Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has approved a seven-point agenda for the next meeting of Council of Common Interests (CCI), which is likely to approve conducting the sixth population census across the country.
Official documents available with Pakistan Today disclose that the premier has approved a seven-point agenda for the upcoming CCI expected to be held on 15 December. The CCI meeting would discuss in detail various issues, future plans and may approve the said agenda as per the government’s recommendations.
Documents also revealed that a summary for the start of the sixth census in the country from 15 March would be tabled before the meeting for final approval.
Bringing the regulatory bodies of National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) and Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) under the control of their relevant ministries has also been recommended for a final nod of the CCI.
Well-placed sources said that the government was all out to trim the powers of regulatory bodies apparently because both the regulators had not obeyed the wishes of the government regarding passing on a burden to the masses in LNG power projects and in the tariff of gas and electricity.
Similarly, the establishment of National Security Funds (NSF) and allocation of above Rs 8 billion to the same to cater to the security challenges being faced by the country and to tackle security threats to China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects has also been sought for final consent from the CCI in the agenda.
It is to note here that the provinces of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had already expressed their serious concerns on the proposal of finance ministry regarding the establishment of NSF during the meeting of National Finance Commission.
It was also learnt from the documents that the National Forest Policy would be presented before the meeting and a summary pertaining to FATA Reforms Programme would also be taken up in the next CCI meeting.
Liquefied Petroleum Gas Policy would also be discussed in the meeting and may get CCI approval this time. The Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination is expected to table reservations of Sindh province on the LNG project.
A report about the corruption in the much delayed Kachhi canal project and a report on National Food Security Protection Plan would also be presented before the CCI meeting for discussion and final action.
It is worth mentioning here that the sixth national population census in Pakistan was to be held in March 2016, but it was postponed due to unknown reasons. This census will be carried out after 17 years, a delay of at least 7 years from its original mandated time lapse. Military and civilian personnel will be engaged in carrying out the 2017 census. The first census was conducted after independence in 1951, and then in 1961, 1972, 1981 and 1998.
