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Category: National

  • Islamabad admin at odds with Navy over construction of elite sailing club

    Islamabad admin at odds with Navy over construction of elite sailing club

    Islamabad administration has issued a notice to the Pakistan Navy Sailing Club to halt its illegal construction.

    It has been reported that the club near the Lake View Park was inaugurated on July 10.

    The Capital Development Authority (CDA), in a notification on July 13, said that the club was told to halt construction on September 17, 2019, and February 24, 2020.

    “It has once again come to notice that illegal construction has resumed and the club has been made functional,” a notification read. “This is sheer violation of the CDA laws and it needs to be halted immediately.”

    The CDA has instructed the club owners to stop the construction work. If, however, they fail to comply then the authority has threatened to “take action” over the demolition of the structure at the club’s risk and cost.

    On the other hand, according to a letter written by the deputy chief of naval staff to the CDA chief in response to the authority’s first notice, it was informed that Navy Sailing Club was established in 1992 on the directives of then prime minister (PM).

    The letter also annexed three directives of the PM Office but it is pertinent to clarify here that none of them confirms the formal allotment of land to Pakistan Navy. The first notification issued in 1991 states that chief of naval staff is appointed as patron in chief of all water sports in Pakistan. The second letter issued in 1992 was regarding the premier’s directions to develop water sports centres at six different locations of the country including Kunhar River, Tarbela Lake, F-9 Park, Rawal Dam, River Ravi in Lahore and Sukkur Barrage.

    The third letter by the PM Office issued in 1994 is relatively more specific to the subject in which the premier has approved the development of a water sports centre at Rawal Lake. The letter states further that the centre will be developed by the chief of naval staff in his capacity as patron in chief for all water sports in Pakistan.

    The finance division will provide the funds while cabinet division will authorise provision of land at Rawal Lake for the purpose, it adds.

  • PIA likely to face losses over Rs100 billion amid bans, coronavirus

    PIA likely to face losses over Rs100 billion amid bans, coronavirus

    The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is expected to incur losses over Rs100 billion due to suspension of international flights amid the fake licences controversy and the coronavirus pandemic.

    As per details, the national carrier is expected to incur losses up to Rs100 billion due to ban on flight operations by the United Kingdom (UK), European Union (EU) and the United States (US). The target of revenue for the current year was set at Rs196 billion.

    Moreover, PIA would also suffer losses of up to Rs12 billion in terms of Hajj operations this year after the Saudi authorities decided to hold the annual pilgrimage on a limited scale, while the airline is also facing losses up to Rs9 billion due to closure of Umrah operations.

    It is pertinent to mention here that that on July 10, PIA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Air Marshal Arshad Malik had apprised Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan regarding the status of ongoing dialogues with European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for the resumption of flight operation. He had also given a briefing to the premier regarding the restructuring process of the national carrier.

    Malik had reportedly presented a comprehensive plan to PM Imran for turning PIA into a profitable national entity and the premier had directed the PIA CEO to expedite the reform process of the national flag carrier.

    He had also summoned the framework for reform agenda within seven days.

  • PTI leader seeks blasphemy case against Khawaja Asif for stressing equal rights for minorities

    PTI leader seeks blasphemy case against Khawaja Asif for stressing equal rights for minorities

    A local leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) from Narowal has filed a complaint seeking registration of a blasphemy case against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) stalwart Khawaja Asif, who has been accused of “speaking against Islam” on the floor of the National Assembly (NA).

    Asif, while speaking on a point of order last week, had said that a “planned campaign against minorities” was being run on social media in retaliation to the Indian atrocities against Muslims in occupied Kashmir. “If minorities don’t feel safe in Pakistan then it is a matter of shame for us. It is our responsibility to protect their places of worship,” he had said while claiming that some objectionable caricatures had been made on social media targeting the minorities.

    He had also discussed the construction of Islamabad’s first Hindu temple, which has for now been halted, leading to a debate in the Lower House.

    “His words are against the teachings of the Holy Quran and Sunnah, and are tantamount to blasphemy against Islam,” Advocate Qamar Riaz stated in his complaint to Zafarwal police against Asif, whom the complainant claims said that no religion was superior to the other.

    “This is a grave crime according to the Shariah, in which he [Asif] has declared Muslims and infidels equal,” Riaz stated.

    The PTI leader quoted a few verses from the Holy Quran in his application too. “Asif committed blasphemy in the light of those verses and hurt the sentiments of all Muslims,” he said, requesting the police to register a case against the PML-N lawmaker.

    According to reports, the police have not yet registered a case and orders from Narowal DPO Zulfiqar Ahmed are awaited.

    Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Science & Technology Fawad Chaudhry has supported the stance of Khawaja Asif regarding construction of temple in Islamabad, saying that Pakistan’s constitution guarantees equal freedom to all religions.

    “Those who are issuing Fatwas on Khawaja Asif’s statement are projecting the thinking of Indian extremists and [Indian Prime Minister] Modi, which needs to be rejected outright,” he said.

  • Company responsible for Peshawar BRT’s construction gets another three projects in Islamabad

    Company responsible for Peshawar BRT’s construction gets another three projects in Islamabad

    The firm responsible for the construction of Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project that lies in limbo amid several delays and rising costs, has won the contracts for three mega projects of the federal capital by submitting the lowest bids, much below the estimated cost, The News reported.

    According to reports, Maqbool Associates-Calsons joint venture has been awarded by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) the construction of the Rawal Dam interchange (Rs1.2b, 11pc less than the estimated cost); expansion of Korang Bridge (Rs628.5m, 17pc less than the estimated cost) and the PWD Underpass (Rs420m, 19pc less than the estimated cost). These constructions will cost Rs2.248b.

    The official record shows that in its case against Shehbaz Sharif in the Ashiana Housing Scheme, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has been betting on Calsons. The NAB has portrayed Calsons as a well-meaning firm that had won a contract on merit to develop the Ashiana Iqbal Housing Scheme, but was wronged by the Shehbaz Sharif administration. The then chief minister was alleged to have secured Calsons’ Ashiana contract cancelled in order to give it to a choice party.

    Officials said Calsons came into prominence when it won the contract to remodel and widen the Kashmir Highway, a major artery of Islamabad. Because of delays, the project became a festering wound during the tenure of the last Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government in 2008-2013 and the capital’s residents faced untold hardships. The project was finally completed by the subsequent government.

    According to officials, the Calsons fell on the wrong side of the Punjab government under Shehbaz Sharif when, in 2013, the then chief minister received electronic evidence of the illegal award of the Ashiana contract to a joint venture involving Calsons by the Punjab Land Development Company (PLDC).

    Shehbaz Sharif referred the case to a committee, led by the then Punjab secretary finance Tariq Bajwa, who later became governor of the State Bank of Pakistan. The committee sought a further probe into the matter, following which Shehbaz Sharif referred the matter to the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE). Consequently, the Ashiana contract awarded to Calsons was also cancelled.

    The cancellation was done by the PLDC Board in September 2013. Calsons approached the Lahore High Court (LHC) against the PLDC decision. The LHC ordered arbitration as per the contract between the two parties. As a result, the contractor was awarded Rs5.9 million as compensation. Hence the first contract ended.

    Later, in 2015, Calsons was accused of wrongdoings in the Orange Line train project. Officials said that Calsons was accused of violations of contract, leading to the termination of its joint venture with Maqbool Associates. The company was blacklisted and a penalty of Rs902 million was imposed on it by the Shehbaz Sharif administration.

    According to officials, the Maqbool-Calsons joint venture made a bid for Package II (Chauburji to Ali Town) of the Orange Line. The Punjab Mass Transit Authority (PMA) had entrusted the civil works of the project to the LDA. They said that the progress of work by the Maqbool-Calsons joint venture remained poor from the outset, and added that the contractor did not pay heed to repeated verbal and written instructions of the LDA and failed to meet its obligations under various contractual clauses. Resultantly, the provincial government terminated the contract and forfeited and en-cashed its bank guarantee of Rs903.289 million, the record showed.

    Officials said that Punjab administration, after terminating the contract, charged Maqbool-Calsons with violations, including refusal to hand over material (reinforcement bars, crush gravel, pre-stressing wire) worth Rs400 million, which had been purchased with the money advanced by the LDA. On the LDA’s complaint, the ACE lodged a first information report (FIR) with the police for building shorter piles. The Punjab government imposed a five-year ban on the contractors from participating in LDA tenders under Public Procurement Regulatory Authority rules. It also sent a reference to the Pakistan Engineering Council seeking the blacklisting of the firm.

    When contacted, Calson owner Chaudhry Amir Latif told The News that they would complete all the three projects of the federal capital within the stipulated time. He said the company won the contracts for being the lowest bidders.

    To a question, he said that the matters relating to the Ashiana scheme have been settled and closed. Amir Latif said the issues pertaining to the Orange Line train project including the forfeiture of their bank guarantee were being looked into by arbitrators as provided in the contract. The arbitration, which is in final stages, will sort out the contention between the company and the LDA, he said.

    To another question, the Calson owner said that they have concluded the work of the Peshawar BRT assigned to them and have been issued the completion certificate.

    He said the delay in the completion of the given work was not caused by them but it occurred due to frequent changes in the design by the consultant, which consumed almost a year. In addition, he said, the land acquisition was also a major issue. He pointed out that the caretaker government had also been in place after the award of contract to them, suggesting that this interregnum also affected the pace of work.

    Amir Latif said that the government authorities have taken over the completed work of the BRT and were doing the trial run of buses. He said the COVID-19 pandemic has also been a major reason behind the non-start of the full-fledged start of the bus service.

  • Naya Pakistan: Optical fiber operationalised from Khunjerab to Islamabad

    Naya Pakistan: Optical fiber operationalised from Khunjerab to Islamabad

    China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority chairman and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Information and Broadcasting Lt Gen (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa has said that new optical fiber cable has been operationalised from Khunjerab to Islamabad.

    An optical fiber is a flexible, transparent fiber made by drawing glass or plastic to a diameter slightly thicker than that of a human hair. It is used most often as a means to transmit light between the two ends of the fiber and find wide usage in fiber-optic communications, where they permit transmission over longer distances and at higher bandwidths (data transfer rates) than electrical cables.

    In a tweet on Sunday, Bajwa said that in the next phase it will be laid from Islamabad to Karachi and Islamabad to Gwadar as part of the digital highway plan.

    He also said that foundation for the digital revolution project was being processed in conjunction with China.

    Earlier on Friday, the CPEC Authority chief said that the Kohala and Azad Pattan power projects would generate 8,000 jobs and an investment of $4 billion over the years.

    Pakistan and China have signed an agreement for the construction of these two projects as part of the CPEC project. With an investment of $1.5 billion, the Azad Pattan project will involve no fuel import, enabling the country to move towards cheaper and greener power generation while creating local job opportunities.

  • ‘Tamatar lay aao’: Shoe garland for Zartaj Gul upon return to constituency after over a year

    Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul on Saturday was received by agitated constituents who reportedly forced her to leave before she could continue with her agenda of addressing them, while a shoe garland was also placed on an inauguration plaque bearing her name.

    According to media reports, the minister, who was visiting the constituency after over a year, was not allowed by the agitated constituents in Fort Monroe to sit with them or deliver her address.

    “‘Tamatar lay aao [bring the tomatoes]’ they shouted after which the police escorted her [Gul] away,” a reporter affiliated with GNN said, adding that the constituents also raised slogans against the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

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    Sharing details of the shoe garland, he said it was placed on an inauguration plaque bearing the minister’s name in the Choti Bāla town of Dera Ghazi Khan.

    “This is not the first time a representative of the people has been treated like this by the locals for returning to the constituency after a long time,” the reporter maintained, adding that earlier a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker from Dera Ghazi Khan, Jamal Leghari, also had to face embarrassment upon his return.

    Gul has been a member of the National Assembly since August 2018 and is the first woman to be elected to the parliament from the mainly conservative Dera Ghazi Khan area of Punjab.

  • KP chief minister’s adviser removed over corruption allegations as PM orders investigation

    KP chief minister’s adviser removed over corruption allegations as PM orders investigation

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ajmal Wazir was on Saturday removed from the post of adviser to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chief minister (CM) on information over corruption allegations that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has ordered a probe into.

    Wazir was replaced by PTI lawmaker in the KP Assembly Kamran Bangash, who said that evidence of corruption was found against his predecessor following which the premier has ordered a high-level inquiry against the former spokesperson.

    “The CM has written a letter to the chief secretary for the inquiry and until then Wazir has been removed from the post,” Bangash, who was given the additional charge of the portfolio of Information and public relations in addition to his office of special assistant to the CM on local government, elections and rural development, told a private media outlet.

    Bangash said that an audio recording of Wazir and the owner of an advertising agency regarding commission from a deal had surfaced and was presented to PM Imran after which the orders were issued.

    A forensic report of the audio recording will also be prepared by the probing team.

    Earlier it was reported that Wazir was resigning from his post due to personal reasons. “I am unable to dispense my duties as the information adviser, therefor I am resigning from my post,” Wazir had said, adding that he had already sent his resignation to CM Mahmood Khan.

    Wazir, who belongs to Shakai valley in South Waziristan, was appointed as the adviser to the CM for information earlier this year.  He had joined the PTI just before the July 2018 general election and was earlier a member of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML).

  • Imran announces Rs30 billion subsidy for Naya Pakistan housing

    Imran announces Rs30 billion subsidy for Naya Pakistan housing

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has announced Rs30 billion in subsidy for his government’s flagship Naya Pakistan housing scheme project in line with helping the underprivileged class build their own homes.

    Addressing the nation after chairing a meeting of the National Coordination Committee on Housing, Construction, and Development, PM Imran on Friday said the scheme was aimed at the “working class, the welder, the small shop owner, who do not have a lot of money to build their own houses”.

    “The goal of the Naya Pakistan housing scheme was to construct houses for this strata of the society, which doesn’t have cash.”

    “We faced many hindrances while launching the scheme due to some existing legislation, such as the foreclosure law, which allows banks not to lend out money without a confirmation of repayment.”

    “[However] despite a lot of hurdles, we were successful in passing the law for Pakistan, which is now implemented around the world,” he said.

    The prime minister also spoke of the construction sector, saying it faced a lot of obstacles, but that the NCC had worked on formulating policies for its revival.

    “We have decided to revive our economy with housing and construction industry so that people can get jobs and we can generate revenue in times of global recession and pandemic,” he noted.

    “I, myself, will preside this meeting every week to supervise the working and progress of the committee regarding the Naya Pakistan housing scheme.”

    “We only have time till December 31 to provide incentives to the construction industry,” he added.

    PM Imran explained that under the Naya Pakistan housing scheme, Rs30 billion had been allocated as a subsidy, which would translate into Rs300,000 for each of the 100,000 households during the first phase of the programme.

    A 5% interest is levied on a five-marla house and 7% for 10-marla, he noted. “We have also directed the SBP [State Bank of Pakistan] to keep 5% of the portfolio for the construction industry, which is calculated to be Rs330 billion,” he said.

  • Did COVID-19 peak in Pakistan in June?

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (PM) on Health Dr Zafar Mirza on July 1 said that the number of coronavirus cases was rapidly increasing by mid-June but the country was now in a better position than it was two weeks ago in the continuing battle against COVID-19.

    “The ratio of confirmed infections has gone down from 22% to 15% while the number of suspected cases has also decreased,” the premier’s aide said in an interview, adding that the rate of fatalities was also lower than before.

    READ: Govt is grossly under-reporting coronavirus deaths and infections: PM’s task force head

    Dr Mirza maintained that the government was to now determine over the next couple of days if Pakistan had passed the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak or was still only heading towards it. “If the situation remains stable in the coming days and the number of coronavirus cases continues to decrease, it would be good news for us.”    

    While the number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan is steadily declining amid selective lockdowns across the country and an increase in the number of recovered patients, it is not necessarily due to a decline in the rate of infections and an alleged lower testing rate could be the actual reason.

    However, according to official numbers, in June, a total of 140,726 confirmed cases of coronavirus were reported in Pakistan with at least 2,804 deaths.

    The second week of the said month proved to be the worst in terms of infections as 40,604 were reported. The third week was the most deadly as at least 856 people lost their lives to the virus.

    The last week of June saw 24,324 infections while the number of fatalities stood at 591 — 40 more than those recorded in the first week of the same month.

    It merits a mention that while PM Imran Khan and some members of his team, including senior doctors and other health experts, seem to believe that the virus peaked in Pakistan, especially in Punjab, during the second week of June and the curve has now started to flatten, Pakistan on Friday overtook Italy to become the 11th worst affected country from COVID-19.

  • US bans PIA

    US bans PIA

    Following footsteps of the European Union (EU), the United States on Thursday banned all flights of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) with immediate effect.

    The US Transport Department said in a statement that special permission given to PIA had been suspended due to safety concerns.

    The move follows the grounding of 262 airline pilots in Pakistan over fake licences in a decision made by the Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan.

    PIA said on Thursday it would ground pilots with “dubious” licences.

    As per sources, Kuwait Air has grounded at least seven Pakistani pilots and 56 engineers, while Qatar Airways, Oman Air and Vietnam Airlines have compiled lists of Pakistani pilots, engineers and ground staff.

    The UAE’s Emirates airline has also put a halt on all Pakistani airline flights, barring them from using the airports for destination and transit flights.

    This has been done after the Imran Khan-led government announced and notified various countries about the actions it took against the alleged 141 pilots, who have been grounded and were under investigation.

    As per officials of Kuwait Air, Omar Air and Vietnam Airlines, “employees whose name are on the lists will remain grounded till a report is received from the Pakistani authorities”.

    Moreover, the European Union (EU) has also put a ban on Pakistani airlines while many other Pakistani pilots working on other airlines have also been barred from flying till the investigation into the fake licenses is concluded and results are revealed by the Pakistan government.

    This action was taken after Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) wrote to foreign missions and global regulatory and safety bodies, notifying them that it grounded all 141 pilots suspected of obtaining licenses through unfair means.

    “It is also ensured that pilots flying PIA flights are having genuine licenses endorsed by the government of Pakistan and are in physical possession of the same during all domestic and international flights,” said a copy of the letter sent to the US Embassy in Islamabad.

    Pakistan grounded at least 262 pilots, 109 commercial and 153 airline transport pilots as an investigation to verify their license was initiated.

    The 262 pilots include 141 from PIA, nine from Air Blue, 10 from Serene Airlines and 17 from Shaheen Airlines, which has closed down.

    The step has brought global embarrassment for Pakistan as serious questions are bring raised over the safety of passengers, who use Pakistani airlines services for domestic and international travelling.

    On the other hand, the pilots whose names have been listed and have been grounded, have rejected the claim stating that the government’s issues list is based on wrong and false facts.

    “The list of grounded pilots has stated that many pilots were found guilty of falsely clearing nine papers, while there are eight papers in total required to get a pilot license from Civil Aviation Authority (CAA),” said one of the pilots whose name is in the list.

    “There are many others, who have not even given eight papers till now and are co-pilots, they have put their names in there too,” he added.

    As per Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) followed by the CAA, a pilot is required to pass all eight papers to become fully qualified, after completing at least 1,500 hours commercial flying time.

    Pilots association has called on the government to form a judicial commission and inquire into the matter, adding that they do not trust the transparency of the government-led investigation.

    The incumbent Pakistan government is also suffering to major criticism by the opposition political parties, who are now accusing the aviation minister and the government for bringing global embarrassment to the country.