The Sindh government and the MQM have been criticising law enforcement action against their leadership and have demanded that the administrative control of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) be handed over to the provincial government. To understand the legalities of this demand, Dawn spoke to Raja Amir Abbas Hassan, a senior lawyer and former NAB deputy prosecutor general.

Q: Can NAB and the FIA be placed under the control of any provincial administration?

A: Both NAB and the FIA are statutory organisations. NAB was formed under the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) and the FIA was established under the FIA Act, 1974. Being the apex anti-corruption body on the country NAB is not even under the control of any federal entity. The FIA, however, works under the Ministry of Interior. Therefore, they cannot be ‘franchised’ to provincial governments. Provincial governments have their own departments, such as the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE), to deal with such cases.

Q: When the ACE is working in Sindh, why is NAB taking action in the province?

A: Under the statute, NAB had established regional offices in different provinces. Under the NAO, the prime objective of the bureau is to recover ill-gotten monies, not to make arrests or put corrupt elements behind bars. The ACE deals with small-scale corruption. For example, if a police constable takes a bribe, then his offence would not come into the ambit of NAB as the ACE would register cases against him and put him on trial before the Anti-Corruption Courts.

However, NAB deals with mega corruption cases. What the provincial government can do is point out corrupt officials and government functionaries to NAB and ask the bureau to take action against them. But in case the provincial government does not identify any corrupt practices, NAB has its own mechanism in place to do so.

Q: Can Rangers arrest any accused for charges related to corruption, money laundering and financial embezzlement?

A: The federal or provincial governments deploy the Rangers in aid of the civil administration. Under certain circumstances, Rangers officials are given police powers to raid suspected premises, arrest and detain suspects and register FIRs against them.

The Protection of Pakistan Act (PoPA) empowers the Rangers or any other law enforcement agencies to detain any suspect for 90 days. They can register more than one FIR against any suspect.

For example, if a person is facing money laundering charges related to terror financing, Rangers can detain such an individual under PoPA despite the fact that money laundering is a scheduled offence under the FIA Act.

A simple money laundering case may be referred to FIA. Similarly, a financial embezzlement case may also be transferred to NAB.

Under section 16 of the NAO, NAB has the power to transfer a case from any other trial courts to its jurisdiction if the bureau believes that the offence falls under the offences within its purview.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: Following protests in major cities over the exorbitant fees charged by private schools, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif finally took notice of the campaign by affected parents and ordered that the chairman of the body designated to deal with this issue be appointed without delay.

According to a government source privy to the proceedings of a cabinet meeting held on Tuesday, the issue was raised by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, who urged the prime minister to direct the concerned ministries to take necessary measures.

“There is so much unrest among parents due to an increase in monthly fees by private schools and, unfortunately, the government is not doing enough to deal with their due concerns,” Chaudhry Nisar was quoted as saying to the prime minister.

The cabinet was told that the Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (PEIRA), which was the appropriate forum to address the school fee issue, was currently working without a chairman.

At this point, the prime minister looked towards Education Minister Baleeghur Rehman, who said he was already looking into the issue and was in touch with stakeholders.

However, he explained to the PM that PEIRA fell under the jurisdiction of the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD), which was recently upgraded to the status of a ministry.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar then chimed in, saying that to deal with the issue of overlapping ministerial roles, an exercise to redefine administrative responsibilities have been completed and “a summary to this effect is lying on your (the PM’s) table”.

But the PM would have none of it, and told his cabinet that the issue must be resolved swiftly, because “this is not acceptable at a time when the prices of everything else in the country are witnessing a downward trend”.

The PM also asked the education minister to “facilitate” the appointment of a new PEIRA chairman as soon as possible.

PEIRA has not had a chairman for the last two years, ever since the last chairman, Atif Kiani, finished his four-year term on June 10, 2013. Since then, sources say, CADD has been running the affairs of the institution on an ad-hoc basis and a number of bureaucrats have enjoyed the additional charge of PEIRA chairman, but none of them has been able to produce results.

Currently, a grade 21 officer is “looking after” the office of PEIRA chairman, which is against the rules since the position is a grade 20 posting. CADD had even sent a summary to the Establishment Division, seeking approval for handing over additional charge of the PEIRA chairman’s office to the CADD senior joint secretary, who is a grade 21 officer.

Although the Establishment Division rejected the summary, CADD has yet to appoint a new head for the body and, in the interim, is sticking with the joint secretary to run the dysfunctional body.

CADD Secretary Khalid Hanif told Dawn: “Under the rules, grade 21 officers cannot hold additional charge of a grade 20 post. I have written to the minister and highlighted this issue.”

When asked why the appointment of a new chairman had been put off for so long, he claimed, “I’m doing whatever I can: I have moved three files for the appointment of a new PEIRA head and I have also written to the Establishment Division,” he said, giving the impression that the matter would be resolved very soon.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2015

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TAXILA: The government plans to establish the Gandhara International University in Taxila, in an effort to revive the 3,000-year-old Buddhist university of ancient Taxila and make Pakistan a centre for interfaith harmony and Buddhism studies.

The chairperson of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) as well as the steering committee of the project, Siddiqul Farooque, told Dawn that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had formally approved the establishment of the university. The chairperson said the university would be a centre of excellence on Buddhism, Buddhist art and architecture, as well as a centre for interfaith harmony where scholars from Buddhist countries would be invited to study.

He said with the government’s approval, the ETPB had been given formal approval for the university’s establishment, and the board would provide the land.

He said the university would attract religious tourists, scholars and researchers from around the world, especially Korea and Japan.

He said the Taxila valley was home to some of the world’s oldest Buddhist sites, and that the establishment of the university would play a key role in the revival of the oldest Buddhist seat of knowledge.

In addition, the institute will counteract the negative image of Pakistan and promote the region’s tourism industry. He said the institute would also bridge the gap between Islam and other religions, particularly Buddhism.

He discussed the historical significance of Pakistan’s Buddhist sites. He said coins discovered in the region bearing images of deities from Zorastrianism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Greek mythology were evidence of the peaceful coexistence of various religions in the region, and that the region would once again play a role in promoting interfaith harmony, peace and tolerance.

Ayesha M. Hamid, educationist and ETPB member, said the establishment of the institute aimed to revive Taxila’s ancient university by providing modern facilities. She said the establishment of the centre would bring with it a tsunami of religious tourists, scholars and researchers from all parts of the world.

She said Pakistan was where the first image of Buddha emerged, and that the Yogacara school was the only Buddhist religious school of the mind and conscious – the core of Mahayana Buddhist philosophy founded by Asanga and Vasubandu, the world’s oldest university.

She said a text on Buddha’s teachings was first written by monk Marananta, who spread Buddhism in China, Korea and Japan, and that the golden period of the region flourished from the region that is now Pakistan.

Taxila assistant commissioner Shahid Imran said that a meeting was held at the ETPB head office, at which Higher Education Commission (HEC) auqaf secretary, secretary of archives, and other officials were present, where the establishment of the university was given the go-ahead.

Imran said that Taxila is a peaceful town and the ideal location for a university of this kind due to its environment, culture and its proximity to major Pakistani cities as well as ancient Buddhist sites like Takhat Bhai and Swat.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2015

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PESHAWAR: Former special assistant to the former chief minister, Syed Masoom Shah, arrested on the charge of corruption, on Tuesday expressed willingness before an accountability court to return Rs200 million ill-gotten money to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for the acceptance of his ‘voluntary return plea’.

Judge Mohammad Ibrahim Khan asked the NAB to consider the plea and inform the court about its response.

Masoom Shah, an ANP leader, who was special assistant to former chief minister Ameer Haider Hoti, made the offer when he was produced before the judge after completion of physical custody with the NAB, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The judge remanded him in the NAB custody for seven more days ordering his production on Sept 22.

He asked NAB prosecutor Nauroze Khan that the bureau should consider the suspect’s voluntary return application and if the NAB chairman was not willing, then inquiry against him could be converted into full-fledged investigation.

Court asks NAB to consider voluntary return plea in corruption case

Under Section 25 of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999, where a holder of public office or any other person, prior to the authorisation of investigation against him, voluntarily comes forward and offers to return the assets made by him in the course, or as the consequence, of any offence under this Ordinance, the Chairman NAB may accept such offer and after determination of the amount due from such person and its deposit with the NAB discharge such person from all his liability in respect of the matter or transaction in issue.

Following authorisation of investigation or end of inquiry stage, an accused could not be exonerated by the chairman on basis of voluntary return and he could only apply for plea bargain for which the approval of concerned court was necessary.

Under the law, once a suspect enters into plea bargain he stands disqualified for holding any public office, but same is not the case with voluntary return.

The suspect, who was arrested on Aug 11, is accused of possessing assets disproportionate to known sources of his income.

While the suspect was in custody, the NAB had also recovered 4.5kg of gold bars concealed by him.

When he was produced before the court on Tuesday, his counsel, Barrister Waqar, requested the court not to further remand his client in the NAB custody saying he’s given application for voluntary return.

He added that his client was willing to return up to Rs40 million but the NAB had not accepted the offer.

The lawyer said his client was willing to voluntary return the amount for which he faces corruption charge but the NAB chairman should make a just demand for voluntary return.

The judge asked Masoom Shah whether he was willing to voluntarily return the amount for which he was charged with looting by the NAB.

The suspect replied in affirmative saying NAB officials should inform him about how much amount they want for the acceptance of his voluntary return application. He expressed willingness to pay up to Rs200 million.

The judge observed that the NAB chairman should decide the application as the case was still in the inquiry stage and if he didn’t accept the plea, then the investigation stage should be authorised.

If the investigation is authorised by the chairman, then the suspect could avail himself of the plea bargain option only, which will render him disqualified from holding public offices in future.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2015

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LAHORE: Prime Minister’s Kissan Package is the direct result of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto who showed solidarity with the farming community and made it clear his party would join their struggle.

PPP Punjab President Mian Manzoor Wattoo said this in a statement issued here on Tuesday.

“The prime minister was forced to announce the package for farmers after Mr Bilawal’s speech in Lahore. However, the package is too little too late as they have been destroyed by the anti-farmer policies of the PML-N government since it came to power,” he said.

The farmer community had been facing losses during the last consecutive four crops, he added.

Mr Wattoo demanded that the GST on agricultural machinery and produces should be withdrawn if the government really wanted to provide relief to the farmers.

He also demanded that the support price of cotton, rice, potatoes and sugarcane be fixed without any delay, ensuring suitable returns of these produces. Mere “cosmetic measures” would be deemed as rubbing salt on farmers’ wounds, he maintained.

He also rejected the electricity rates of Rs10.3 per unit for agricultural tube-wells, demanding flat rates instead, reminding that the previous PPP government had notified Rs8 per unit electricity rate for tube-wells.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2015

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KARACHI: A senior official of the National Accountability Bureau said on Tuesday that the recent conviction of a Pakistan Peoples Party lawmaker was the outcome of a judicial process and it had nothing to do with the anti-corruption watchdog.

The director general of the Sindh NAB, retired Colonel Siraj ul Naeem, also rejected the PPP criticism that the party was being singled out in the ongoing drive against corruption.

Speaking at a ceremony and answering different questions, he said it was wrong to accuse his organisation of targeting Sindh legislators and politicians only.

Referring to the recent criticism by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah against the conviction of PPP MPA Ali Nawaz Shah in a graft case, the NAB official said that he was convicted by an accountability court which had nothing to do with the bureau.

“We only pursue cases referred to us without any consideration of any provincial or political association,” he said. “The conviction of any accused is the court’s job. We cannot leave any complaint just because it is against a particular person or institution or a political party. We pursue every complaint and then forward our findings to the courts, which are authorised to convict or exonerate anyone.”

The NAB director general also distributed cheques for Rs136,620 to the Town Municipal Authority, Thul, Jacobabad.

“The total amount involved is Rs54.510 million,” said a NAB statement. “A complaint had been received against Ahmed Khan Abro, ex-administrator Thul TMA and others. Presently, the reference (01/2013) is pending disposal in an accountability court.”

A cheque for Rs15 million was handed over to the SITE Limited.

“The ex-managing director, Lubna Salahuddin, allegedly purchased shares worth Rs200 million and invested the amount in a private investment company in violation of the government policy,” said the statement. “Reference will be filed in the accountability court as the next course of action against the accused, since there is a total amount of Rs245 million, which has to be repaid by accused.”

DG Naeem gave another cheque for Rs1.649 million to the Federal Board of Revenue in an illegal sales tax refund case.

“The analysis of the record revealed that the suspected bank accounts were used by several firms in the sales tax fraud. A number of suppliers submitted fake invoices from Karachi and Sialkot,” said the statement. “A cheque for Rs5.2 million was paid to the National Bank of Pakistan after an inquiry against the head cashier of NBP’s Clifton branch, against embezzlement/ misappropriation of bank funds. The total amount embezzled was Rs19.1 million. The inquiry is to be converted to investigation.”

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2015

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LAHORE: After Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif took notice of the ‘substantial increase’ in the private schools’ fees, the Punjab government has sprung into action and ‘finally’ decided to introduce a legislation to regulate the affairs of these institutions.

The Punjab Education Commission Bill is likely to be tabled in the forthcoming session of the provincial assembly, primarily to have a check on the affairs of the private schools.

The proposed draft of the bill was presented before the cabinet over a year ago and was subsequently approved.

However, owing to the ‘misplaced’ priorities of the Punjab government the bill could not be tabled in the provincial assembly for legislation. One of the hurdles was lack of a mechanism to regulate the private schools affairs.

When the draft bill was approved by the cabinet early last year, Education Minister Rana Mashhood had declared it would be presented in the House and legislation would be made.

However, the education minister did not respond to a Dawn query as to why the government had been sitting on the draft bill for over a year.

The Punjab government had also given an undertaking before the Lahore High Court on April 1, 2015 that it would present a bill in the Punjab Assembly to regulate the private schools’ affairs in the province but till date the Shahbaz administration did not bother to comply with the superior court’s order.

A senior official of the Punjab education department told Dawn that the proposed bill would be tabled in the Punjab Assembly’s next session.

“The provincial government is taking the matter of private schools seriously after the prime minister’s notice and legislation is required to regulate their affairs,” he said.

Under the proposed draft bill, the official said the private schools would not be allowed to increase the fee at their will. “The private schools will be bound to provide at least 10 per cent students with free education,” he said.

The official further said under the proposed law the private schools had been divided in A, B, and C categories and their affairs would be regulated accordingly.

Some responsibilities have been assigned to provincial and local governments in the proposed bill. It also addresses some issues related to madrassahs (seminaries).

The bill has declared 10 years of education – from grade 1 to 10 – a right of every child between five and 16 years of age and the government would ensure it free of cost.

“The private schools will not be permitted to charge any amount from students other than tuition, admission and security fee. They will also not be allowed to force them to purchase school articles, such as books from a specific vendor,” the official said.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2015

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KARACHI: Police authorities sought the assistance of paramilitary Rangers to provide security to traffic police personnel in the metropolis following another armed attack on two traffic policemen in a Nazimabad locality on Tuesday.

The fresh attack came near the Board Office traffic intersection in Nazimabad shortly after sunset where assailants fired at two constables. However, their third colleague returned fire and the assailants rode away. A constable suffered minor wounds in the attack.

“The attack was responded with force by our young armed traffic constable,” said DIG-West Feroz Shah. “One of the attackers was hit by bullets fired by the constable. He managed to escape with his accomplice but we hope to get them sooner or later. The wounded traffic constable is stable now.”

The recent deadly trend in which assailants are targeting traffic policemen has claimed lives of nearly a dozen personnel within a few weeks.

Unarmed and without any regular policing training, traffic constables were later given automated rifles and pistols by the Sindh police for self-defence.

However, the move has not proved much effective as the attackers are still finding traffic policemen a soft target since they are busy in traffic management at crowded intersections amid hundreds of vehicles.

Only on Monday, two traffic policemen were wounded in an armed attack on M.T. Khan Road near the Bahria Complex.

The Sindh police are looking towards the Rangers for the security of traffic policemen. However, it is not yet clear whether the paramilitary force has given its consent to protect the traffic police constables at busy intersections.

“The request is likely to be approved by the Rangers authorities,” said a senior official citing the recent request from the traffic authorities to the director general of the Pakistan Rangers, Sindh. “According to the initial plan, the Rangers soldiers would be deputed at sensitive intersections and then if possible, their number would be increased to other city districts as well.”

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2015

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KARACHI: Chief Secretary Sindh Siddique Memon on Wednesday took notice of 'theft' of a rooster-shaped weather vane which used to sit atop Karachi landmark Frere Hall.

Chief Secretary spokesman Naukhaiz Anwar Siddiqi said Memon has also ordered Karachi Commissioner and Karachi Municipal Corporation Administrator Shoaib Siddiqui to submit a report on the incident within two days.

A television channel took notice of the missing weather vane, prompting a response from the chief secretary.

Suspicions of theft arose as the the rooster-shaped weather vane, which is said to have been removed from a spire of the historical building while renovations were underway, has yet to be replaced.

ISLAMABAD: Berated by the superior judiciary for years for its mismanagement, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has requested the Supreme Court to approve for implementation its plan to rectify “non-conforming use of residential houses” in the federal capital.

On Tuesday, Advocate Hafiz S.A. Rehman submitted the CDA plan to a Supreme Court bench seized with the issue that within six months of the court approving its implementation the CDA will initiate legal action against the non-conformists by sealing the premises being used by commercial concerns and cancelling the allotment of the residential plot the premise stands on.

Approved by the CDA Board on August 24, the plan is said to have been prepared in consultation with private town planners, the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) and other stakeholders, including the civil society. What is more, the Board decided “in principal” that the CDA will not grant any exemption in future from its rules as set in the Building Regulations 2005.

Businesses in breach of those regulations at present will have ‘a uniform six-month time’ to wind up their operations and for bringing the premises they occupied ‘into use conforming to the provisions of the initial scheme and allotment letter’.

Public notices in the newspapers and on CDA website will announce the start of the six months.

However, that grace period will be subject to certain conditions, like fines imposed against the premises by the Deputy Commissioner CDA will have to be cleared and deposited as per procedure. The CDA assured the court that the cancellation of plot and sealing of the premises will not be done during the next six months, and that there will be no violation of building by-laws.

The plan has been prepared in consultation with town planners, the ICCI and other stakeholders

The court allowed the CDA to take action in accordance with their rules and also directed the Deputy Commissioner CDA to dispose of the cases he is seized with as early as possible.

 The two-judge Supreme Court bench, headed by Justice Amir Hani Muslim, had taken up a case relating to the use of residential houses for commercial purposes, as well as encroachments and roadblocks created by government offices and some embassies occupying private residences.

It was informed that the Board also intends to bring necessary amendments to the CDA Regulations to simplify the existing procedures in accordance with the CDA Ordinance 1960.

The decisions it took on August 24 refined the framework policy it had adopted on July 27, which provided six months ‘to shift shops, showrooms and restaurants from the residential sectors for causing nuisance to neighbours’.

Similarly one year was set for shifting the government offices, hostels, guest houses and beauty parlours running in residential houses because of their ‘moderate nuisance’.

Educational institutions, hospitals and clinics, though having ‘high nuisance’ value, were given two years to move out. The CDA informed the court it was weighing options to create new plots for educational institutions.

Meanwhile, the managements of the non-conformist educational institutions can buy land in Zone-IV and V of Islamabad.

The framework stated that the number of non-conformist users in residential areas had already come down from 2,262 to 1,695 but conceded that the non-conforming use has been ‘a chronic issue’ for the last 30 years.

The CDA Board’s latest plan calls for auctioning commercial plots to ease the situation. Approximately 800,000 square feet space will be offered at the next auction.  

The Supreme Court bench rejected the request of Advocate Qamar Afzal, representing the Bridge Factor private firm, that six months were too short a period for his client and may be extended to two years. The court adjourned further proceedings for three months.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2015

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LAHORE: The returning officer for by-poll in NA-122 accepted on Tuesday nomination papers of Ayaz Sadiq of the PML-N and Abdul Aleem Khan of the PTI after rejecting objections raised on their candidature.

The RO also accepted papers of Shoaib Siddiqui, a PTI candidate from PP-147. He observed that complainants had failed to prove their allegations against the candidates.

Complainants objected that the election tribunal while cancelling the NA-122 result had imposed a Rs2.5m fine on Sadiq, which he did not pay. The objections were contested from the other side.

RO Zahid Iqbal observed the tribunal had not disqualified Sadiq on the basis of corruption. He noted the decision regarding a penalty of Rs2.5m was sub judice before the Supreme Court.

In case of Aleem Khan, the RO said the complainants failed to prove their allegations. It was alleged that many cases were pending in courts against Khan on land grab charges.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: Members of the Senate Standing Committee on Industries and Production on Tuesday criticised various government functionaries for not promoting locally manufactured arms and opting for imports of arms instead.

A meeting of the committee presided over by Senator Hidayatullah noted that certain actions taken by the federal and provincial governments were causing promotion of illegal arms trade while suppressing the legal chain.

Know more: Interior minister announces ban on fresh arms licences

“We have been taking actions against arms smuggling into Punjab and Sindh mainly Karachi, but still the supply exists as it is visible from the regular news reports,” Senator Hidayatullah said, adding that “this is possibly because we have closed the doors to the legal industry”.

He said this after the committee was informed that Punjab and Sindh governments had banned purchase of arms from local manufacturers.

Senator Taj Haider criticised what he called the directionless drive of containing the flow of illegal arms in the country, saying that authorities were confident of chocking the supply route of smuggled arms.

The committee noted that Pakistan was a huge market of imported arms and not only law-enforcement agencies, but also the general public was interest in buying imported arms.

Senator Hidayatullah stressed the need for the promotion of local arms manufacturers.

The committee was briefed by officials of Pakistan Hunting and Sports Arms Development Company (PHSADC) who said that restrictions and lack of official support were encouraging illegal arms manufacturers in remote parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata.

PHSDAC’s CEO Tahir Khattak informed the committee that the demand of weapons was on the rise and arms dealers in Punjab and Sindh had no other option but to ask suppliers to bring weapons from whatever source they could.

He said since there were restrictions on the licensed manufacturers, suppliers approached illegal arms factories to fulfil the demand.

The committee was informed that there were around 400 licensed arms manufacturers in the country. Most of them are in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and they were resettled at a small industrial estate in Peshawar in 2006 after the government wanted to abolish illegal arms production units in Darra Adam Khel.

“Some of pistols and shotguns made by local manufacturers have passed quality tests in the United States and the United Kingdom and there are regular small scale exports of these weapons, but despite meeting all standards law-enforcement agencies are not buying weapons from local manufacturers,” Mr Khattak said.

He told the committee that main arms produced by Pakistani companies were various models of 30 bore pistols (TT), 12 bore shotguns, 9mm pistols and 22 bore rifles.

He showed pictures of some pistols made by the Peshawar Arms Company that has been approved by US standards.

Senator Kulsoom Parveen suggested the PHSDAC to develop specialised units among factories to introduce the concept of mass production at low cost.

Meanwhile, speaking at another agenda item, the additional secretary of the Ministry of Industries criticised private members on the boards of state-owned entities for making personal gains by asking for vehicles and other favours.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2015

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ISLAMABAD: President Mamnoon Hussain said on Tuesday that the Zarb-i-Azb operation was progressing successfully in its final phase and expressed the hope that the objective of terror-free Pakistan would be achieved soon.

Speaking at a lunch he hosted for ambassadors from Middle Eastern countries at the Aiwan-i-Sadr he said: “All areas of the country including tribal region have been cleared of terrorists and the situation would be completely brought under control in the next few months which would be beneficial for Pakistan, countries of the region and the Islamic countries.”

Also read: President asks diplomats to help tackle ‘breaking news culture’

Islamic countries should adopt a common strategy to address various challenges and impress upon the international community that Muslims are peaceful people who want peace in the entire world.

He said relations with Islamic countries were the cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy focusing on the desire to use their expertise in different areas for collective benefit. Pakistan is ready to extend all possible cooperation to the brotherly countries.

Mr Hussain noted that the current $19 billion trade between Pakistan and Islamic countries was far below its potential and emphasised the need for enhancing it.

He said that an Islamic Summit on Science and Technology under the auspices of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation would be held in Islamabad in November. Measures to promote science and technology would be discussed at the conference, besides the challenges confronting the Muslim world.

The president said Palestinian and Kashmiri people were waging struggle for their just rights and Pakistan fully supported them.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2015

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Google Pakistan's mega online tech shopping festival, Tech Mela, is underway and will continue till September 21. This is the first time Google is hosting an online shopping festival in Pakistan, with exclusive product launches and deals from the world's major brands.

The Tech Mela, supported by Google, aims to bring all the leading smartphone and telecommunication companies together, by offering them a common platform with the best deals and discounts possible.

“While Google is bringing a new concept to Pakistan with Tech Mela, it is building on a concept that has been hugely successful around the world. Besides the leading e-commerce platform in Pakistan, Daraz.pk, bringing together the major brands and advertisers in an online shopping festival is a concept that simply makes sense,” said Bjarke Mikkelsen, CEO for Daraz and e-commerce partner for the Tech Mela

“Ultimately it is about getting the best possible deals to our customers, which is the core vision of Daraz.pk. Tech Mela will offer a mix of great deals on existing products and also an opportunity for our customers to buy six new exclusive Infinix, Intex, InnJoo and XTouch devices introduced by Daraz.pk, and which offers amazing value for money,” added Bjarke.

He further stated that this particular event is focused on mobile phones, but there will be many more of these events hosted by both Google and Daraz in collaboration with other partners.

Read: Google-supported Tech Mela to kick off in Pakistan tomorrow

Apart from exclusive product launches, great discounts are being offered. Discounts of upto 50 per cent will be offered soon on exclusive products and packages.

According to Google’s top executive in the country, the Tech Mela is an initiative to complete the research and purchase loop, and to spur greater acceptance of e-commerce among even more Pakistanis.

Tech Mela will focus on exclusives, special deals and attractive discounts on smartphones, gadgets, data and voice plans that will only be available online during the duration of this event.

Sponsor content: this content is made possible by our sponsor and does not necessarily reflect the views of Dawn.com's editorial staff.

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ISLAMABAD: Acknowledg­ing the hardship faced by farmers because of unfavourable weather conditions, falling income and declining trend in prices of agricultural commodities in domestic and international markets amid rising cost of production, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced a relief package of Rs341 billion on Tuesday to revive the farm sector.

The package provides a direct benefit of Rs147bn to small farmers across the country whereas an additional loan of Rs194bn will be available to the agriculture sector.

Know more: Farmers end protest on minister’s assurance

Addressing a farmers’ convention at the Jinnah Convention Centre, the prime minister said his government had decided to provide a cash support of Rs5,000 with immediate effect to the growers of cotton and rice as a direct relief. The amount will be disbursed among the farmers owning a maximum of 12.5 acres of land. It will cost the government Rs20bn. The amount will be equally shared by the provincial government concerned.

Mr Sharif said that despite a bumper crop, rice growers were facing an uncertain situation because of falling prices in the international market. The decline in prices had badly affected the rice export.

With the new rice crop coming up and abundant rice in stocks, the growers as well as dealers were facing difficulties which would be ameliorated through measures to be announced soon. The Ministry of Commerce has been directed to explore markets in Iran, the Middle East and other countries for rice export.

The federal cabinet, at a meeting before the convention, had approved the package.

SUBSIDY FUND: The prime minister also announced that the government was establishing a Rs20bn subsidy fund aimed at reducing prices of the most essential fertilisers. The fund, to be equally shared by the federal and provincial governments, would help bring down the prices of potassium and phosphate fertilisers by Rs500 per bag.

The government spends a huge amount from the national exchequer on the import of urea. This year, the prime minister said, an amount of Rs25bn had been set aside to provide fertilisers to farmers at subsidised rates.

He said the local fertiliser companies had raised the price of fertiliser by Rs200 per bag and the government was negotiating with them to restore the old rate.

He expressed the hope that the increase would be withdrawn and asked the chief ministers to ensure the cut by Oct 1. They have been asked to devise a monitoring system at the tehsil level to ensure that the entire benefit is passed on to growers and no one takes even a rupee illegally.

LNG SUPPLY: Mr Sharif said the government had decided to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) to fertiliser factories to increase production of urea and save precious foreign exchange.

He said the farmers were facing a decline in their income because of the downward trend in prices of agricultural products and increasing cost of inputs like seeds, fertilisers and pesticides.

Mr Sharif said the government had decided to bear the cost of premium against loans sought for crops. The measure will entail an expenditure of Rs2.5bn and benefit some 700,000 small farmers. Farmers would not feel burdened to repay loans in case of loss to crops by a disaster, he said.

CONCESSION IN TARIFF: He said the government would provide Rs7bn in concession to farmers in electricity tariff. In the current fiscal year, a concessional rate of Rs10.35 per unit has been fixed for peak hours and Rs8.85 for off-peak hours. The payment of old bills can be made by Dec 31. Sales tax on bills amounting to Rs7bn will be paid by the provincial governments. Under the arrangement, the prime minister said, farmers would get a benefit of Rs14bn to energise their tubewells for irrigation purposes.

INTEREST-FREE LOANS: Mr Sharif announced interest-free loans for farmers with 12 acres or less to install solar tubewells or convert the existing ones into solar. Mark-up on the loans will be paid by the federal government. The project will cost Rs14.5bn.

The government will provide relaxation in turnover tax to rice millers as compensation during 2015-16 to minimise their losses. Similarly, there would be a tax holiday on income tax for the cold chain industry trading in agricultural products, fruits, vegetables and fish, the prime minister added.

The government has reduced sales tax from 17 per cent to 7pc on local purchase or import of farm machinery used for tilling, seed sowing and harvesting as well as storage and irrigation.

RELAXATION IN WITHHOLDING TAX: He said the government had given relaxation in withholding tax on supply of fresh milk and poultry. Now fish supply has been included in this package.

The purpose is to bring agriculture on a par with new technologies which will reduce cost of production and increase exports. The government would spend Rs15bn on this scheme, he said.

LOAN GUARANTEE: The prime minister also announced a 50pc guarantee scheme on loans given by commercial and micro-finance banks to farmers. Under the scheme, 300,000 small farmers who have five acres of irrigated land and 10 acres barani land can obtain a loan of Rs100,000 without collateral. The scheme will cost the government Rs30bn.

Not only rice growers but traders have also suffered losses. They owe banks Rs34bn sought against purchase of rice. For the return of these loans, the government, the State Bank and commercial banks have devised a procedure under which the loan period would be extended to June 30 next year.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2015

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KARACHI: A senior official of Pakistan Steels Mills was killed while two labourers were injured when an explosion occurred in a plant on Wednesday, said a senior police official.

Karachi-East DIG, Munir Ahmed Shaikh told Dawn that gas spread in furnace-II compartment located on eighth floor of the Steel Mills when deputy manager, Abdul Hafeez, along with two workers went there with the light of bulb.

Temperature was very high due to which, the bulb exploded which resulted in the deputy manager getting serious burnt wounds.

Hafeez was immediately shifted to Liaquat National Hospital where he succumbed to his wounds and died during treatment, said the police official.

The injured workers were admitted in Steel Mills’ hospital where their condition was stated to be out of danger.

“The incident took place at about 10pm but the Steel Mills’ administration did not report it officially to the concerned Bin Qasim police station till late night,” said the DIG East.