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PR No.36
PR No.37 Mr. Andrew Mitchell, British MP and Shadow Secretary of State for International Development, called on President Asif Ali Zardari at Presidency today. Matters related to ongoing fight against militancy, bilateral relations between the two countries and British support to the democratic dispensation in Pakistan came under discussion. Mr. Peter Tibber, Acting High Commissioner, Ms. Philippa Buckley, Political Researcher and Mr. George Turkington, Head of DFID (Department for international Development) Pakistan were also present during the meeting. President Asif Ali Zardari, during the meeting, said that the democratic Government is successfully moving forward in the fight against militants and security forces are gaining successes despite great sacrifices. He said that recent cowardly attacks by militants on innocent had only strengthened the nation’s resolve to fight the militants. He said that Pakistan and its democratic government needs further support from the international community for the stability of the region and overcoming economic stresses. The President appreciated UK’s development assistance worth £665 million committed for 2009-2013 and additional £50 million assistance that was announced during Prime Minister’s recent visit to support Pakistan’s development plans. The President also appreciated development assistance that is being provided by UK for national programmes in the spheres of health and poverty reduction. The President said that UK and Pakistan needs to strengthen their partnership in the realms of education, science & technology and cultural fields working closely for more trade and investment in Pakistan. He focused on the need to enhance and strengthening of Pakistan’s counter terrorism capacity through provision of equipment, training facilities and sharing of timely intelligence. Mr. Andrew Mitchell appreciated the efforts of the Government and its security forces against militancy and reiterated British support to the democratic government in Pakistan in dealing with this menace. He said that Britain would continue to support Pakistan in every possible manner in overcoming difficulties faced by the country in various areas. Secretary General Mr. Salman Faruqui, Minister of State for EAD/Finance Ms. Hina Rabbani Khar, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Malik Ammad Ahmed Khan, Secretary to the President Malik Asif Hayat and Ms. Sughra Imam were also present during the meeting.
PR No.38 Federal Minister for Industries & Production Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani has expressed his deep sense of grief over the death of the mother of Federal Minister for Communications Arbab Alamgir Khan. While expressing his sympathies with Arbab Alamgir Khan and other members of the bereaved family, Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani, in his condolence message, prayed to Almighty Allah to rest the departed soul in eternal peace and shower His blessings. May Allah grant courage and fortitude to bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss. **MAB/Ahmad**
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No.39 Mr. Lyonpo Yeshey Zimba, former Prime Minister and current Minister for Works and Human Settlement of Bhutan called on Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani at the PM’s Secretariat today as Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of Bhutan. He delivered the Prime Minister an invitation from Bhutan’s Prime Minister to attend the SAARC Conference to be held in Bhutan in April this year, which the Prime Minister accepted. He also conveyed to the Prime Minister greetings from the King and the Prime Minister of Bhutan. The Prime Minister thanked the Special Envoy and requested him to also convey his best wishes and greetings to the King and Prime Minister of Bhutan. **PMMO/Ahmad**
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No.40 The Federal Cabinet met here today under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani. The Cabinet in principle approved a summary for “regularization of services of daily wages employees of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)”. The cabinet approved the recommendation to regularize more than 4000 employees who have completed more than nine months service and decided that services of those employees who have not yet completed the required length of service shall be regularized on completion of prescribed length of service. The Cabinet was also briefed about the status of stocks of wheat, atta and sugar. It expressed satisfaction over the stocks and directed the concerned authorities to stabilize the prices of these essential items. In order to undertake scientific, technological and socio-economic research related to the climate change regarding the causes, effects, magnitude and their impact on Pakistan, the Cabinet approved a proposal to establish Global Change Impact Studies Centre as an Autonomous Body under the Ministry of Environment. The Centre shall function under the Board of Governors having representations from the concerned public sector bodies. The Centre shall create a team of scientists, capable of preparing mathematical models for climate change impacts on extreme drought conditions, temperature, crop growth varieties and preparation of the mitigation plans for adverse situation like flooding, etc. The Cabinet also considered a report on the affairs of the Industrial Development Bank of Pakistan (IDBP) and the case for its corporatization and restructuring. A committee comprising Ministers for Finance & Revenue, Law & Justice, and Industries & Production with the Governor State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) as special invitee recommended the restructuring of IDBP as Industrial Development Bank Limited (IDBL) by insurance of vesting order. The committee has found out that current negative net-worth of the bank is Rs. 28.170 billion while the total deposits are Rs. 3.836 billion. The Cabinet directed to fix responsibility on the persons who have caused losses to IDBP because of their imprudent lending and writing-off of loans. A committee headed by Minister for Law & Justice and comprising representatives of State Bank of Pakistan, an independent banker and an auditor was constituted to scrutinize a random sample among the written-off loan cases so as to establish their propriety. The committee will conduct a thorough examination of lending process, disbursements, and initiation process of write-off in respect of such cases and fix the responsibility so that appropriate action against those responsible may be taken by SBP. The meeting also ratified the decisions taken by Cabinet Committee on Privatization (CCOP) on Privatization through Public Private Partnership (PPP). These include privatization with the PPP mode for 26% of the equity stake. The main objective of privatization with PPP is to put national resources and assets to optimal use and in particular to unleash the productive potential inherent in Pakistan’s State Owned Entities (SOEs). A stringent pre-qualification structure will be put in place that will include a contractually binding Business Plan and provisions with regard to management, default, termination, penalties and dispute resolution. This strategy is based on the rationale that given the large size, a single offer for total divestment for some transactions would limit the interest of potential investors and consequently affect the level of competition. The ratified decisions also include adequate representation of the Government on the Boards of the privatized entities. Under the new policy, 12% shares will be reserved for workers in the privatized entities. It was decided that the Government would continue to ensure that divestment does not result in reduction in quality of production or services. It will also be ensured that divestments do not result in private monopolies and cartels. The Cabinet ratified the decisions of the ECC meeting held on 15th December 2009. The Cabinet granted ex-post facto approval of the draft MoU and signing of Cooperation Agreement between Jordan and Pakistan to facilitate promotion in trade. This agreement will provide a forum for businessmen and investors of both the countries to exchange views and help increase trade and investment flows. It may be mentioned that bilateral trade between the two countries is in the range of over US$52 million. In order to further improve bilateral relations with Cuba, the Cabinet ratified the cooperation agreement signed between Pakistan and Cuba. Under the agreement, both parties shall undertake feasibility studies to identify viable investment projects. Both sides will grant scholarships for specialized studies, professional development and technical education and vocational training. Under the agreement, a joint intergovernmental commission shall be established that shall monitor the implementation of the areas of cooperation as defined in the agreement. The Cabinet granted approval for initiation of negotiations to conclude an agreement between the Governments of Pakistan and Ethiopia for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income. This agreement is aimed at encouraging trade and investment by assuring certainty of tax treatment and removal of double taxation of the same income in the two contracting states. The Cabinet approved signing an MoU between the Ministries of Defence of the Republic of Korea and the Islamic Republic Pakistan regarding cooperation in military education exchange. The MoU will enhance the military cooperation between the parties through the reciprocal exchange of military students. The Cabinet also granted approval, in principle, for signing MoU between the Governments of Qatar and Pakistan in the field of academic research and cooperative activities. The MoU is aimed at enhancing cooperation between Strategic Studies Centre, Qatar and National Defence University of Pakistan in the field of education and research. The Cabinet granted approval for Pakistan’s accession to the Third Protocol amending the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) in South East Asia. The protocol is aimed at allowing the accession of the Treaty by the European Union/European Community. TAC promotes perpetual peace, everlasting amity and cooperation among their peoples which would contribute to their strength, solidarity and closer relationship. The Cabinet granted approval, in principle, for draft legislation “Biological & Toxin Weapon Convention (BTWC) Bill 2009” for the implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). The UN Security Council Resolution 1540 adopted in April 2004 requires all states to take necessary legislative, regulatory and administrative steps to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, including biological weapons and their delivery systems and related technologies. Under the new law, no person shall develop, manufacture, design, produce, stockpile, transport, import, export, sell, transfer or otherwise acquire, possess, control or retain a biological weapon. No person shall knowingly manufacture, develop, design, produce, stockpile, transport, transfer or otherwise acquire or retain, any material, equipment, or technologies which are intended to be used in the preparation of a biological weapon. The law shall also ban delivery designed to use biological agents or toxins for hostile purposes or use in armed conflict. Violators shall be liable for punishment with imprisonment ranging from 10 to 25 years and with fine up to Rs. 10 million. The Cabinet granted approval for initiation of negotiations to conclude an agreement between the GoP and Kenya for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income. This agreement is aimed at encouraging trade and investment by assuring certainty of tax treatment and removal of double taxation of the same income in the two contracting states. The Cabinet members offered fateha for the martyrs of Lakki Marwat and Karachi blasts on the day of Aushra. The cabinet also offered special prayer for the rain in the country. PMMO/wh
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No.41 A SAFMA delegation comprising of prominent media persons called on President Asif Ali Zardari at Aiwan-e-Sadr today. The delegation comprised of Mr. Imtiaz Alam, Secretary General SAFMA, Mr. Mustansar Javed, General Secretary SAFMA, Mr. Nusrat Javed, Mr. Najam Sethi, Mr. Munir Ahmed Munno Bhai, Mr. Agha Nasir, Mr. Jabbar Khatak, Ms. Mehmal Sarfraz, Ms. Asma Shirazi, Mr. Iftikhar Ahmed and Mr. Anjum Rasheed. Matters related to current state of media in the country, media freedom and role of media were discussed during the meeting. The President said that the democratic Government of Pakistan Peoples Party fully believes in freedom of the media and whole heartedly welcomes constructive and positive criticism as it helps fine-tuning the policies of any government. He said that free and fair media is essence of any democratic society and safeguards the sacred principles of democracy for which PPP has offered its blood throughout our history. Mr. Imtiaz Alam, Secretary General SAFMA briefed the President about various activities of SAFMA for the welfare of the journalist community. Spokesperson to the President former Senator Farhatullah Babar, Ms. Farahnaz Ispahani, Ms. Fouzia Wahab and Press Secretary Mr. Taimour Azmat Osman were also present during the meeting. SAK/wh
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No.42 The Federal Minister/MNA, Chairman National Commission for Government Reforms (NCGR), Ch. Abdul Ghafoor Khan, chaired the 18th Meeting of NCGR on 02nd January, 2010 in ‘Prime Minister’s Secretariat’. The commission, decided to visit all the Provincial Capitals in near future to hold meetings with Provincial Governments to inquire about their views on vital issues of governance. Moreover, the Commission reviewed the overall progress achieved in various government reforms and initiatives. The Chairman and Members of the Commission appreciated the decisions of the present government regarding NFC Award, Gilgit Baltistan Autonomy and Balochistan package. The Commission appreciated the timely steps taken by the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Finance Minister and Provincial Chief Ministers on these long awaited issues. The Commission showed satisfaction over the successful military operation in Swat and the on-going operation in Tribal Areas. The Chairman lauded the services of Pakistan Army in this operation besides praying for the integrity, solidarity and prosperity of Pakistan. The meeting was also attended by the Members of NCGR, Mr. Khan Ahmed Goraya, Mr. Muhammad Hasan Bhutto, Mrs. Parveen Qadir Agha, Mr. Afzal Ali Shigri, Mr. Abdul Rauf Chaudhry, Cabinet Secretary and representatives from Finance and Establishment Division. AC/wh
PR
No.43 Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) launched a crackdown operation against the cable TV networks in the country which were propagating immoral and unethical activities through their respective networks. These cable TV networks were promoting gambling through various illegal satellite TV channels such as Love Music, Joo Music, Teletrack and Sur Sangeet. PEMRA enforcement team initiated crackdown operation against such miscreants on Wednesday January 6, 2010. In pursuance of this enforcement operation various Cable TV Networks indulged in heinous activities were stopped and equipment used thereof was seized in the cities of Lahore, Faisalabad and Gujrat. It is pertinent to mention here that PEMRA enforcement team had warned such cable TV operator for refraining from illegal and unethical activites, however, they paid no heed to the Authority’s concern and continued violations for several weeks. The Authority, eventually took serious notice and decided to initiate crackdown operation to stop the menace of gambling from cable TV networks. Moreover, the matter was also referred to the concerned police station for registration of a criminal case under the PEMRA laws, Prevention of Gambling Act 1977 and other relevant laws against the culprits. PEMRA’s action against illegal, immoral and unethical activities of various cable TV networks was highly appreciated by the general public. MT/wh
PR
No.44 Prime Minister Syed Yusaf Raza Gilani called on President Asif Ali Zardari at the Presidency on Wednesday night. Current situation were discussed during the meeting. FU/wh
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