Tag: Govt

ISLAMABAD - The numbers-weak and cash-strapped PPP government on Thursday doled out Rs 330 million in "development funds" to 11 independent MNAs from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani approved the provision of Rs 30 million for each MNA representing FATA for "identification of public welfare projects". Talking to a delegation of FATA MNAs and Senators led by Haji Munir Khan Orakzai, Gilani asked the FATA legislators to work out the

LAHORE - Punjab Health Parliamentary Secretary Saeed Elahi said on Thursday that health is first priority of the Punjab government and the health budget was increased from Rs 11 to 45 billion. He was responding to questions during question hour of the Punjab Assembly's (PA) 22nd session. House proceedings started with Speaker Rana Iqbal in the chair at 10:25am and the question hour session began. Responding to a volley of questions by members of the provincial assembly (MPAs) across

ISLAMABAD - Perhaps for the first time ever, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani hinted at the seriousness of the country's economic meltdown, saying the government was seeking guidance from all political parties to evolve a strategy to tackle the economic challenges the country was facing.
Talking to reporters after inaugurating the groundbreaking ceremony of the Parliament Lodges' phase-II, the prime minister urged the media and the masses not to doubt the commitment of the

ISLAMABAD - The Standing Committee of Senate on States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) Wednesday asked the government to negotiate and seek permission from the United Nations and the world community for poppy cultivation in the country for medicinal purposes.
"Poverty in FATA and some regions of the Khyber Pukhtunkwa is extremely high and their land is very fertile for poppy cultivation. Given the economic vulnerability of the people, the government should negotiate with the world

LAHORE - The Punjab government is deliberating on shifting blasphemy convict Aasia Bibi to the Multan jail, as a measure to arrange better security for her, sources told Pakistan Today. The matter was taken up in a high profile meeting at the Punjab Assembly Secretariat on Wednesday. The meeting chaired by Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah was also attended by the IGP, prisons IG, home secretary and other senior officials.
The meeting was convened considering sensitivity of the

GENEVA - The Swiss government on Wednesday ordered a freeze on any funds that might be held by Tunisia's ousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in Switzerland, Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey said.
The three-year blocking order announced after a regular cabinet meeting followed domestic political pressure as well as legal action by Tunisian exiles in Switzerland this week.
The Federal Council "decided to block with immediate effect any possible funds in Switzerland of

KARACHI - The Sindh government has decided to monitor the hiring process of private security agencies working in the province to ensure that they do not give jobs to terrorists and criminals. It would also take action against security agencies operating without the government's permission.
The decisions were taken in a meeting on Tuesday between a seven-member All Pakistan Security Agencies Association (APSAA) delegation led by its chairman Muzzaffar Ata Malik and Sindh Home

ISLAMABAD - Painting a bleak picture of the economy, the government finally started sharing plans to improve how it functions with the parliamentary political parties to persuade them to support implementation of the crucial revenue and power sector reforms.
Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Petroleum Minister Naveed Qamar, Law Minister Babar Awan, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Dr Nadeemul Haq and Minister of State for Economic Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar as well as

ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court was informed on Tuesday that Techno Energy, a Sialkot-based firm, had deposited Rs 1,082.5 million in the national exchequer for its failure to import machinery for a 150MW rental power project despite keeping the amount with it for over two years. A three-member bench of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Ghulam Rabbani and Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday, was hearing a suo motu case initiated on an application by PML-Q's Parliamentary

ISLAMABAD - The private sector can import both raw and white sugar during the current season, it has been officially learnt. According to official sources, the government has encouraged the private sector to import sugar in the current sugar season. Sources added that the private sector has opened LC's for 1, 53,000 tonnes of both white and raw sugar. It may be recalled that the 25 percent import duty on raw sugar has been removed to facilitate the private sector, while the duty on

KARACHI - The institutional investors at Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) were unable to pay the newly imposed Capital Gain Tax (CGT) on time due the absence of a regulatory and collection mechanism yet to be devised by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). Furthermore, the FBR last week had to extend dates for the quarterly payments of CGT to a period that, the investors believe, is "too short" and, therefore pressuring them.
Taxpayers from brokerage houses, banks, Development

LAHORE - The Punjab government on Tuesday transferred a number of officers. Fakharuz Zaman Ali Cheema, deputy secretary, Information, Culture & Youth Affairs Department has been transferred and posted as general manager finance & administration, Technical Education & Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA), on deputation basis against a vacant post. Gulzar Ahmad, district officer (Revenue), Nankana Sahib, has been transferred and posted as senior administration officer in office of the

QUETTA - Chairman of the Ansar Burney Trust International and former federal minister for human rights, Ansar Burney has said that hundreds of Punjabi-speaking families, Muslims from Shia sect and Hindu families in Balochistan province were planning to migrate to safer areas fearing persecution. He said these people are fearful of extremists and fundamentalists who kidnap minority people for ransom or in some cases just brutally murder them. He was talking to journalists here on

KARACHI - The Sindh government is openly opposing the idea to ply 2,000 environment-friendly CNG buses in Karachi and leave other districts with a shabby transport system.
The Environment Ministry, in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), had planned to bring in 2,000 environment-friendly CNG buses for the province; however, federal authorities are trying to use them only on Karachi's major arteries, sources in the provincial government told

TUNIS - Tunisia's main parties held talks on Sunday to form a national unity government as soldiers patrolled the streets amid fears of a backlash by supporters of ousted strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Officials said the government would now investigate killings of civilians during the wave of protests that led to Ben Ali's abrupt departure after 23 years in power and look into allegations of corruption of his inner circle. Around 1,500 protesters held a peaceful rally in the

LAHORE - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has emphasized that current government should resign as it has lost its writ every where in the country and it is only because of the corrupt policies of these corrupt politicians who instead of winning the hearts of the masses by implementing pro people policies, established different cartels and mafias to insure their rule, propounded in a meeting held here at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Punjab Secretariat saturday.
Dr Shahid Siddique,

ISLAMABAD - Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Nisar Ali Khan on Friday warned the PPP-led government of severe reaction after lapse of 45 days deadline, in case it 'continued playing with words' on the issues of national importance.
Talking to reporters, Nisar said, "We want the government to proceed on the agenda put up by the PML-N on national issues."
He said he hoped the government would convince other political parties within 45 days that it was