Tag: Govt

KARACHI - With the transfer of gas fields to provinces, the Sindh government has decided to generate electricity through gas-based thermal power plants from small or dormant gas fields in the province, it has been learnt.
Well-placed sources told Pakistan Today that the feasibility studies for the power plants on small gas fields would be purchased from Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB) so that generation of power can be started at the earliest.
Under the 18th

NEW DELHI - A United States Embassy employee witnessed piles of bank notes being prepared to bribe Indian MPs ahead of a crucial 2008 vote of confidence in parliament, leaked diplomatic cables alleged on Thursday. Opposition parties held protests in both houses of parliament demanding Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government resign over the claims, the latest in a string of damaging graft accusations.
The US staffer in New Delhi was shown "two chests containing cash" by an aide

LAHORE - The Treasury faced harsh criticism from the opposition on Thursday over Raymond Davis' release and the doctors' strike, but managed to proceed with official business by tabling 6 bills in the house.
Opposition parties in the Punjab Assembly blamed the Punjab government for "ensuring the safe release of Raymond Davis" and asked why Law Minister Rana Sanaullah visited Kot Lakhpat Jail before Davis left the prison. Assembly proceedings began an hour late at 11am under the

LAHORE - Railway Workshop Workers' Union condemned the recent lack of diesel that had interrupted railway traffic especially from Quetta, Multan, and Rawalpindi and demanded government save the sector from a collapse by immediate transfer of funds to the railway sector in a meeting chaired by Jafar Khan on Thursday. The union said that Pakistan government had established a sixteen member board to represent thousands of workers. They said the board was unclear regarding the processes

LAHORE - The Punjab government failed to convince the young doctors to withdraw their strike and road blockades near the hospitals and medical colleges on Wednesday.
A high-level meeting headed by the Senior Adviser to Chief Minister Sardar Zulfiqar Khoosa was called by the Punjab government at 90 Shahrah-e-Qaid-e-Azam to convince young doctors and medical associations to end their strike.
Rawalpindi Medical College Principal Afzal Farooqui, Allama Iqbal Medical College

LAHORE - The ongoing drive of the Punjab government to repatriate several non-All Pakistan Unified Group (APUG) officers in the Punjab to the federal government is based on the policy of 'pick and choose', as 38 such officers are still working in different departments, Pakistan Today has learnt.
The Punjab government has recently repatriated 36 non-APUG officers working in different grades and departments across Punjab, directing them to relinquish their charge with immediate

ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the government to take immediate steps for the removal of all civil servants, including FIA Director General Waseem Ahmed, who retired after attaining the age of superannuation but were re-employed on permanent posts in violation of Section 14 of the Civil Servant Act 1973, asking the government to submit a progress report.
A four-member bench, comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Javed Iqbal, Justice

ISLAMABAD - The government on Wednesday decided not to reappoint Justice (r) Deedar Hussain Shah as NAB chairman until parliament approved the Ehtesab Bill. According to sources, the government decided not to reappoint the chairman NAB until the approval of Ehtesab Bill and formation of the Ehtesab Commission (EC).
They told Online that keeping in view the situation arising out of Shah's dismissal and reappointing that could end up in confrontation with the Supreme Court, the

ISLAMABAD - Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh on Wednesday said that the government would get Rs 210 billion through its announced expenditure cuts and revenue measures during the remaining quarter of the current financial year.
Briefing the media about the government plans for fiscal consolidation, he said that the rationalisation of expenditure had the full backing of the president, prime minister, armed forces and government departments. "The surcharge on income tax is

LAHORE - The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) sought to distance itself from the pardon and subsequent release of CIA contractor Raymond Davis on Wednesday and Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah and National Assembly Opposition Leader Nisar Ali Khan denied on Wednesday that the Punjab government had anything to do with it.
Sanaullah denied the notion that the Punjab government had influenced the victims' families and played a part in their deal with Davis. He said it was the

ISLAMABAD - In a reaction to the pardon and release of CIA contractor Raymond Davis, Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan said on Wednesday that the government's stance on the Davis case was very clear, since it had always stated that the courts would decide the fate of the US national and the government would respect the court's verdict.
"The Lahore Sessions Court has made the decision for the US citizen's release after the families of the victims accepted compensation," she

ISLAMABAD - Condemning the release of Raymond Davis on Wednesday, the PML-Q, JI, JUI-F, PTI and PML-Q Likeminded alleged that both the federal and Punjab governments were responsible for clandestine arrangements to save the Raymond Davis. PML-Q Information Secretary Kamil Ali Agha said both the federal and provincial governments had played their role to get Davis released.
"The Punjab government pressurised the heirs of victims to accept blood money," he said, adding that both

LAHORE - The All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA) has appealed to the government to address hindrances and problems dampening the cement industry. Mounting losses have propelled closure of four out of 22 cement industry units, while others are on the verge of collapse.
APCMA spokesman said that the cement manufacturers are yet to pass on the large impact of rapidly increasing input costs in coal, electricity, diesel, paper sacks and transportation cost. Current

ISLAMABAD - Rejecting the impression that the Pakistan Muslim League-Q was coming forward to become part of the PPP-led coalition government, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed on Tuesday said that there was complete consensus within the party over not joining the government.
"The PML-Q has no intention to join any government.... We will form our own government after winning the next election," he told reporters at the PML House. He said dialogue did not mean a deal, as "we believe in

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has taken note of the fact that a number of retired officers are using official vehicles without authorisation while a large number of employees i.e. gardeners, drivers and police constables are also serving them. Similarly, the serving officers are using vehicles and services of such employees beyond their entitlement.
Punjab CM has directed that all administrative secretaries, heads of attached departments; autonomous,

LAHORE - Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice (CJ) Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry while heading a division bench on Tuesday heard a suo motu case about establishment of Board of Governors (BoGs) in government colleges and observed that though policy making rested with the government, courts could take notice if a policy conflicted with the constitution.
Earlier, lawyer Asad Manzoor Butt, representing students and teachers, had pleaded that the establishment of BoGs was in violation of

LAHORE - Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JUD), a banned religious outfit, offered condolences over the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and has offered to help the Japanese government in rehabilitation of victims. In a letter written to the Japanese prime minister, JUD Ameer Hafiz Saeed reiterated that JUD was a welfare organization and had enough experience to tackle floods and calamities.
He wrote, "We showed this skill inside and outside our country. With such an experienced background, we