; however, the PTI government has "tried to give [the project] a new direction".

The government's focus in the second phase of the mega project has shifted from infrastructure to livelihoods, human development and a "people-centric approach", the minister revealed. The sectors targeted under this approach would include education, health, skill development, poverty alleviation, agriculture, industrialisation and fast-track development of Gwadar.

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) on Wednesday approved of the Board of Privatisation Commission's decision against the privatisation of Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM).

This is in line with the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's earlier decision of opposing the previous government's attempts to privatise the steel mill, along with at least 35 other public sector entities.

On October 30, the Board of the Privatisation Commission — in its first meeting since the PTI came into power — had decided to take the names of PSM and the Pakistan International Airlines off the list of state-owned entities (SOEs) set to be privatised.

The decision was then forwarded to Cabinet Committee on Privatisation on October 31, which also approved of it.

Today's meeting, chaired by Finance Minister Asad Umar, also approved the release of the September salaries of Pakistan Steel Mill employees and the release of Rs1 billion to pay off four months worth of pension to the widows of retired employee.

The ECC also asked the Ministry of Production to come up with a proposal to resolve the issues surrounding PSM on a permanent basis.

The import of 50,000 tonnes of urea was also approved by the meeting.

The ECC also issued orders to provinces, asking them to keep a check on cement prices after it was found that dealers are involved in hiking up the price of the product.

The quota for SAARC food banks was also increased to 80,000 million tonnes from 40,000 million tonnes.

The power division was ordered to submit a report on the matter of Pakistan State Oil's receivables reaching Rs 320bn.

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday accepted the bail plea of former Punjab University vice chancellor Dr Mujahid Kamran who, along with four others, was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a case pertaining to alleged corruption, illegal appointments and nepotism.

Dr Kamran, Prof Dr Raas Masood, Prof Dr Liaqat Ali, Prof Dr Aurangzaib Alamgir and Prof Dr Kamran Abid were all arrested by NAB on October 13.

According to the professor's plea for bail, the bureau had issued his arrest warrants before completing its investigation in the case.

While setting the professor's bail at Rs500,000, the judge accepted the plea.

"How dare NAB put teachers in handcuffs," the judge said, referring to an earlier hearing of the case where the professor was presented to court in handcuffs.

Charges against Dr Kamran and others

The main charge Dr Kamran and the others arrested with him are facing is related to 550 illegal appointments, mostly grade 17 and above between 2013 and 2016.

Sources have claimed that most of the jobs were given on a contract basis and no selection rules were followed and the contracts were renewed.

Dr Mujahid has also been accused of illegally appointing his second wife Dr Shazia Qureshi as principal of the Punjab University Law College (PULC).

The sources also claimed that the suspect had awarded scholarships to favourite students and was involved in the award of contract in violation of procurement rules.

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday for talks on a possible bailout, even as Pakistan insisted it had resolved its immediate balance of payments crisis.

Speaking shortly after Prime Minister Imran Khan returned from Beijing, Finance Minister Asad Umar said on Tuesday that assurances from China ─ combined with a pledge made by Saudi Arabia last month ─ meant that Pakistan's immediate fiscal woes were "over".

"We had a gap of $12 billion and in that $12bn, $6bn came from Saudi Arabia and the rest came from China," Asad Umar had told reporters, without specifying the nature of the Chinese assistance.

The finance secretary and the State Bank of Pakistan governor will attend a meeting in Beijing on Friday to finalise the terms of the assistance, he added.

Pakistan secured $6bn in funding from Saudi Arabia and struck a 12-month deal for a balance of payments lifeline during Khan's visit in October.

Despite the pledges, the Finance Ministry said the Pakistan would still seek broader IMF support for the government's long term economic planning.

Since taking power in August, PM Khan has been searching for ways to rally the struggling economy hit by inflation and shore up the country's dwindling foreign currency reserves.

As well as a highly-publicised austerity drive, including auctioning off government-owned luxury automobiles and buffaloes, the new prime minister has also made overtures to the IMF ─ which has bailed Pakistan out repeatedly since the 1980s.

However, Islamabad received billions of dollars in Chinese loans to finance ambitious infrastructure projects, and the US ─ one of the IMF's biggest donors ─ has raised fears that Pakistan could use any bailout money to repay its debts to Beijing.

Islamabad ─ which last received an IMF bailout in 2013 to the tune of $6.6bn ─ has refuted these claims.

Minister for Law and Justice Barrister Dr Farogh Naseem on Wednesday claimed that the law ministry has completed the tasks assigned to it as part of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government's plans for its first 100 days in power, three weeks in advance.

In a special message issued to mark the feat, Naseem said his ministry had finalised the entire legal package by Tuesday night.

He revealed that a draft of the whistleblower bill is ready, whereas work has also been done on the women's action plan.

According to the minister, the inheritance-related issues faced by people have been reformed; he claimed that the process which previously used to take seven or eight years can now be completed within 15 days.

Furthermore, the barrister said progress has been made on a legal assistance bill that had been pending for nine years.

"A comprehensive law has also been drafted for public servants," he announced, adding that a legal aid justice authority has been established.

As part of the legal package, "legal assistance will be given to people — especially women and children — from backward areas", he stated.

Naseem revealed that amendments have also been recommended to the civil procedures, which he said were "formulated by the English after 20 to 30 years of research".

He said Prime Minister Imran Khan has already been briefed about the legal package, which will be inaugurated by the premier soon.

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday for talks on a possible bailout, even as the government insisted it had resolved the country's immediate balance of payments crisis.

The first round of talks on the matter was held between the IMF delegation and officials of the finance ministry on a "technical level", sources in the ministry told DawnNewsTV.

According to finance ministry sources, the policy-level talks between Pakistan and the Fund will begin on Monday. The government will present its estimate for an expected loan package at the end of the talks, which are expected to last until November 20.

Pakistan could ask the IMF to lend it between $6 to 8 billion, the sources said.

Speaking shortly after Prime Minister Imran Khan returned from Beijing, Finance Minister Asad Umar had said on Tuesday that assurances from China ─ combined with a pledge made by Saudi Arabia last month ─ meant that Pakistan's immediate fiscal woes were "over".

"We had a gap of $12 billion and in that $12bn, $6bn came from Saudi Arabia and the rest came from China," Umar had told reporters, without specifying the nature of the Chinese assistance.

The finance secretary and the State Bank of Pakistan governor will attend a meeting in Beijing on Friday to finalise the terms of the assistance, he added.

Pakistan secured $6bn in funding from Saudi Arabia and struck a 12-month deal for a balance of payments lifeline during Khan's visit in October.

Despite the pledges, the finance ministry said Pakistan would still seek broader IMF support for the government's long-term economic planning.

Since taking power in August, PM Khan has been searching for ways to rally the struggling economy hit by inflation and shore up the country's dwindling foreign currency reserves.

As well as a highly-publicised austerity drive, including auctioning off government-owned luxury automobiles and buffaloes, the new prime minister has also made overtures to the IMF ─ which has bailed Pakistan out repeatedly since the 1980s.

However, Islamabad received billions of dollars in Chinese loans to finance ambitious infrastructure projects, and the US ─ one of the IMF's biggest donors ─ has raised fears that Pakistan could use any bailout money to repay its debts to Beijing.

Islamabad ─ which last received an IMF bailout in 2013 to the tune of $6.6bn ─ has refuted these claims.

The government has raised the issue of "respecting the human and legal rights" of Dr Aafia Siddiqui with the United States, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Wednesday.

Dr Aafia, who was convicted in 2010 on charges of attempted murder and assault of US personnel, is serving an 86-year sentence at the Federal Medical Centre, Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas. It is a US federal prison for female inmates of all security levels with special medical and mental health needs.

The matter regarding her rights was raised during a meeting held between Alice Wells, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, and Pakistani officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday.

"[The] US side has promised to look into our request," FO spokesman Dr Mohammad Faisal said in a statement.

According to the spokesman, the Pakistani government has been raising Dr Aafia's issue with US authorities on a regular basis.

The Pakistani consul general in Houston pays consular visits to the imprisoned neuroscientist periodically to inquire about her well-being and conveys her messages to her family, if any, the spokesperson added.

He revealed that Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi will soon meet Aafia's sister, Dr Fauzia Siddiqui, in Islamabad.

On September 23, 2010, a court in New York had sentenced Dr Aafia, an MIT graduate, to 86 years in prison.

Her sympathisers claim that she was arrested in Pakistan and handed over to intelligence agencies who then transferred her into US custody. Both US and Pakistani officials, however, say that she was arrested in Afghanistan.

Dr Aafia allegedly went missing for five years before she was discovered in Afghanistan. It is said that she snatched a gun during interrogation in Ghazni and tried to shoot a US soldier. She has also been accused of working for Al Qaeda.

Members of National Assembly (MNA) Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir called on Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday.

Their meeting with the premier was announced on Twitter by the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), to which the two independent lawmakers belong.

Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari termed the meeting a "great development".

"PM has always spoken [about] the genuine grievances of the people of what was FATA - incl[uding] on the floor of the NA," the minister said.

"Now the 2 PTM MNAs will be involved in the dev/merger policies relating to their area," she said, referring to Dawar and Wazir, who hail from North and South Waziristan, respectively.

What is PTM?

PTM — a movement for the rights of those affected by the war against militancy in the tribal areas, especially South Waziristan — has been protesting in different parts of the country against enforced disappearances, extrajudicial arrests and killings, as well as the mistreatment of the Pakhtun community.

PTM first made headlines in Islamabad following the extrajudicial killing of Waziristan native Naqeebullah Mehsud — a shopkeeper and aspiring model — by police in Karachi in January.

The movement's leaders claim that in the past decade, 32,000 Pashtuns have gone missing from Fata. They insist that their struggle is to ensure implementation of the Constitution, under which law-enforcement agencies are supposed to provide details of the people they pick up and present them before courts within a stipulated time period.

Finance Minister Asad Umar said on Wednesday that the government will be requesting monetary assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to the tune of "at least $5 to $6 billion" while also stressing that the government will never agree to terms that are in contradiction with the country's well-being.

The minister made these remarks while speaking to Hamid Mir on his television show 'Capital Talk' on Geo News.

Referring to the IMF as a lender of the last resort, the finance minister said that this will be the 19th time the fund will be approached for a financial bailout and vowed that the government sincerely aims for it to be the last.

He said that in the past instances, governments made it a habit of securing a bailout, letting the financial issues and economic hurdles pile on, and then simply handing them over to the next party that comes to power.

When asked by the host how much money the total package would amount to, Umar responded by saying: "The total figure is not the significant factor here. In the international system, the IMF stamp carries a lot of weight. The other institutions [including] World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Bank, and commercial banks all look to the IMF when a country faces severe financial difficulties. When the approval is given, then they are willing [to lend]."

"In securing assistance from friendly countries, we have reduced the burden an IMF programme would place on us", he said.

When pressed again by the host to provide an approximate figure, the finance minister conceded that the government would be requesting a sum of "at least $5-$6 billion".

Umar was also questioned regarding the meeting with US diplomat Alice Wells which took place a day earlier. The finance minister revealed that the talks were focused mainly on the economy and the IMF. When asked by the host what she (Wells) has to do with the IMF, the finance minister responded: "They are the IMF's biggest shareholders."

He added that it remains to be seen "which conditions they want us to agree to in exchange for the bailout".

Mir then proceeded to ask the finance minister to reveal, in the spirit of the open discussion the two had been having during the show, what condition posed by the IMF the government would never agree to.

"Anything that calls for the compromise of Pakistan's well-being," was Umar's response to which Mir responded by saying: "An immense amount of economic burden placed on its citizens does threaten Pakistan's well being, doesn't it?"

The finance minister said that he does not think such economic restrictions will be placed which will have a huge and overarching effect on the country's well-being. He clarified though that the conditions remain to be seen which is why it was necessary to have secured alternate means of assistance in preparation of such conditions.

Regarding the data breach in "almost all" banks which made waves the past two days, Mir sought to obtain a final word from the finance minister regarding the extent of the hack.

On the one hand, the host said, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) had denied that multiple banks had been hit and had provided the name of only one (foreign) bank, while on the other, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) director of the cybercrime wing had claimed that "almost all banks" had been affected.

At this, Umar acknowledged the SBP claim and responded by saying that "to his knowledge" it was only one bank, based on the information he has "so far".

He said the government recognises cybercrime as a major problem and to that end, it was decided during the prime minister's visit to China that Beijing would offer its expertise in tackling cybersecurity issues.

"China has made immense progress in tackling cybercrimes and we shall be implementing their excellent cybersecurity systems here in Pakistan," said Umar.

Mir expressed astonishment at the fact that cybersecurity experts from China will help resolve the issue when it was, in fact, Chinese individuals who were caught stealing money by planting skimming devices into ATM machines.

"Those were individuals. The government of China has agreed on the transfer of technology. Though the US remains the leader in cybersecurity, China has moved ahead by leaps and bounds," Umar reiterated.

As the conversation turned to the question of privatising the steel mills and PIA, Umar confirmed that the two entities would not be privatised.

When asked how it is that the government plans to manage their operations without doing so, the finance minister said: "When organisations are put into the privatisation list, their control goes to the privatisation ministry. The ministry's job is to privatise the organisation, not to restore it to an operational state."

He said that 20 years have passed and such firms are neither being privatised nor being made operational. He claimed that no one would agree to pay "even Rs1" in exchange for these firms.

"Our aim is to get these firms up and running, especially the steel mills. I used to promise people and we have taken a decision in a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee today and fulfilled that promise to steel mills pensioners."

The ECC has approved the release of a sum of Rs1 billion to resolve the issue, he said, adding that Abdul Razzak Dawood, adviser to the prime minister on trade, industry and investment, has been given a period of 45 days to submit a plan on how to rescue the steel mills fom the quagmire it is in currently.

Regarding PIA, he expressed confidence that the airlines will experience a turnaround under the guidance of its new CEO whom the finance minister found very "energetic and enthusiastic" when he met him.

The show host then remarked that another failed responsibility — which was also a constitutional requirement of the last government — also remains to be fulfilled: the National Finance Commission (NFC) award.

The finance minister said that within the first week of being elected to his post, he had written a letter to the four chief ministers to nominate representatives from each of their provinces.

"I have yet to receive a response, with the exception of Mahmood Khan, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister."

The finance minister said he told his special assistant today that "whether or not the chief ministers move the matter forward, we would begin work at our end".

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan on Wednesday agreed to follow the “decided timeline” for the repatriation of Afghan refugees.

The agreement was reached during the second meeting of the Refugee Working Group (WG) under the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Stability (APAPPS).

Safron Secretary Muhammad Aslam led the Pakistani side at the meeting whereas the Afghan delegation was headed by Deputy Minister for Afghan Ministry of Refugee Affairs Dr Alema.

Agreement reached during meeting of working group

The two sides discussed ways to enhance mutual cooperation for “a dignified, gradual, time-bound and complete return of Afghan nationals to their country”.

“It was decided to observe the agreed timelines and procedures for repatriation of various categories of these people to Afghanistan,” a Foreign Office statement said.

Although there is no publicly known timeline for repatriation, it is generally believed that Pakistan government wants the Afghan refugees having Afghan citizen cards to be repatriated by December 2018, whereas the registered refugees, who are believed to be 1.4 million, are expected to return to their country by June 2019. There is a third category of undocumented Afghan citizens living in Pakistan for which efforts are being made to register and repatriate them.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had in February pledged to ensure return of all Afghan refugees living in Pakistan to Afghanistan in “the next 24 months”.

The statement further said that a standard operating procedure (SOP) for streamlining the future working of the group among the two ministries concerned on a regular basis was also agreed.

The APAPPS working group (WG), it noted, “works on the principle of direct, regular contact among relevant ministries in both countries, under the umbrella of the politico-diplomatic WG, co-chaired by the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs”.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2018

QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani has said that the minerals of the province belong to its people and no agreement regarding them will be accepted without the consent of its people.

Speaking to journalists at CM Secretariat, Mr Alyani said: “Balochistan is full of opportunities, however we need to work hard to bring more investments to the province.” Provincial ministers Zahoor Ahmed Buledi and Saleem Ahmed Khosa were present during the conversation. Other prominent politicians, including Mohammad Khan Lehri, Bushra Rind and Asad Baloch were also there.

The chief minister, who recently returned from a visit to China during which he had accompanied the prime minister, said that it was a great opportunity to represent Balochistan abroad, and that he met several investors as well as business leaders.

“We must attract investors not only from China but also from the Gulf countries and Europe. Balochistan has a long coastal belt, huge mineral reserves, and the opportunities to invest in agriculture, livestock, fisheries and mining are all there to be taken,” the chief minister said. Mr Alyani said his coalition government is planning to organise a roadshow in China, the Gulf and Europe to attract investors, and show them the options available in Balochistan. “Before going ahead with the roadshow, however, we need to lay out a clear plan of action, and a strategy that can guide us on the way forward,” he said.

He said that both China and Pakistan have enjoyed a great alliance over the years. During his visit, he said, he had the chance to visit the communist academy where Chinese leaders are trained. “We want the Communist Party of China to interact more with the Balochistan Awami Party. I believe we should try to adopt their good practices.”

Referring to land allotments in Gwadar, the chief minister said that the previous government — rather unfortunately — did not focus on protecting the land in the port city. “Land is an asset that Balochistan should use well, and if we protect our land it will be a great service to this province,” he said. The chief minister said that the mismanagement of lands in Gwadar was not only a grave injustice to the people of the city, but also to the entire province. He said that the current provincial government, was taking the matter seriously. The CM also clarified that Balochistan would not provide land to any company without a rental or lease agreement.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2018

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has directed the district judge of Tharparkar to conduct an independent inquiry to ascertain the status of initiatives claimed to be taken by the Sindh government in drought-hit Tharparkar.

The directive was issued by a two-judge bench headed by Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan after Advocate General for Sindh Salman Talibuddin furnished a report highlighting measures taken by the provincial government to mitigate sufferings of the Thar people.

The report was furnished in a suo motu case initiated by the apex court regarding deaths of 400 newborns and infants in Thar due to diseases and malnutrition.

The report says that the Sindh government has declared Tharparkar district and the affected Dehs in seven other districts — Umerkot, Sanghar, Shahdadkot, Dadu, Jamshoro, Badin and Thatta — “calamity affected” areas under the Sindh National Calamities (Preven­tion and Relief) Act 1958.

But senior counsel Faisal Siddiqui, who represented civil society, said that a number of recommendations by different committees had never been implemented and that the real problem behind the issue was lack of implementation of the proposals about the tragedy in Tharparkar.

Sindh govt report submitted to SC highlights measures to mitigate suffering of affected people

The lawyer said that the real reason behind neonatal or infant deaths was the absence of doctors, paramedics and other staff (at government-run health facilities in the desert area).

The Sindh government’s report says that it has also announced a relief package of free distribution of 50kg wheat among all households in the affected areas for three months. The distribution process of free wheat started from September 24 and by the first week of November 172,505 households in Tharparkar have benefited from the relief package.

According to the report, the provincial government has also announced an additional package of ration bags for pregnant and lactating women in compliance with the orders of the apex court, which earlier called for measures to fulfil basic nutritive needs of the affected population.

Besides, the National Institute of Child Health has been tasked with setting up a childcare unit in the Mithi hospital on an urgent basis for attending to emergency and health issues of newborns and infants. The unit is expected to start working soon.

About the availability of water, the report says, 589 reverse osmosis (RO) plants have been installed in Tharparkar, of which 443 are functional. This is sufficient number of RO plants, it insists.

As per the report, the Sindh forest department is in the process of setting up two fodder blocks of 40 acres for livestock in Warwai (Khario Ghulam Shah forest blocks) and Danodhandal (Loonia Samaa forest block) areas of lslamkot and Nagarparkar talukas, respectively. The sub-soil water in these areas is not brackish and small borings having two to three inches delivery capacity and operating on solar system are being installed to grow fodder grasses.

The report says that there is a strong realisation that growth and development in ecologically stressed regions like Thar needs to be handled with care in an inclusive manner by bringing all investments together for creating a pull factor towards a bigger growth node, which will then create a ripple effect in outer regions.

Thar coal and associated power generation holds tremendous promise for the region and for that the local population has to be provided with requisite learning and skills to participate in the opportunities emanating from this resource, it says.

The Sindh government is leading the investments in ensuring participatory development and the Thar Foundation is facilitating action on the ground, the report says also emphasising the need to develop linkages between public and civil society institutions in terms of information sharing, medical services, training, research, innovation and digital transformation.

These linkages can bring in tremendous value for the people given the type of challenges that the terrain and demography of a desert region entail and simultaneously the opportunities that can unfold with cohesive development.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2018

ISLAMABAD: The last prosecution witness and investigation officer in the Flagship reference testified before the accountability court on Wednesday that a son of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Hassan Nawaz, was the owner of 17 flats and properties in the name of his 18 companies.

While sharing details of the properties with the court, IO Mohammad Kamran also submitted some relevant documents. However, defence counsel Zubair Khalid raised objections to the submission of the documents which he argued were not admissible under the law of evidence.

The witness testified before the court that he visited the United Kingdom to pursue the requests forwarded by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Joint Inves­tigation Team (JIT) for mutual legal assistance. He said an application was submitted to the Companies House to obtain addresses of the companies owned by Mr Hassan. He said NAB’s director general accompanied him during his visit to the UK. He said they visited the Pakistan High Com­mission in the UK on Aug 24, 2017 where the staff provided to them some important documents related to the business of Mr Hassan.

In 2001, the IO said, the total value of the former prime minister’s assets was Rs12.76 million and that of Hussain Nawaz’s assets was Rs33.8 million, while the total value of assets of Mr Hassan was Rs4.36 million. He added that Mr Sharif’s son borrowed and lent money to the companies within and outside the UK.

The accountability court adjourned the proceedings till Thursday as Mr Kamran is yet to conclude his statement. The court after recording his complete testimony would record the statement of the former prime minister in Flagship and Al-Azizia references.

As per the latest deadline given by the Supreme Court to the accountability court, Judge Mohammad Arshad Malik is required to conclude the proceedings in both Flagship and Al-Azizia references by Nov 17.

The Supreme Court on July 28 last year disqualified the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and directed NAB to file three references before the accountability court.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2018

KARACHI: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has directed authorities concerned to immediately comply with all its directives, included in a report, aimed at curbing illegal organ transplantation, and promoting deceased organ donation in the country.

A statement issued by the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) said that an SC bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar, Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Ijazul Ahsan directed the authorities to implement the report in letter and spirit which was finalised at a conference held earlier at the SIUT on the directive of the CJP.

The statement cited the court as ordering compliance with the report, which directed transplantation units, ICU interventionist and coordinators to fulfil their professional obligations.

It further asked print and electronic media to play their role in creating awareness among masses about organ donation.

On the legal front, lawyers were asked to take appropriate steps in legislation. The law enforcing agencies were also asked to keep vigilance with regard to those violating the law.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2018

MINGORA: A man stabbed his wife to death on the district court premises here on Wednesday.

The local lawyers boycotted court proceedings to protest security lapse.

Saidu Sharif police station officials said that Arif, a resident of Kokarai village, stabbed his wife to death on the district court premises.

“Due to domestic problems the women identified as Uzma, wanted to get divorce from the man for which she had filed a case in the court,” said Saidu Sharif police station Muhrar Allam Khan.

He said that on Wednesday morning when the woman entered district courts, her husband attacked her with a dagger.

The woman died on the spot while police arrested the man and shifted him to police station for further investigation, he added. The district bar association has termed the incident a result of weak security system in the courts. The lawyers boycotted court proceedings on Wednesday and announced to continue the boycott on Thursday.

“Police have failed to provide security to people in the courts. Bringing any type of weapon to district courts is strictly prohibited. Despite having proper security scanners and checking system, the man entered the courts and killed his wife,” said Sohail Sultan, vice president of the district bar association.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2018