Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Friday informed the National Assembly that 13 missions of the country were being headed by non-career diplomats abroad.
In a written reply, the foreign minister said there were a total of 87 Pakistani missions abroad at the level of ambassadors/high commissioners.
She said Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani was the competent authority to appoint ambassadors/high commissioners at missions abroad and the appointments were made keeping in view their service to the cause of promotion of Pakistan, their qualification and experience.
The National Assembly was informed that nine non-career ambassadors in BS-22 were appointed, including Sherry Rehman (Washington), Wajid Shamsul Hasan (London), Abdullah Hussain Haroon (New York, UN), Jamil Ahmed Khan (Abu Dhabi), Lt Gen(r) Muhammad Masood Aslam (Mexico), Shahid Malik (New Delhi), Shafkat Saeed (Paris), Masood Khan (Beijing), Fauzia Abbas (Copenhagen), Nawabzada Aminullah Khan Raisani (Muscat), Maj Gen (r) Muhammad Siddique (Port Louis), Maj Gen, (r) Ahmad Nawaz Saleem Mela (Kyiv) and Maj Gen (r) Khalid Amir Jaffery (Sarajevo).
Khar said a total of 1,132 Indian prisoners and fishermen were released since 2008 until date. She said India also released 651 Pakistani prisoners and fishermen during that period.
Giving the breakup, Khar said 54 Indian civilians and 1,078 fishermen were set free while India released 346 Pakistani civilian and 305 fishermen since 2008 to date.
Meanwhile, Minister for Inter Provincial Coordination Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani told the House that there was no proposal under consideration to import cars of specified engine capacities form either China or India. Replying to various supplementary questions in the Question Hour, he said the government had allowed import of used cars only. He said trade deficit of the country on March 2008 was $20.50 million and various steps were taken to reduce it.
He said incentives had been given to boost exports such as concessionary financing, duty-free import of raw material under temporary importation schemes, duty drawback scheme, concessions in duty/taxes on import of machinery and raw material of priority export sectors.
The minister said Pakistan was in the process of moving from positive to negative list of items for trade with India. The cabinet accorded approval to a negative list of 1,209 tariff lines at eight digit HS code for India which includes 49 tariff lines of pharmaceutical. Tariff lines other than the said 49 would be importable from India, he added.
Bijarani said that the commerce ministry would notify the negative list of items for trade with India after completion of required procedural formalities.
Earlier, Railways Minister Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour informed that no train was privatised by the Pakistan Railways until date and only commercial management and passengers facilitation of two trains Business Express and Shalimar Express had been outsourced to private parties to generate maximum revenue.
To a question, he said according to the agreement, the private parties would pay money of 88 percent tickets to Railways. He said the fare of trains except the two trains were enhanced due to increase in petroleum products’ prices.
He said PR was going for public-private partnership instead of privatising any train in future. The PR has invited bids to enter into such kind of cooperation for commercial management and passenger facilities for Shaheen Express, Subuk Raftar Subk Khram, Farid Express and Super Express.
