Category Archives: News Alert

Arbab Ghulam Rahim’s PPML merges with PML-N

Leave a reply

LAHORE: Former Sindh chief minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim decided to merge his party Pakistan Peoples Muslim League (PPML) with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Express News reported on Sunday.

PPML was earlier known as Pakistan Muslim League-Likeminded.

The decision was taken during Rahim’s meeting with former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif in Lahore.

In its attempt to form a strong government in the centre, PML-N has been wooing political leaders into its fold. Yesterday, Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) formally announced that it will join the coalition government.

Earlier on May 17, National Peoples Party (NPP) was merged with PML-N. The party is led by Ghulam Murtaza Jatoi.


Shift in power: Can JUI-S bring the Taliban to the table?

Leave a reply

PESHAWAR: 

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Chief Nawaz Sharif and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) chief minister designate Pervez Khattak made contact with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sami (JUI-S) Chief Maulana Samiul Haq to discuss the possibility of a peaceful settlement with the Taliban.

Sami, who is in his late seventies, heads Darul Uloom Haqqania, one of the largest Deobandi seminaries in the country. In the past, this seminary has issued an honorary degree to Taliban leader Mullah Mohamad Omar.

Why the JUI-S?

These initial attempts to establish contact with Sami signify a policy shift in the new government’s approach to the Taliban as the JUI-S has never been accorded such importance in reaching a political settlement to Pakistan’s bloody insurgency.

Professor Khadim Hussain, an analyst and academic at Islamabad’s Quaid-e-Azam University, believes even though Sami does not have much political clout, his seminary had been a strong recruitment ground for militants in the early 1980s and 1990s.

“So now Sami enjoys significant influence over several diverse militant groups such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), groups affiliated with Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC) and the Afghan Taliban,” explains Hussain. “Perhaps this is the reason he is being considered for the role.”

JUI-S Provincial Amir Maulana Yousaf Shah told The Express Tribune Khattak had personally visited Sami, while Nawaz had also made contact regarding peace talks. “This issue needs to be resolved through dialogue and we have been saying this from day one,” he argued.

Shah added if the politicians were really interested, Maulana Sami could play a role in the reconciliation process. However, Shah laid emphasis on the military’s nod of approval as well.

“Sami will play his role when rulers and the powers that be are ready to solve these issues through dialogue,” stated Shah. It is the military which is primarily party to a dispute, not the politicians. “There can be no solution without the army’s agreement.”

Shah maintained Sami had enough clout in the tribal areas as many influential clerics were his disciples to assist in talks with the TTP. He claimed unless the new government refused to bow down to the United States, there could be no agreements with the Taliban.

Fazl left in the cold

As things currently stand, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) has been passed over by incoming government for Sami. It remains to be seen how the JUI-F will react to this development, especially since it often claims to be the country’s largest religiously-inclined political party.

A few months ago, the JUI-F had constituted a grand jirga comprising tribal elders from all agencies in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman had shown a keen interest in laying down a proper mechanism which would facilitate dialogue with the Taliban.

Following the assassination of K-P senior minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour, Fazl presented the jirga as the only viable forum to discuss peace with the militants. On these grounds, he gathered several political leaders in Islamabad in February at an all-parties conference (APC).

At this moment in time it was premature to comment as the new government had not yet been formed, said JUI-F spokesperson Haji Jalil Jan. He asserted his party had not been bypassed or ignored in the process. The declaration of February’s APC stated all peace talks would take place under the auspices of Fazl’s jirga. “Nawaz Sharif himself signed that declaration,” Jan reminded.

Professor Khadim Hussain, however, had doubts about the militants ultimately accepting Fazl’s lead in the peace process. He explained Fazl had been part of the country’s political machinery in one capacity or the other for a considerable period of time. He still aspires to be involved and militants will not easily accept him as a mediator for this very reason, added Hussain.

Despite this analysis, Hussain maintained it was unlikely that either Fazl or Sami could effectively negotiate with the TTP as militants continue to carry out attacks across the country. “If talks are held with militants at this very moment, it means submitting to the Taliban’s diktats.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26th, 2013.


Breaking the mould: Elders deliberate over reinventing FATA

Leave a reply

PESHAWAR: 

Tribal elders have asked the incoming government to take immediate steps to reform the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and remove political administrations currently in place.

Elders from all Fata agencies gathered at a local hotel on Saturday to deliberate and coordinate their efforts to mainstream the tribal belt.

“Tribal people have been kept in the dark and the so-called process of reforms by the previous government was only meant to deceive them,” said Ghani Gul, a Mehsud elder from South Waziristan. He complained the residents of Fata have been hearing about ‘reform’ for the past 30 years, but no progress has been made.

The tribal elders also questioned the integrity of elections under the political administration and claimed the polls were not free and fair. Elders alleged only those candidates had been elected who ‘agreed’ with the administration. They found no reason to hope for change since the same people were elected on May 11.

Fata Coordination Council Chariman Tor Gul argued the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) is not only against the constitution, but has also distorted the Pukhtun culture. “The FCR has given birth to a conservative society, which has restricted enlightenment.”

Elders pointed out the Fata tribunal, which once provided an easy means to justice, is headed by retired bureaucrats and is not free from the establishment’s influence. They demanded the federal government put in place a judicial system which has a high court, sessions court and appellate court which are free from external influence.

Their wish list included an accountability body for checks and balances and to audit funds allocated to the tribal areas. The body would ensure the money reaches the people it meant to serve.

Tribal elder Malik Khanmir Jan asked that the government extend the country’s constitution to Fata. “The reforms are formulated by one authority and implemented and administrated by another; there is no coordination between them.”

Khanmir Jan alleged the FATA Secretariat is staffed by people from the settled areas who have no knowledge about tribal issues.

Elders had conflicting views about the local governance system. Some were in favour of having a local government system while others called for the revival of the jirga system at the union council, city and agency levels.

They claimed the jirga would work to formulate and implement reforms, and restore peace at the same time. This would empower people at grass-root levels, enabling them to participate in overhauling the system according to their wishes.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26th, 2013.


‘Give and take’: Fazl demands ‘lucrative’ housing ministry

Leave a reply

ISLAMABAD: 

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has demanded the housing and works portfolio, apart from the top slots of two important panels, in exchange for joining the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government at the Centre.

Replying to last week’s invitation by incoming prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Fazl has asked the PML-N chief for the lucrative portfolio, alongside the chairmanship of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) for his party and the leadership of the Kashmir Committee (KC) for himself, sources privy to developments have told The Express Tribune.

So far, the PML-N leadership appears to be resisting Fazl’s demands and the two parties have yet to make breakthrough despite being engaged in talks for almost a week now.

“We have made it clear to JUI-F leadership that this time all portfolios will be awarded strictly on merit,” said a PML-N member speaking on condition of anonymity. He said his party has decided against any ‘give and take’ on ministries’ portfolios this time, even among its own members.

“It is also too early to make a decision on the chairmanship of CII and KC … their leadership is determined by the elected committee members later on,” said the PML-N official, adding that his party leadership had informed Fazl about their stance on the matter.

“JUI-F may well get the housing ministry on merit, so let the time come,” he said, expressing hope that Fazl would understand PML-N’s point of view and join the coalition in the Centre.

The Ministry of Housing and Works is considered one of the most important and ‘lucrative’ ministries since it deals with the allocation of government housing facilities and the planning of residential schemes. Under the PPP-led coalition government, JUI-F’s Rehmatullah Kakar kept the lucrative portfolio. His name was later associated with several land and housing scheme scams, although nothing against him has been proven.

In 2010, the National Accountability Bureau decided to investigate a case regarding the acquisition of 3,000 kanals of land near Islamabad’s Barakahu area for a federal government housing scheme by Kakar’s ministry at inflated prices. The JUI-F chief, however rushed to Kakar’s aid and refused to recognise NAB as a legitimate accountability body.

Maulana Fazl has also asked PML-N to include his party in the Balochistan coalition government and was lobbying for the seat of the chief minister.

“The Baloch and the coalition partners of PML-N in Balochistan are not ready to accept Fazl and his party in the provincial government,” said a PML-N member.

Fazl’s spokesperson Jan Achakzai has insisted that the meetings between the special committees of the two sides were underway and a breakthrough was likely before the session of National Assembly is summoned.

“Last round of talks between the committees thrashed out the remaining differences. Both parties have agreed upon most of policy priorities,” said Achakzai, denying that ministries came under discussion at this stage.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26th, 2013.


Breaking boundaries: Indian doctors, donor save Pakistani man’s life

Leave a reply

A team of Indian doctors saved the life of a Pakistani man after performing a successful heart transplant surgery on him at a hospital in Chennai. Interestingly, the donor was also an Indian national, according to a press release issued by the Asiatic Public Relations.

“Reflecting its commitment to saving and enriching lives beyond boundaries, a team of cardiac experts at the Centre of Excellence for Advanced Cardiac Care, Fortis Malar, Chennai, led by Dr KR Balakrishnan, Director Cardiac Sciences, performed a lifesaving complex heart transplant surgery on a Pakistani national,” reads the press release.

Pakistani national Moulana Mohammed Zubair Ashmi, 40, a resident of Kharian tehsil, Gujrat district, was suffering from a condition called ‘Dilated Cardiomyopathy’, in which the functioning of both ventricle of the heart are severely depressed.

Ashmi was repeatedly admitted in several hospitals with breathing difficulty and other symptoms. Doctors finally diagnosed him as having heart failure and told his family that his only chance of survival was a heart transplant.

“He had been on medication in Pakistan for more than a year since he was diagnosed with decreased pumping efficiency of the heart of around 10-15% (normal being 60%) – a condition denoting his poor heart function. When his condition became precarious, he was airlifted from a leading heart hospital in Lahore, Pakistan,” said Dr K R Balakrishnan.

“Upon his arrival at Fortis Malar, we performed a detailed medical examination, and realised he also had renal failure, had fluid in his lungs and abdomen and was also hepatitis C positive. All this just made his condition extremely difficult to treat,” he added.

After a wait of approximately two months, a suitable Indian donor heart became available for Ashmi, even though it was of a different blood group, through an organ sharing network system created in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

“If the transplant had been delayed by even 2 days, it would have cost him his life,” said Dr Suresh Rao, Chief of Cardiac Anaesthesia and Critical Care.

Following the successful operation, a grateful Ashmi said, “I am ready to live life all over again and it is all due to the kindness of my saviour heart.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26th, 2013.


Identity: Over 40 million get CNICs in five years

Leave a reply

ISLAMABAD: 

The Computerised National Identity Cards registration in the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has increased by 73% since 2008, which resulted in higher turnout of 55% voters in the elections.

The number of CNIC holders, according to Nadra, has reached around 94.36 million against almost 54.1 million in 2008 according to the latest data of Nadra available with The Express Tribune.

There are over 53.28 million men and 41.08 million women CNIC holders as compared with nearly 33.3 million men and 20.8 women CNIC holders in 2008.

According to Nadra the ratio of women CNIC holders increased at the rate of 94% during the period under review, while the increase in the ratio of men having CNICs remained static at 60%.

The establishment of registration centres by Nadra in far-flung areas, particularly for women population, over the last five years is one of the factors responsible for the increased ratio of registration.

Besides, registration for cash benefits under the Benazir Income Support Programme (BIPSP) and various support schemes including Watan Cards also helped in higher registration of people with Nadra during the period.

In the past, majority of the voters, particularly in the rural areas could not cast their votes due to unavailability of the NICs. This time around, cards were made for other purposes and proved handy for casting of vote also.

According to the Election Commission of Pakistan the overall voter turnout in the general elections was recorded at 55% as compared to 44.4% in the 2008 elections.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26th, 2013.


Party meeting: PML-Q demands probe into rigging allegations

Leave a reply

LAHORE: 

The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), on Saturday, demanded the formation of a national commission to investigate allegations of vote rigging and address political parties’ reservations within 30 days.

At a party meeting presided over by Senator Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain at his residence, several PML-Q leaders, ticket holders and elected parliamentarians from all over the country spoke of rigging. Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, Senator Kamil Ali Agha, SM Zafar and Dr Khalid Ranjha, too, addressed the meeting.

The party decided to play the role of an effective opposition at the Centre and in all provinces. Most participants were of the view that the party had suffered heavy loss in the elections because of an unpropitious alliance with the Pakistan Peoples Party. The participants agreed that independent decisions should be taken in such matters and decided not to ally with the PPP in national or provincial assemblies.

They have decided to restructure the party in each province and assign important responsibilities to sincere and active party workers.

Several parties have expressed reservations over how the general elections were held. A national commission should be formed to respond to their concerns. The election commission should order recounting, re-polling and verification of fingerprints by NADRA wherever required.

“We have evidence of rigging in several constituencies that we will share with the election commission,” said Hussain. He told party leaders to remain in contact with the candidates who had lost due to rigging in their constituencies.

Elahi congratulated the successful candidates and said, “We are not disappointed by the outcome of the elections. Every political party faces trouble now and then.” The PML-Q will continue to play an active role at every level, he said. Anwar Ali Cheema and Ghias Mela had never lost in their constituencies before, he said, their victory was snatched due to rigging.

Mushahid Hussain said, “We have the courage to speak and hear the truth. Today’s gathering is proof that the PML-Q’s popularity has not diminished.” He said the party needed to learn from its mistakes and fix them.

Senator Saeed Mandokhel, Intikhab Khan Chamakni, Haleem Adil Shaikh, Tariq Bashir Cheema, Mir Hamdan Bugti, Zaheeruddin Khan, Ghias Mela, Sardar Khan Kakar, Dr Azeemuddin Lakhvi, Maluna Shabbir and Khalid Nabi also addressed the meeting. Mandokhel said that the PML-Q and Awami National Party had also been blamed for load shedding in Nawaz Sharif’s speeches.

The rigging on May 11 was reminiscent of the rigging in the 1977 elections. The PML-Q’s mandate was stolen in 2013 but the party would not lose heart. It would rather expose those who had come to power with a fake mandate, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26th, 2013.


Circular debt: Power sector liabilities may cross Rs1 trillion by 2014

Leave a reply

ISLAMABAD: 

Barring significant and upfront increases in electricity tariffs, the incoming Nawaz administration will face an energy sector debt that is rapidly approaching Rs1 trillion.

According to water and power ministry officials, the existing stock of liabilities in the energy sector is around Rs500 billion, but this number does not include several other liabilities that are about to arise. Among these is approximately Rs200 billion in fuel cost adjustments that the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority was not able to approve during the fiscal year that ends June 30, 2013.

The power tariff in Pakistan consists of two components. The first is the base tariff which is supposed to account for the operational and maintenance costs, financial costs and allowed returns on equity for investors in the power sector. The second component is the fuel cost adjustment, which varies from month to month, depending upon average fuel prices and fuel mix of a power producer.

In June 2012, power distribution companies filed petitions with Nepra to allow them to raise tariffs for the higher costs faced during the outgoing fiscal 2012. Under pressure from the previous administration, Nepra refused to take a decision on the matter, leaving those liabilities to pile up during almost the entirety of fiscal 2013. Meanwhile, an additional complication arose when the law ministry term retroactive increases in power tariffs illegal.

But the power companies cannot make their costs go away and will claim that Rs200 billion as part of their next request for tariff adjustments at the start of fiscal 2014.

In addition, Nepra had planned to raise electricity tariffs by an aggregate amount of another Rs200 billion in order to reduce the cost of power subsidies in fiscal 2013. That did not happen and unless the incoming Nawaz administration makes the decision to implement that rise, it will face a massive subsidy bill.

“The new government has no choice: either it will have to charge consumers for two years worth of piled-up liabilities or else it will face a Rs600 billion subsidy bill in its first year in office,” said one person familiar with the matter.

That amount does not include the existing stock of Rs500 billion of circular debt, taking the government’s total liabilities during its first year in office to Rs1.1 trillion.

As the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz prepares to take office, the party leadership is considering energy its top policy priority and is finalising the various components of its plan to tackle the problem. Among the policies under consideration are cutting power supply to Karachi in order to increase supply to Punjab, privatising gas production and distribution companies, and borrowing money from Saudi Arabia to pay all or most of the Rs500 billion in existing circular debt.

The decision to cut power to Karachi would be a problem. The Karachi Electric Supply Company has a contract to buy 650 megawatts from the state-owned National Transmission and Dispatch Company. But if that supply is cut, the Sindh government is likely to retaliate by reducing natural gas supply to Punjab. Sindh produces over 70% of the nation’s gas and, constitutionally, has the right of first use on that gas. PML-N’s rival Pakistan Peoples Party has a majority in the Sindh Assembly.

Sources say that while the PML-N is willing to consider raising tariffs, it also wants to reduce the cost of generating electricity by shifting more power plants to natural gas. In a bid to better manage the natural gas production and distribution, the PML-N is considering privatising the state-owned distribution companies Sui Northern Gas Pipelines and Sui Southern Gas Company as well as the state-owned hydrocarbon producer Oil and Gas Development Corporation.

In addition, the PML-N is considering removing the managing directors of the state-owned power distribution companies, in a bid to improve their efficiency and reduce power theft, particularly in urban area. Theft of power is the single biggest cause of the current power crisis. The PML-N is also considering cutting off power supply to entities that have not paid their bills and only restoring it after installing pre-paid meters.

The PML-N also wants to appoint an adjudicator to resolve the dispute between the power companies and provincial governments. The power companies claim that the provinces owe Rs110 billion in unpaid bills.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26th, 2013.

Like Business on Facebook to stay informed and join in the conversation.


Army chief, ISAF commander discuss border issues

Leave a reply

Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani on Saturday met with commander of the International Security Assistance Force active in Afghanistan to discuss border issues.

According to a release from the Army’s official media arm, the Inter-services Public Relations (ISPR), Gen Joseph F Dunford called on Kayani in Rawalpinid.

The two discussed issues related to border coordination along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have witnessed strained relations in recent months due to a number of cross-border attacks from both sides of the Durand line.

The incidents even aroused the curiosity of the Taliban who termed the clashes as a “conspiracy”.

The meeting was also comes against the backdrop of ISAF and US military equipment being withdrawn through Pakistan.


Army chief, ISAF commander discuss border issues

Leave a reply

Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani on Saturday met with commander of the International Security Assistance Force active in Afghanistan to discuss border issues.

According to a release from the Army’s official media arm, the Inter-services Public Relations (ISPR), Gen Joseph F Dunford called on Kayani in Rawalpinid.

The two discussed issues related to border coordination along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have witnessed strained relations in recent months due to a number of cross-border attacks from both sides of the Durand line.

The incidents even aroused the curiosity of the Taliban who termed the clashes as a “conspiracy”.

The meeting was also comes against the backdrop of ISAF and US military equipment being withdrawn through Pakistan.