REFINERY CEOS PLEDGE FULL SUPPORT FOR DEFENSE FUEL NEEDS IN MEETING WITH PETROLEUM MINISTER
A new National Agri-Trade and Food Safet y Authorit y gets approved, older ones scraped amidst concerns over provincial autonomy
imal quarantine, which is fundamental to food safety ” a biosecurity expert said The board will include provincial secretaries of agriculture food and livestock departments; federal representatives from food security, climate change, commerce, science and technology, and finance ministries; two women experts in food safety; two academic or research institution members; and three industry representatives including from the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Technical experts fear that the board s majority of non-technical bureaucrats could undermine scientific decision-making The Director General of NAFSA will serve as ex-officio non-voting secretary
control programs and adopt NAFSA’s policy directives In case of disputes advisory and scientific committees constituted by NAFSA will have the final say raising fears that provincial autonomy in food and agriculture governance could be curtailed It is ironic that President Asif Ali Zardari who championed the 18th Amendment is now facilitating its rollback ” said a source from Hyderabad Food safety and agriculture are provincial domains This move undermines both the letter and spirit of the Constitution
International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and the Animal Quarantine Department (AQD), responsible for preventing the entry of foreign animal diseases Their functions will now be consolidated under the newly formed NAFSA headquartered in Islamabad with authority to establish regional offices NAFSA will operate as a statutory corporate body, akin to provincial food authorities Policy oversight will rest with a board chaired by a Prime Minister-appointed individual possessing at least twelve years of experience in food safety agronomy public health or trade Notably qualifications in entomology, plant pathology, or plant protection have been excluded raising concerns that the new authority will lack focus on biosecurity functions “Their entire focus seems to be export certification ignoring plant and an-
NAFSA has been granted sweeping powers to implement sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures across Pakistan These include registration and regulation of food and pesticide businesses, enforcement of quarantine measures, certification of import/export consignments and nationwide oversight of food safety The Authority can accredit laboratories monitor pest-free zones conduct veterinary diagnostics, and impose penalties It is also empowered to outsource functions, levy service fees, hire consultants, and seek funding from both domestic and international sources
Crucially NAFSA will regulate interprovincial trade and enforce harmonization of provincial laws with federal SPS standards While the ordinance mandates provincial coordination, it upholds federal supremacy Provinces must submit annual
Each province already operates its own food safety authority under independent legislation: The Punjab Food Authority (2011) Sindh Food Authority (2016) KPK Food Safety Authority (2014) and Balochistan Food Authority (2014) Experts warn that NAFSA will replicate existing functions, create jurisdictional confusion, and increase regulatory costs for businesses
The ordinance also poses risks to international trade The IPPC and World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) require official government quarantine departments not corporate bodies or private contractors for biosecurity certification Only designated civil servants are allowed to perform inspections Surprisingly the government kept the ordinance hidden from the Council of Common Interests (CCI) the primary federalprovincial coordination forum Experts say the ordinance bypasses democratic process and ignores stakeholder consultation A law with such far-reaching implications should have gone through the Parliament ”
said a legal analyst, while talking to Profit The new Authority will be funded through a non-lapsable fund comprising federal budget allocations donor assistance service fees penalties and income from consultancies It will be audited annually by the Auditor General of Pakistan, with additional audits permitted by the federal government Despite assurances the ordinance has reignited the debate over federal-provincial balance in Pakistan s post-18th Amendment constitutional setup Legal and political challenges are expected as provinces assess its implications Critics also point out that similar proposals to restructure the DPP and AQD into a centralized authority were rejected during Nawaz Sharif s government after extensive review That administration prioritized strengthening DPP port infrastructure and hiring inspectors rather than dissolving the departments Although coordination mechanisms such as the National Biosecurity Technical Committee National Plant Health Committee and National Food Safety Committee were established in August 2024 to improve collaboration without compromising jurisdiction, insiders claim vested interests are now driving the push for NAFSA
It s about handing control to private players said a source familiar with the development A few influential officials in the Prime Minister s Secretariat and Ministry of National Food Security and Research are working behind the scenes to benefit companies they are connected with ”
BuneR Gul DA nuMAIR 2025
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and continues to be the primary driving force behind the genocide now taking place including killing rape forced displacement and looting he added
Responding for the UAE, top foreign ministry official Reem Ketait said Sudan’s allegations were “at best misleading and at worst pure fabrications”
“This case is the most recent iteration of the applicant s misuse of our international institutions as a stage from which to attack the UAE, Ketait added In the end, legal experts had said Sudan’s case may flounder on technical jurisdictional issues “There is clearly no basis for the court’s jurisdiction in this case the UAE s Ketait told the judges
The UAE had called for the case to be thrown out and removed from the court s list Sudan argued the UAE s reservation was incompatible with the purpose of the Genocide Convention which emphasises global collective responsibility to prevent the world s worst crimes Khartoum wanted ICJ judges to force the UAE to stop its alleged support for the RSF
” “The direct logistical and other support that the UAE has provided and continues to provide to the RSF has been
According to The Times of India this decision was made just days before a crucial IMF board meeting to decide on a fresh $1 3 billion climate resilience loan for Pakistan A government notice stated The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the termination of the Executive Director (India) at the International Monetary Fund with immediate effect ” The ACC, which made this decision is headed by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi India’s youngest Chief Economic Advisor from 2018 to 2022 the executive director took up the IMF role in November 2022 In this capacity he represented India Bangladesh Sri Lanka, and Bhutan at the IMF His tenure was set to end in November 2025 after a three-year term Sources indicate that Dr Subramaniam had raised concerns about the IMF s datasets a stance reportedly not well-received by the multilateral agency In the past, the IMF had expressed dissatisfaction with some of the executive director ’s statements particularly those relating to India s debt situation Indian news agency PTI (Press Trust of India) reported that Parameswaran Iyer, Executive Director at the World Bank, has been temporarily assigned as India’s nominee director on the IMF board ahead of the impor-
tant May 9 meeting The IMF’s executive board comprises 25 directors, elected by member countries or groups of countries India shares a four-country constituency with Bangladesh Sri Lanka and Bhutan According to a Reuters report, India had asked the IMF to review loans disbursed to Pakistan as tensions between the South Asian neighbours escalated following a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir However, the IMF has not accepted India s request to revisit Pakistan’s ongoing loan arrangements reaffirming its schedule to proceed with the first review of the program as planned The Fund s Executive Board is set to convene on May 9 to assess Pakistan s performance under the current $7 billion Stand-By Arrangement (SBA), alongside a $1 3 billion climate resilience loan
