Tag: Govt

BEIRUT - Only bold reforms can calm Yemen's perfect storm of economic and political woes, the deputy finance minister said in Sanaa, where angry street protests have erupted against President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
"People do have fair grievances everywhere in Yemen, but unfortunately they are being used by politicians from both sides," Jalal Yaqoub told Reuters in a telephone interview on Thursday. "The government should listen to the people and enact substantial reforms that give

BEIRUT - Lebanon's Hezbollah-backed new premier was preparing Wednesday for talks on forming a government in the deeply divided country as calm returned to the streets after protests over his appointment.
Prime minister designate Najib Mikati, a moderate billionaire businessman, was to make protocol visits to five of his predecessors before launching talks on Thursday with parliamentary groups. Security was tight and several schools remained closed, but traffic returned to normal

KARACHI - The government, sustaining its reliance on the banking system, raised over Rs 194.555 billion on Wednesday from the commercial banks through auction of long and short-term government securities. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) tendered the three, six and twelve month Government of Pakistan Market Treasury Bills (MTBs) and received bids of Rs 231.305 billion from primary dealers.
Investors, fearing uncertainties emanating from global recession, high interest rate and

KARACHI - The Pakistan State Oil (PSO) has warned the government that its Letter of Credit (LC) for oil imports would default if the government does not release Rs 40 billion immediately. The PSO management, through SOS letters, has requested the Ministry of Petroleum to immediately release Rs 40 billion for fresh import of petroleum products, as the oil marketing company has to pay at least Rs 16 billion to international suppliers.
According to sources in PSO, current

ISMAILIA - Protesters in Suez set a government building on fire and tried to burn down a local office of Egypt's ruling party late on Wednesday, security sources and witnesses said. Protesters threw petrol bombs at the National Democratic Party office but failed to set it alight.
Police fired teargas to push the demonstrators back, they said. Officials in the city in Egypt's northeast ordered that shops be closed after incidents of looting were reported. Clashes with police left

LAHORE - Senior Adviser to Chief Minister Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa has said that the teachers are main pillar of Education System. Keeping in view their importance in education system, the Government has great regards for them and ready to consider their demands sympathetically.
He said that their reservations regarding Boards of Governors (BOGs) of 26-colleges would be removed and their interests would be fully safeguarded. He expressed these views while meeting a

ISLAMABAD - The government would table "The Defence Housing Authority Islamabad Bill, 2007" in the National Assembly during the ongoing session despite serious reservations of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). A source in the Parliament House said on Tuesday that the bill had been included in the list of 22 government bills ready for passage.
The bill was introduced in the National Assembly in November 2009. Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Nisar Ali Khan

LAHORE - The Punjab government claimed on Monday that that proposed healthcare commission will be an independent and separate entity, completely free of external influence by government and other channels.
"We will appoint a chairman of the commission and separate commissioners, who would be non-controversial and professionals of the highest integrity", Punjab Health Secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad said adding that the commission would neither recruit serving or retired officers nor

ISLAMABAD - The government will sanction rental power plants (RPPs) for the production of only 700 megawatts of electricity, instead of the planned 1,950MW, Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervez Ashraf said on Monday.
Talking to reporters at the National Press Club, he said the government had decided not to implement expensive rental power plants. He said several projects had been delayed by adverse travel advisories.
Ashraf said electricity load shedding would

LAHORE - The Punjab government will abolish 550 posts including special secretaries and additional inspector generals to counter financial problems and strengthen governance in order to better serve the public, Senior Advisor to the Punjab CM Zulfiqar Khosa said on Sunday.
He was addressing a press conference after meeting of a government committee at the CM's Secretariat. Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah and Punjab government spokesman Pervaiz Rashid were also present on the

KARACHI - In its second meeting on Sunday, the committee constituted by the Sindh government for the reinstatement of sacked employees of the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) asked the company management to immediately reinstate the sacked employees.
The meeting was held at the Sindh Chief Minister's House with Shazia Marri in the chair. Besides KESC Managing Director Tabish Gohar and other officials, the meeting was attended by committee members Amir Nawab, Rafiq Engineer,

LAHORE - For the first time since the PML-N took over the provincial government in 2008, district police officers (DPOs) will be posted without interviews, solely on the recommendation of the inspector general of police (IGP), Pakistan Today learnt reliably on Sunday.
Posting DPOs without interviews shows how authoritative and assertive newly-appointed IGP Javed Iqbal is, as officers at this level are usually appointed after the approval of the chief minister after interviews.