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COrruPTiON dOeS NOT AFFeCT PAkiSTAN’S eCONOMiC deveLOPMeNT: AhSAN iQBAL
News Desk
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PLANNING Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Monday said corruption was not the primary reason holding back Pakistan’s economic development, claiming that there were examples of countries that managed to progress despite similar levels of corruption.
The PML-N leader indicated that the far bigger impediments to Pakistan’s growth were “political instability and policy reversals” as opposed to corruption.
Addressing a seminar in Islamabad, he said: “The biggest lesson today is that I can count many countries in the world that have developed despite having similar corruption as ours but you can’t point out a single country that has progressed despite political instability and discontinuity of policy. ”
Iqbal quoted the examples of Bangladesh and India, which he said have managed to grow even though their corruption problem was just as severe as Pakistan’s.
He said there was a “structural problem” that wasn’t allowing Pakistan to take off, as he stressed that reforms would require “at least a decade” to truly work. If there was not a continuation in direction for 10 years then no good measure would yield results, he added.
“We have failed to give continuation to policies in this country and a big reason for that is our internal political situation. ”
Iqbal said that economic growth in Pakistan required strong fiscal discipline and economic management.
“We have to move towards exportled growth, ” he said, adding that Pakistan was lagging behind others in the region as its tax-to-GDP ratio had never been above 12 per cent.
He lamented that Pakistan was also lagging behind in exports compared to others in its region. The planning minister said that present foreign direct investment stood at a mere $1.5 billion while in Vietnam it was $30bn.
Furthermore, he pointed out that Pakistan’s savings to investment ratio was very low.
Iqbal said that Pakistan had not paid attention to its human resource development,andthedreamofeconomic development could not be fulfilled with inadequate education levels.
“We have to make our youth skilled and educated. Because of the CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor) project, we got the attention of the world.The world wanted to invest here, ” he said.
The planning minister said that in order to balance its annual budget, Pakistan would have to move towards export-led growth so that the economy could become sustainable and inclusive.
HBL becomes the first Pakistani bank to provide payment services on whatsApp
PRess ReLeAse
HBLbecomes the first Bank in Pakistan to launch “full feature” banking services on WhatsApp. The facility has been developed in partnership with leading cloud communication service provider E.Ocean.
HBL’s Conversational Banking was made available to its clients through E.Ocean’s WhatsApp Business Platform in 2021.To use the service, HBLclients need to initiate a conversation on HBL’s WhatsApp number (021-111-111-425) from the mobile number registered with the Bank. Now, in addition to the information services already being offered, the “full feature” set of services will enable HBL’s customers to conduct payments / financial transactions as well. These transactions / services include:
Inter-bank Funds Transfer
Intra-bank Funds Transfer Mobile recharge (Prepaid & Postpaid)
Utility Bill Payments
Temporarily block/ unblock Debit or Credit Card
Speaking on the occasion,AbrarAhmed Mir, Chief Innovation and Financial Inclusion Officer – HBL, said,
“We are excited to leverage the potential of the WhatsApp Platform to unlock value for our clients. With over 2 billion users, WhatsApp offers an unparalleled opportunity to address immediate basic banking needs. This is why we integrated a host of banking services into a platform which is already embedded in our clients’ everyday lives. Client centricity is fundamental to how HBL does business, and we believe this partnership, and its results reflect our commitment to the same. ”
Speaking on the occasion,Altaf Siddiqui, Director of Products, E.Ocean, said “It is a moment of great pride for E.Ocean to facilitate HBL in launching first of its kind full feature banking service for its retail customers over WhatsApp. HBL has become a trend setter by going agile and incorporating financial services into a channel that millions of its customers already use, to deliver truly on the go banking with a focus on convenience, accessibility and security ”
FTO directs FBr for quick disposal of long pending cases
While disposing of a complaint relating to customs Intelligence, Quetta, tax ombudsman has directed FBR to conduct a detailed analysis of all those cases which are pending at theAppellateTribunal level for more than five (05) years and frame an effective policy and issue necessary guidelines to all field formations for quick disposal of all such cases.As per details, Directorate of Intelligence and Investigation Quetta intercepted oneToyota MasterAce Surf van. It was alleged that in the registration documents the vehicle was mentioned as “Toyota Lite aceVan” whereas physically the same was found as “Toyota MasterAce SurfVan: and the chassis number of the vehicle was also tampered. During the proceedings of the case the vehicle being tampered was confiscated and subsequently sold to the office ofAccountant General of Balochistan Quetta (A.G) against token money of Rs188,701.The Complainant approached the High Court of Balochistan by filing of Constitution Petition No.1233/2020 praying that in view of the factual and legal position, the Directorate may be directed to immediately restore the vehicle to the Complainant without further delay in condition in which it was seized on 03.02.2003 the petition was withdrawn, where after the complaint has been filed in terms of Section 10(1) of the FederalTax Ombudsman Ordinance, 2000 (FTO Ordinance). Staff RepoRt
Governor Punjab assures to raise CNG industry issues before govt
Petrol prices and the Punjab budget
AHMAD AHMADANI
The Governor Punjab Muhammad Baligh-ur-Rehman has assured All Pakistan CNG Association (APCNGA) that he will soon raise the issues of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) industry before the federal government and will try his level best to get them resolved.
AdelegationofAPCNGAcomprisingrepresentation from all districts of Punjab province led by Ghiyas Abdullah Paarcha has met with the Governor Punjab on Monday and briefed the Governor about the problems currently being faced by the CNG industry. The delegationalsopresentedtheirrecommendationstosolve the problems of the CNG industry. And, the Governor has assured the delegation about his full cooperation and support and promised to solve the serious problems of the CNG industry as soon as possible.
The Governor Punjab, during the course of meeting, informed the APCNGA delegation that he will present the case before the federal government and he will leave no stone unturned to get all the problems resolved as early as possible.
While briefing the Governor Punjab about the issues being faced by the CNG sector, GhiyasAbdullah Pacaha said that the incumbent government is seriously faced with balance of payment issues and this issue can be resolved with the promotion/use of CNG as an alternate fuel for the motor vehicles. Similarly, foreign remittance can be saved by approximately $2.1 billion dollar per annum on account of fuel import bill while 50 percent cut in public transport fares is also possible and circular debt can be reduced by Rs1,500 billion besides minimizing the environment pollution by ensuring gigantic reduction in the carbon emissions with the use of eco-friendly CNG as a fuel for motor vehicles. Furthermore, revival/expansion of the CNG sector can generatethousandsofnewemployment/jobopportunities while the use of CNG as an alternative fuel for motor vehiclesisequivalenttohavinganenvironmentalbenefit of 152.63 million trees per annum.
According to Ghiyas Abdullah Paracha, he has also requested the Governor Punjab to immediately get restored the gas supply to CNG Stations of Punjab province which are facing closure from last seven months (7th December 20211till date) to save the public from the impact of rising oil prices in the international oil market.
Paracha also told the Governor that the CNG is still cheaper than prevailing petrol price and the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) industry can provide 43percent and 55pc cheaper eco-friendly fuel to the motor vehicles in comparison with the price of petrol and diesel respectively in order to provide immediate relief to the public only if the government facilitate CNG industry to purchase and bring gas to meet the needs of CNG industry.
PM stresses global support for refugees from Syria to Afghanistan
News Desk
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday called for renewed policy focus and arrangement of resources to address the suffering of refugees across the world. “From Syria to Palestine toAfghanistan, their plight calls for renewed policy focus and resources, ” he said in a tweet, on World Refugee Day. The prime minister termed refugees as “the worst victims of wars and conflicts” besides inflicted by poverty and economic inequality. He called for global efforts to the developing countries that were extending support to refugees. “The world should help developing countries who continue to host a large number of refugees, ” he said.The Foreign Office in a statement issued on theWorld Refugee Day said Pakistan joined the international community in commemorating the day and expressed solidarity with refugees all around the world. “This Day behooves us to reflect on the drivers of forced displacements and to reaffirm our commitment towards finding sustainable solutions for refugee situations, including through conflict prevention and resolution, ” it said.The FO said the day was also an occasion to reiterate collective resolve for refugee protection under the principle of international burden- and responsibility-sharing. “Pakistan has shouldered the responsibility of one of the largest and most protracted refugee situations in the world for over four decades. Pakistan continues to host more than three million Afghans, ” it said.The FO said another 0.4 million Rohingyas had also found refuge in Pakistan and the people of Pakistan had demonstrated exemplary generosity, hospitality, and compassion towards the refugees in the country. It emphasized that as new situations emerged around the globe, the long-standingAfghan refugee situation must not be forgotten by the international community.
Balochistan budget deferred till Tuesday
News Desk
Due to personal engagement of Chief MinisterAbdul Quddus Bizenjo, the presentation of Balochistan budget for the fiscal year 2022-23 which was due to be presented today (Monday) has been deferred till tomorrow (Tuesday).Anotification regarding rescheduling of the budget session has been forwarded to the acting governor. The presentation of provincial budget has been deferred till June 21 due to Chief Minister Bizenjo’s engagement in the council session of BalochistanAwami Party (BAP). The BAP held its intra-party elections on Sunday and elected Bizenjo as its new president. But the fissures appear in the party as the exercise was rejected by former Balochistan chief minister Jam Kamal KhanAlyani, who termed the BAP general council meeting “illegal” , saying that the general council meeting could only be convened by the party president. “I am the president of the party and I was not consulted for convening the general council meeting, ” MrAlyani said, adding that BAP’s general council meeting will now be held onAug 9 in Quetta. Balochistan will present its budget for the next fiscal with a total outlay of Rs580 billion.
MQM-P, PPP lock horns over LG law
kARACHI
Staff RepoRt
A deadlock has emerged between Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) over amendments in the Local Government (LG) Act despite promises being made to the latter from the former before joining the federal government. According to the details, the PPP has agreed to implement the agreement with the MQM-P in 30 days after asking the latter to quit the PTI-led federal government. The provincial assembly lawmakers of the MQM-P have expressed their discontent over a delay in the implementation of the agreement and said that they recently complained to Asif Zardari, which resulted in a meeting between the two parties.
City NoteS
M a Niazi
You know, if you really put your mind to it, you can stop the inevitable from happening. The English have a story about King Canute, back in the first half of the 11th century, being told incessantly by his courtiers about how powerful he was, had his throne taken to the beach, and ordered the waves to stop. They didn’t. Well, Punjab Speaker Ch Pervez Elahi might like to take heed, because he stopped the provincial government from presenting the budget twice, but he couldn’t stop it forever, and with the other side having both Chief Minister and Governor, it was only a matter of time.
The situation is complicated. Look, Ch Pervez is serving as the last picture card of the PTI in Punjab, and trying to show the powers of the Speaker. He and his staff have it easy, for even if the Budget is not passed, they keep getting the money allocated to them because it’s charged expenditure. That means that the expenses of the Assembly (and its staff), the High Court, debt servicing and other commitments made by the provincial government, are charged to the Provincial Consolidated Fund. The Assembly does not vote on charged expenditure, but merely gets the details laid on the table by the Finance Minister when he presents the Budget.
Then there is the voted expenditure, the money the governments needs to pay salaries, buy newspapers, fill fuel tanks of official vehicles. And such like. These are in the form of the demands for grants, which the Assembly votes on.The demand for grant is not really money, but a sort of upper limit. If a demand for grant is passed, it means that that much money from the Provincial Consolidated Fund can be spent, but not that it has to be.
Nor is that money pressed into an official’s hot little hand, with a pat on the back and the disbursing officer saying “Jaa puttar, ayaashi kar. spent. If there is some other expenditure, the department must get a supplementary grant.
Supplementary grants do not necessarily mean that more money is needed. Say a department needs new air conditioners. It had earlier had the money for a car approved, but hasn’t bought. So it would presentadeclarationthatitwouldn’t buyacar,aswellasasupplementary grant for the ACs. One of the documents presented by a Finance Minister, is the Supplementary Budget, which is a consolidation of all of these re-appropriations made during the year.
The Assembly duly votes on thesesupplementarygrants,butlong after theory ’ ve been ‘provisionally ’ approved, and the money spent. What would happen if a supplementary grant failed to pass? Well, for a start, the government of theory would fall, but I think there will first be lightning bolt striking the offending official dead, with a ghostly voice above saying, “Bad boy!””
Anyhow, the Punjab Assembly does not have its Demand for Grant voted on. It’s a charged expenditure.
I doubt if Ch Pervez Elahi is much interested in this right now, what with his son Moonis being summoned by the FIA in connection with money laundering. Of course, the FIAwould hardly be impressed by his being a former federal minister, what with having a serving PM in its charge. Nor would Shehbaz have much sympathy for Ch Pervez, as his son Hamza faces an FIA investigation. However, Ch Moonis might find the charges more difficult to answer, for Shehbaz and Hamza had the case against them prepared by Shehzad Akbar.
Its legal advisers like Shehzad Akbar and Farogh Nasim who got him trouble, but bringing Hamid Khan on board will only help to get rid of Fawad Chaudhry. Will that be much of a loss? Not so long as the PTI has Shahbaz Gill on its side.
Meanwhile, the regular weekly fuel price rise occurred. The governmentistornbetweenblaming the IMF and the previous government. Funny, it doesn’t apply that logic to getting off the FATF grey list. For that, it takes the full credit. Of course, if coming off the list has any problems that come up later, then the previous government will get the blame.
It’s like kids. If they have any good quality, it’s because they inherited it from the side of the family the speaker belongs to. A father’s aunt always ascribes a child’sbrightnesstoherbrother,and a mother’s aunt to hers. So with governments.
COUrt ACCEPtS PrE-ArrESt BAIlS Of PtI lEAdErS
ISLAMABAD
Staff RepoRt
Alocal court in Islamabad has granted pre-arrest bail to several Pakistan Tehreek-i-insaf leaders in a public disorder and damage to property case during party ’s long march on Islamabad.
The court accepted the pre-arrest bails of Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Asad Umar, Sheharyar KhanAfridi, Qasim Suri, Murad Saeed, Ali NawazAwan,Ali Muhammad Khan and Awami Muslim League Chief Sheikh RashidAhmad.
District & Sessions Judge Kamran Basharat Mufti heard the pre-arrest bail petitions of PTI leaders and AML Chief Sh Rashid. While announcing a reserved judgement, the judge accepted bail applications of all the accused.
However, the court directed the accused to become part of the investigation in cases registered against them in I-9, Golra and Tarnol police stations.
After the hearing, PTI Secretary General Asad Umar said that the present government did not come through public votes rather it was brought and imposed on us. He said the government hatched a conspiracy and made fake cases against the. He was of the view that the country could be shut by using power but it could not be run.
Babar Awan said that a certain ‘group’in Pakistan did not believe in law, rather it believed in NRO.
On this occasion, Afridi, Faisal Javed and Suri said that an imported government had been imposed on us at the behest of America. They requested the Supreme Court of Pakistan Chief Justice UmarAta Bandial to take suo motu notice of it.
Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court has extended the interim bails of former National Assembly speakerAsad Qaiser andAMLChief Sh Rashid till June 28. The court directed to club together applications of PTI leaders and Sh Rashid’s application.
Meanwhile, UmarAmin Gandapur withdrew his protective bail application. IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah heard the petitions. PTI leaders submit Rs0.1m surety bonds toATC in Lahore
Meanwhile, the PTI leaders have submitted Rs100,000 surety bonds each to an anti-terrorism court in Lahore for their bails in vandalism cases registered against them after the party ’s long march on Islamabad.
The PTI leaders were granted bail in a new FIR registered against them at Bhati Gate, Lahore on Saturday. The accused said that they were nominated in the case because of a sub-statement in the FIR. They rued that they were nominated in cases in several police stations at the same time.
PTI leaders including Hammad Azhar, Dr Yasmeen Rashid, Mian Mehmoodur Rashid, Mian Aslam Iqbal, Andleeb Abbas, Yasir Gilani, Jamshed Iqbal Cheema, Musarrat Jamshed Cheema, Shafqat Mehmood andAslam Iqbal appeared before the court.
Earlier, the PTI leaders have secured pre-arrest bails in cases registered against them in Shahdara and Gulberg police stations.
Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment registers cases against Usman Buzdar
LAHORE
Inp
PunjabAnti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) on Monday registered cases against the former Punjab chief minister Usman Buzdar along with his brothers for transferring 900 kanals of land illegally in Dera Ghazi Khan.As per details, two cases have been registered against the Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) leader. The cases have been filed on the inquiry report of Deputy Commissioner of DG Khan.As per sources, Usman Buzdar’s brothers have also been included in the cases. While it was also revealed that the provisions of transferring government land through forgery have been included in the cases. The allegation includes forging a fake letter to transfer 900 kanals of government land in Tonsa. While investigations regarding the matter have been commenced.
ISLAMABAD
Staff RepoRt
Rising inflation has led to the exodus of one million students from Punjab schools, says a report released on Monday.
Some 30,000 students have left schools in Lahore, the provincial capital of the most populous province of the country.
Expensive education and educationrelated materials including books and stationary have contributed to this unfortunate development.
According to the educationist, if the upwards spiral of inflation went unchecked, a further one million students will leave schools by August when the new academic year will start. The educationists have demanded of government to provide the publishers printing paper on subsidized rate so that the children can get books and stationary on a discounted rate.
The educationists warned that if this trend goes unchecked, it would badly affect the literacy rate in the country and more children will remain outside the school.
PTI observes Black Day against NAB law changes
ISLAMABAD
Staff CoRReSpondent
Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan Monday chaired a meeting of PTI leaders and decided to mark Monday (today) as Black Day against the amendments made in NAB laws by the coalition government. Imran Khan tasked Fawad Chaudhry and other party leaders to expose the shameful conspiracy behind it — and what goals this government wants to achieve— to the nation. Imran Khan also tasked leaders to involve spokespeople in the political debate.
Imran Khan said that these stooges’ sole target was to destroy the accountability system and to get the NRO.The former prime minister claimed that the accountability system has been buried by giving NRO to these ‘thieves’and was an attempt to look over the dacoity of Rs1200 billion. Imran Khan blamed rich thieves for the state of poverty in third-world countries like Pakistan. PTI chairman Imran said that on one side coalition government did not able to run the country and on the other side ‘stooges’efforts to get away from the accountability are being overlooked.
PTI leader vowed his resolve to protest against this effort in all forms. On Sunday late evening, PTI workers and supporters staged protest demos to mark their anger against the increasing inflation.
LHC refuses stay over ordinance limiting speaker Punjab Assembly’s powers
LAHORE
Staff RepoRt
The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday refused to provide immediate relief to Speaker PunjabAssembly Parvez Elahi and PTI after it refused to issue a stay against an ordinance from Governor Baligh Ur Rehman, limiting the powers of the speaker of the assembly.
The court has summoned advocate general Punjab for assistance and issued notices to the Punjab government and others for June 24.
Justice Sajid Mehmood Sethi during the hearing on a petition filed by Parvez Elahi and Sibtain Khan said that they would decide on the matter once the government submits its replies.
Former advocate general Punjab Advocate AhmedAwais said that the assembly session was ongoing when the governor issued an ordinance on June 14.
“The powers of the speaker have been limited and were given to the secretary law through the ordinance, ” the plea stated. It said that ordinance was against the constitution and rules and procedures of the assembly.
He pleaded to issue a stay order against the ordinance unless a final decision is being announced. “Since it is an ordinance, therefore it is important to listen to the other party, ” the Lahore High Court judge said while rejecting the plea.
Comedian Masood Khawaja passes away
Comedian-actor Masood Khwaja passed away here on Monday after a prolonged illness. Masood was hospitalized in Holy Family Hospital for a couple of days. He was senior actor who appeared in national television drama and gave some memorable performances. Masood Khawaja was popularly known for working in the Pakistani TV industry. For many years, he has enthralled audiences with his incredible comedy abilities. newS deSk
Six including four friends killed in Mir Ali firing incidents
PESHAWAR: Unidentified assailants shot dead six people including four close friends in Mir Ali area of North Waziristan during the night between Sunday and Monday. The police said four friends identified as Asad Dawar, Waqar Ahmad, Hammad and Sunaid Ahmad had dinner with their friends and were on their way to homes when assailants riding a motorbike started firing on them. As a result of the firing, all the four friends were killed on the scene. The police shifted their bodies to Mir Ali hospital. The other incident also occurred in Mir Ali tehsil of North Waziristan district where two cloth dealers were abducted from Khadi Market and later shot dead on the bank of River Tochi. Police said both the deceased were shot in the heads. The police registered cases and started investigation. app
Indian troops martyr three more Kashmiri youth in IIOJK
SRINAGAR: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred three more Kashmiri youth in the territory, today. Two youth were martyred by Indian troops and paramilitary forces during their continued cordon and search operation in Lolab area of Kupwara district. Another youth was martyred by the troops during a cordon and search operation at Chatapora area of Pulwama district. Pertinently, the death toll of martyrs, killed by Indian troops during cordon and search operation reached to seven during past 24 hours in the Kashmir
