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Tag: Prime Minister Imran Khan

  • PM House’s conversion into university to cost taxpayers over Rs35 billion

    PM House’s conversion into university to cost taxpayers over Rs35 billion

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s plan of converting the Prime Minister (PM) House into a modern university is likely to cost over Rs35 billion as new buildings will be constructed over 50 acres of land.

    According to a report in Profit, Pakistan Science and Technology Task Force, which is looking into the proposed university project, estimated an initial cost of over Rs35 billion for the university, however, a feasibility study for the said project is yet to be conducted.

    The report quoted officials at the Ministry of Planning and Development as saying that an important meeting on the planned project was held at the ministry on Thursday, which was chaired by Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar.

    The meeting was also attended by Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry, Pakistan Science and Technology Task Force Chairperson Prof Dr Attaur Rehman, Member Science and Technology Dr Hussain Abidi and senior officials from the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

    According to the officials, Prof Dr Rehman briefed the participants about the latest developments in the establishment of the university at the PM House. The ministers were informed that the planned university will have three centres of excellence and eight departments with a special focus on innovation and technology development. The university will accommodate more than 1,000 PhDs and PostDoc fellows along with 200 faculty members.

    He also elaborated that a budget of Rs200 million was required to conduct an initial feasibility study.

    The planning minister noted that the manufacturing sector in Pakistan needs to be supported through cutting edge and latest technologies in order to make them more competitive. He directed the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) to form a special committee to ensure that the university focuses on relevant technologies that can support the manufacturing industry in Pakistan. He said that there should be no delay in the establishment of the University as it is a high priority project.

    The planning minister was also briefed about the scholarships that will be offered at the university.

    Sources said that since the premier wants fast-track progress on the project, the concerned ministries and authorities have expedited initial work on the proposed university. The university was among PM Imran Khan’s election promises and was also included in the manifesto of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which was released before 2018’s general election.

    Initially, the incumbent government faced great difficulty in going ahead with the proposal because the PM House is located in a highly sensitive area and red zone of the federal capital, but the premier insisted that the university be built there.

    To build the new university, the government also needed to change the master plan of the capital for carrying out new/additional construction on the land adjacent to the PM House. To deal with this, the federal cabinet approved a specific change to the master plan of Islamabad last year.

  • Inflation: PM seeks ISI, other agencies’ help

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has sought the help of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to present monitoring reports regularly, as Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan directs for a large-scale crackdown on smuggling of edibles and other commodities, The News reported.

    According to reports, the premier has asked the Interior Ministry, law enforcement agencies of the federal and provincial governments, and Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to collectively take action against the menace of smuggling. He has also directed the Interior Ministry to present a report on related measures and a comprehensive strategy on the matter within 48 hours.

    He emphasised that keeping in view the recommendations of the task force formed to combat smuggling, short-term, medium-term and long-term measures should be initiated.

    The decision was taken at a high-level meeting, presided over by PM Imran and attended by Minister for National Food Security Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, Minister for Planning Asad Umar, Adviser to the PM on Commerce and Trade Abdul Razak Dawood, interior and national food security secretaries, and acting FBR chairman among other senior officials.

    The meeting took stock of the demand and supply of essential commodities and their prices with particular reference to their smuggling. The report on progress so far made on the establishment of markets at the western border was also presented at the meeting. The PM directed accelerating the pace of establishment of markets and observed that because of smuggling of food items, common man was facing difficulties.

    “The menace of smuggling is causing losses worth billions to the national economy. Combating this menace is in national interests,” he contended, adding that prices of food items must be brought down by up to 20 per cent.

    The premier also made it clear that no negligence would be tolerated with regard to smuggling.

  • Kaala Jadu: Jemima shares poster of herself, PM Imran and Bushra Bibi

    Kaala Jadu: Jemima shares poster of herself, PM Imran and Bushra Bibi

    Jemima Goldsmith has a refreshing sense of humour and she certainly knows how to take a joke. She shared an interesting poster on Twitter, that has gone viral.

    The poster has a picture of her along with Bushra Bibi and her former husband PM Khan. Bushra Bibi is seen looming above her like a sorceress with Jemima lost in thought and Khan sitting on his PM chair. The poster says, ‘Tu nay kaisa jaadu keeya’ in Urdu.

    Jemima tweeted the poster with the caption. “Who doesn’t love a Lollywood poster? Spotted today by a friend in Lahore. Caption: what kind of black magic did you do?”

    https://twitter.com/Jemima_Khan/status/1229499394237571072?s=20

    Soon after her tweet, twitterati criticized her and others also appreciated her sense of humour. She tweeted again saying, “Ps. No disrespect intended. Like most of you, I just found it funny. (Plus I’m a genuine fan of Pakistani film posters, street art & truck art.)”

    https://twitter.com/Jemima_Khan/status/1229524172088451082?s=20
    https://twitter.com/Jemima_Khan/status/1229696865467236352?s=20
    https://twitter.com/MAhmedbaig/status/1229524836118155267?s=20
    https://twitter.com/haleemazia/status/1229524362967031817?s=20

  • Fawad Chaudhry explains why PM Imran didn’t attend Naeemul Haque’s janaza in Karachi

    Fawad Chaudhry explains why PM Imran didn’t attend Naeemul Haque’s janaza in Karachi

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) Naeemul Haque passed away on Saturday, losing his long battle with cancer at the age of 70. The senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader was admitted at a private hospital in the city where he breathed his last. Haque had been battling cancer for the last two years.

    Haque was laid to rest in Karachi’s Gizri Graveyard on Sunday. While a number of PTI members were present at the funeral, PM Imran’s absence caused uproar considering how close the two were and the fact that Haque was one of the founding members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI).

    Following the criticism on social media, Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry explained and clarified why PM Imran and other senior members of the party were missing.

    Earlier, Special Assistant to the PM for Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan had shared that a special prayer meet will be held for the deceased at the PM House in Islamabad.

    The funeral prayer, led by former senator Maulana Tanveerul Haq Thanvi, was held at Ayesha Masjid in DHA. Senior leaders of the PTI including Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar, Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Deputy Speaker National Assembly Qasim Khan Suri, Governor Sindh Imran Ismail, Asad Umar and many others attended the funeral prayer.

    Leaders associated with MQM-Pakistan, PPP, PML-N among other officials were also present at the last rituals.

    PM Khan had expressed his grief over the death of his friend on social media.

  • Imran wants treason case against Fazl ‘for trying to topple PTI govt’

    Imran wants treason case against Fazl ‘for trying to topple PTI govt’

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan reportedly wants Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman tried under Article 6 of the Constitution “for trying to topple the government” back in November last year.

    According to media reports as well as some senior journalists, including Kamran Yousaf and Arshad Waheed Chaudhry, the premier wants Fazl tried under Article 6 — high treason — for the anti-government rally, dubbed by the JUI-F as ‘Azadi March’, towards Islamabad.

    While the rather disappointing finale of the Azadi March came just 18 days after it was launched, and without any of Fazl’s principal demands met, reports claim that PM Imran wants the leader of the religiopolitical party tried for trying to destabilise the country by ousting his government.

    Meanwhile, Twitterati are reminding Imran about his own infamous 126-day sit-in from 2014, when the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had locked down Islamabad to oust the government of then PM Nawaz Sharif.

    JUI-F’S AZADI MARCH:

    Fazl had in June 2019 announced that his party would hold a long march towards Islamabad in the month of October. Four months later, the JUI-F chief had set October 27 as the date of the Azadi march but later deferred it to October 31.

    The JUI-F chief had demanded PM Imran’s resignation, blaming the premier for the country’s economic woes and other troubles. The PM, on the other hand, had said that Fazl’s march had a “special agenda”.

    Initially, other opposition parties had objected to the unilateral announcement about the Azadi March, but later extended their support to Fazl when he had taken them into confidence. The government had warned the opposition that anyone who tried to take the law into their hands would be dealt with strictly.

    ARTICLE 6:

    Article 6 of the Constitution of Pakistan, under which former military ruler Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf has also been found guilty, states: 

    “Any person who abrogates or subverts or suspends or holds in abeyance, or attempts or conspires to abrogate or subvert or suspend or hold in abeyance, the Constitution by use of force or show of force or by any other unconstitutional means shall be guilty of high treason.”

    The second clause adds that any person aiding, abetting or collaborating in the acts will also be considered guilty of high treason, while clause 2A says that an act of high treason cannot be validated by any court, including the Supreme Court (SC) and a high court.

  • Pakistan, Turkey sign trade, investment MoUs

    To increase economic engagement and mobilise the untapped potential for trade and investment, Pakistan and Turkey have signed two memorandums of understandings (MoUs), Dawn reported.

    The two MoUs include one on trade facilitation and customs cooperations, while the second pertains to reinforcing cooperation in the field of halal accreditation. The two sides agreed to explore the possibilities of enhancing bilateral trade for the mutually beneficial market access and trade facilitation.

    Read more – Freelancers payment limit raised to Rs. $25,000: State Bank of Pakistan

    Both sides also agreed to encourage their businessmen to establish joint ventures in industrial sectors and cooperate in the field of e-commerce.

    Read more – New survey reveals Pakistani businesses positive about future

    Both have the potential to explore possibilities of investment opportunities in defence industry, food processing and packing, automotive industry and auto-parts, household appliances, construction material, textiles, leather machinery and finished products, sports goods and surgical instruments.

  • PTI’s new social media laws: Are you in some sort of danger?

    PTI’s new social media laws: Are you in some sort of danger?

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in centre has approved a new set of rules to regulate social media, requiring companies such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and even TikTok, to register themselves and open offices in Pakistan to provide the government data of accounts found guilty of targeting state institutions, spreading fake news and hate speech, engaging in harassment, issuing statements that harm national security or uploading blasphemous content, Geo reported.

    But similar to claims of proponents of internet freedom, who fear that the legal document would be used to keep social media companies in check and curb dissent over the internet, is your freedom over the web really at risk?

    According to reports, the rules and regulations have been included in the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, and senior officials in the Ministry of Information Technology have confirmed that the cabinet has already given green light to the legal document.

    Further, IT & Telecommunication Federal Secretary Shoaib Siddiqui confirmed that after the cabinet’s approval, the rules and regulations need not be presented in the parliament for approval.

    According to the law, all global social media platforms and companies would have to register in Pakistan within three months and open offices in Islamabad within the same time period. The law requires digital media companies to appoint a representative in Pakistan to deal with a national coordination authority, which would be responsible to regulate content on social media platforms.

    It further requires the companies to set up data servers in Pakistan within a year and makes it compulsory for them to provide data of accounts found guilty of various crimes — including targeting state institutions, spreading fake news and hate speech, engaging in harassment, issuing statements that harm national security or uploading blasphemous content — to intelligence and law enforcement agencies (LEAs).

    It, however, is safe to say that only time would tell if the government can actually convince any digital media outlets to actually operate under these new regulations.

    Follow this link to give the new set of rules a read.

  • Slugfest in parliament as Bilawal says ‘Imran owes his career to an ISI chief’

    Slugfest in parliament as Bilawal says ‘Imran owes his career to an ISI chief’

    The session of the Lower House was marred by verbal duels as lawmakers belonging to both the treasury and opposition benches trained guns at each other where they were supposed to debate rising inflation — especially the skyrocketing prices of food items amid the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s apparent inability to control the same.

    According to The Express Tribune, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Asif on Tuesday led the opposition’s onslaught against the government in the National Assembly, but it was Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari who stole the spotlight with his remarks against Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, drawing a strong reaction from the treasury benches.

    Calling the premier “incompetent, incapable and selected”, Bilawal asked him to step down in the country’s best interest. “People are suffering due to inflation and unemployment. This government has sunk a fledgeling economy it had inherited from its predecessors… unemployment and poverty are at their highest level,” he said.

    Presenting economic statistics, Bilawal said that inflation during the past 18 months had surpassed the figure recorded in the past 10 years, and went on to claim that the prices of food items had increased by 78 per cent.

    “On top of this, the government has increased gas and power tariffs, and fuel prices,” he said. “We cannot sit idle when the people are suffering,” added Bilawal, who has already announced plans to launch a movement to oust the government.

    Also, criticisng the government for its deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), he said it was poorly negotiated those “who had compromised on the rights of the people of Pakistan”.

    “Now… we will not ask him [PM Imran] to commit suicide, but at least for the sake of the people, he must accept his mistakes and resign so that the masses could be provided relief. He must acknowledge that he is incompetent and incapable,” Bilawal said in another dig at the premier.

    “When you have a selected government, then there is no regard for the people’s suffering,” Bilawal said, alleging that Imran’s entire career “could be credited to a chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) — Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency”.

    With Bilawal’s comments not going down well with Speaker Asad Qaiser, the latter said Imran was the PM and Bilawal could not speak of him in this manner. He reprimanded Bilawal and ordered the remarks be expunged from proceedings of the house.

    Communications Minister Murad Saeed, who is known for his aggressive speeches on the floor of the house, responded to Bilawal’s speech by launching a counterattack on the PPP chairperson. “How can someone who was handed his political career in his mother’s will, call the PM as ‘selected’,” he said.

    He asked how an “accidental chairman” could teach politics to them [PTI leaders] and told the lawmakers that he was the son of a labourer who owned no properties and that he was not a slave to anyone. “I challenge [Asif Ali] Zardari’s son to pick any constituency, I will contest elections against him.”

    Speaking next, Abdul Qadir Patel criticised Saeed’s taunts at the PPP chief, besides calling out the government for its “flawed” policies. “The common man is facing hardships in running day to day matters,” he said.

  • Jahangir Tareen announces selling 20,000 tonnes of sugar for Rs67 per kg

    Jahangir Tareen announces selling 20,000 tonnes of sugar for Rs67 per kg

    As sugar prices skyrocket following a severe shortage in major parts of the country, senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and owner of JDW Sugar Mills Limited — the largest white sugar producer in the country –, Jahangir Khan Tareen, has announced to sell whopping 20,000 tonnes of the commodity for just Rs67 per kilogramme (kg).

    Speaking to a private media outlet, Tareen said that Sugar Mills Association, in a bid to control inflating prices of sugar, had decided to provide Utility Stores with 100,000 tonnes of the same at Rs70 per kg. “Out of my share, I will sell 20,000 tonnes at Rs67 per kg,” he added.

    It merits a mention that according to reports, JDW Sugar Mills Limited in January announced its financial results for the first quarter that ended on December 31, 2019, which showed that its revenue went up by 61.45% to Rs13.19 billion during the first quarter as compared to Rs8.17 billion recorded in the same period last year.

    The sugar division comprises three sugar mills units, JDW Unit-I, JDW Unit-II and JDW Unit-III in Rahim Yar Khan and Ghotki districts. It is one of the largest groups in the sugar sector and contributes approximately 15-17% of the country’s sugar production. It is also managing Sugarcane Corporate Farms over an area of 24,000 acres in Punjab and Sindh.

    While people allege that the government had a role to play in scoring Tareen these profits, as of last month, a serious case of sugar shortage emerged as the country already stumbled amid a wheat crisis.

    During the PTI government’s 15 months, sugar prices have shot up to as high as Rs64 a kilogram (kg). However, over the past week, the wholesale rate rose from Rs64 to Rs74 per kg and an acute shortage surfaced in the country. Last year, Pakistan produced 600,000 tonnes of sugar. Now, however, the wholesale rate of sugar is expected to reach Rs80 per kg, The News reported.

    Meanwhile, the Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan-led PTI government has banned export of sugar and turned down a proposal to import the commodity in order to maintain prices in the domestic market.

  • PTI to reintroduce patwari system in Punjab experiment

    PTI to reintroduce patwari system in Punjab experiment

    After vilifying it over the past couple of years and turning the term ‘patwari’ into a slur for leaders and supporters of its rival Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, in what is being called another “U-turn”, has decided to reintroduce patwari system in land revenue departments.

    A patwari is one of the most resourceful persons in any area or town despite having the lowest grade in official ranking. The reason for his immense power lies in the fact that he is responsible for land records and related issues. He is also responsible for many social, political and administrative tasks, including the record-keeping of weather and crop harvest, reporting village crimes and updating voters’ registers.

    While the PTI had risen to power after promises of getting done with patwari system, which it had back then accused of facilitating PML-N in making Punjab its stronghold, according to Dawn, a senior Punjab Land Revenue Authority (PLRA) has said that the Punjab Board of Revenue has asked divisional commissioners to allocate two revenue circles — known as kanungoi — in each district that will be controlled by a tehsildar and patwaris and serve as a model.

    In Rawalpindi, Mandra and Chakri were chosen in response to a letter from the Punjab Board of Revenue to the divisional commissioner at the end of January, and the PTI-led Punjab government’s reforms will be introduced there on an experimental basis in these two circles.

    The official said that the manual land records system had burdened the entire legal system because it could be altered by patwaris and field revenue officials, which was brought to an end by the computerised system. He said the Punjab bureaucracy is trying to persuade the government that the manual system was better than the computerised alternative.

    The report also quoted Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat as saying that reviving the patwari system had been proposed, but the government had not made a decision yet.

    He said they were completing their homework on the proposal, which would create parallel systems of manual and computerised land records systems in the province. However, he added, it would not be possible to run two parallel systems for land revenue records, and praised the project to digitise land records.