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Pakistan government's chosen candidates win crucial electoral contests in Senate

Presiding Officer, Senator Syed Muzafar Hussain Shah administering oath to the newly elected Chairman Senate, Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani at Parliament House Islamabad on March 12, 2021. (Courtesy: Chairman Senate Office)
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Updated 13 March 2021
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Pakistan government's chosen candidates win crucial electoral contests in Senate

  • PTI-backed Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani won 48 votes and defeated the opposition candidate who could only secure 42 votes
  • Political experts say the ruling party now has a major advantage since it has won the top slots in the Senate
Updated 13 March 2021
Aamir Saeed

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's ruling party candidate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani on Friday won the coveted position of Senate chairman, striking a major political blow to the joint opposition that was hoping to clinch victory on the basis of its majority in the upper house of parliament. 

In a close contest, Sanjrani bagged 48 votes while the joint opposition candidate Yousuf Raza Gilani could only secure 42 in the 100-member house.

A total of 98 members participated in the election process in which the opposition alliance ostensibly enjoyed the support of 51 members while the ruling coalition had the backing of 47 members.

Presiding Officer Syed Muzzaffar Hussain Shah announced Sanjrani's victory after seven votes cast in favor of Gilani were rejected for not being properly stamped. The opposition challenged the decision, but its argument was rejected. 

Sanjrani, a little-known politician and Senator from a remote part of the southwestern Balochistan province, has won the position for the second time after he was elected to it in 2018 as an independent candidate. 

"I am thankful to all those who have voted for me," he said after taking oath on Friday. "I'll try to run the house as I did in my previous term by taking everyone along."

The government-backed candidate for deputy chairman Mirza Muhammad Khan Afridi also won 54 votes and defeated the opposition nominee Abdul Ghafoor Haideri after Sanjrani took over the house and presided over the second electoral contest.

Earlier in the day, voting to elect the chairman Senate ended at 5pm after the day was marred by opposition leaders' allegations they had found "hidden" cameras in a polling booth ahead of the polling process.

In response, the presiding officer announced to constitute a Senate committee with equal representation from both the opposition and treasury benches to probe the issue.

The Senate election last week had already been tainted by accusations of corrupt practices and a controversy over the method of voting.

The upper house of parliament gives equal representation to all the federating units in order to promote national cohesion and harmony by counterbalancing the numerical disparity among provinces in the National Assembly.

Each Senator is elected for a term of six years while election is held after every three years with the retirement of half of the members.

According to political experts, Sanjrani's victory will make it easy for the government to get legislations passed from the upper house as well where it technically lacks enough numerical strength.

"The stakes were really high both for the government and the opposition in this election as Senate plays a crucial role in legislation," Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, president at the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency, told Arab News.

However, he said that Sanjrani's victory was not convincing due to the rejection of votes and the opposition could challenge it in an election tribunal.

"The government was likely to have a tough time in the Senate, but now it will have smooth sailing from here on," he added.

Topics: Pakistan Sadiq Sanjrani

Pakistani PM says 7 million at risk from flooding in glacial lakes 

Updated 22 sec ago
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Pakistani PM says 7 million at risk from flooding in glacial lakes 

  • Pakistan boasts over 7,000 glaciers, one of the highest totals for any country in the world 
  • 2022 floods killed 1,700 people and affected more than 33 million, with economic losses over $30 billion
Updated 22 sec ago
Falak Mahmood Khan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday over 3,000 lakes had been formed in Pakistan due to accelerated glacial melt, posing an increased risk of flooding and putting the lives of over seven million people at risk. 

Sharif was addressing a ceremony in connection with steps taken for the protection of glaciers in Baku where leaders of nearly 200 nations have gathered for COP29 climate talks this week. 

“Accelerated glacial melt has led to the formation of more than 3,000 glacial lakes in the northern part of Pakistan, beautiful though but at the same time posing great threat,” Sharif said in a speech. 

“It is estimated that out of these, 33 are at high risk of outburst flooding, putting at risk the lives of over 7 million people. This is a very grave situation and demands urgent action and now.”

The UN defines Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) as sudden events that can occur when glaciers melt and release millions of cubic meters of water and debris. In Pakistan, GLOFs can be a threat to the lives and livelihoods of people living in remote mountain areas, especially in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and northern Gilgit-Baltistan region.

Outside the polar region, Pakistan is the country with the highest number of glaciers in the world at over 7,000. However, a combination of climate change and air pollution, including from neighboring countries like India and China, has significantly contributed to the rapid melting of these glaciers, causing devastating floods that have affected Pakistan’s people, livelihoods and the economy.

In 2022, the country experienced an unprecedented deluge and unexpected monsoon rainfall. It resulted in one-third of the nation being submerged and claiming the lives of 1,700 people.

Pakistan estimates the floods affected more than 33 million people, mainly in the Sindh and Baluchistan provinces, and caused economic losses that exceeded $30 billion.

Topics: COP 29 Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif glacial lakes  Glacial Lake Outburst Floods golf Arab News Pakistan

IMF delegation in Pakistan, discusses ‘key benchmarks’ of $7 billion loan program — official 

Updated 8 min 58 sec ago
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IMF delegation in Pakistan, discusses ‘key benchmarks’ of $7 billion loan program — official 

  • IMF has said Porter’s visit is not part of the first review of loan program
  • First review not scheduled to take place before the first quarter of 2025
Updated 8 min 58 sec ago
AAMIR SAEED 

ISLAMABAD: An International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation is in Islamabad this week and will hold discussions with top Pakistani officials on the “key benchmarks” of a $7 billion loan program approved in September, a finance ministry official said on Tuesday.

The IMF delegation led by Pakistan mission chief Nathan Porter arrived in Islamabad on Monday on an unplanned visit. The team is expected to hold meetings until Friday with top officials from ministries such as finance and energy and the Federal Board of Revenue, the main tax collection agency, to collect data on “loan program performance to date,” a finance ministry official told Arab News, seeking anonymity. 

The IMF has said Porter’s visit is not part of the first review of the loan program, which is not scheduled to take place before the first quarter of 2025. 

“Some key benchmarks of the loan program will come under discussion during the meetings, as Islamabad faces some revenue shortfall and a recent botched attempt to privatize the Pakistan International Airlines,” the finance ministry official said. 

“Matters like external financing gap and reforms in the energy sector are also expected to be discussed with the IMF delegation.”

The IMF reached a staff-level agreement with Pakistan in July for a 37-month $7 billion bailout package, which the Fund’s Executive Board approved in September. This was the 25th loan program that Pakistan has obtained since 1958.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the ministry of finance said a delegation led by Porter had an “initial meeting” with finance minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.

Minister of State for Finance Ali Pervez Malik, Governor State Bank Jameel Ahmed, Federal Board of Revenue Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial and senior finance ministry officials were also present in the meeting, the ministry said.

Islamabad secured the bailout loan, critical to keeping its $350 billion fragile economy afloat, after taking painful measures such as hiking fuel and food prices and implementing reforms to broaden the country’s tax base and privatize state-owned entities.

“INTERIM CHECKS”

Pakistan’s macroeconomic conditions and investor sentiment have improved in recent months, which analysts say has led to a bullish trend in the country’s stock market.

Syed Atif Zafar, the chief economist at Topline Securities, said the IMF delegation’s meetings with Pakistani officials were part of “interim checks” to ensure a successful review of the loan facility next year. 

“The government failed to achieve the tax revenue target in the first quarter that has perhaps necessitated this IMF visit, but still the authorities have multiple options and time to overcome this gap,” he told Arab News. 

“The good thing at this point is that all structural and quantitative benchmarks of the loan program are on track.”

Tahir Abbas, a senior economist and head of research at Arif Habib Limited, said Pakistan last month requested the IMF for a $1 billion climate financing facility to mitigate climate risk, which would be discussed during the ongoing IMF visit.

“Pakistan’s revenue shortfall of around Rs200 billion ($720 million) in the first quarter has mainly necessitated this IMF visit,” he told Arab News. 

“The finance ministry will now inform the IMF delegation about the possible revenue measures to overcome the shortfall and cut the expenditures.”

Topics: Pakistan IMF Talks IMF

After primary schools, Pakistan’s Punjab closes high schools as smog crisis deepens

Updated 12 November 2024
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After primary schools, Pakistan’s Punjab closes high schools as smog crisis deepens

  • Record air pollution has triggered hundreds of hospitalizations, school closures, lockdowns in Punjab this month 
  • On Tuesday, provincial capital Lahore, home to 13 million people, had worst air quality globally, according to IQAir
Updated 12 November 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The government of Punjab has closed all educational institutions in the province up to the higher secondary level from tomorrow, Wednesday, until the end of the week because of record-breaking smog that has already prompted the closure of primary schools and government offices and has sickened tens of thousands of people.

Record-high air pollution levels have triggered hundreds of hospitalizations, junior school closures and stay-at-home orders in several districts of Punjab, including the provincial capital of Lahore, which has been enveloped in a thick, toxic smog since last month.

On Tuesday, Lahore, home to 13 million people, had the worst air quality of any city in the world, according to live readings by IQAir, a Swiss air quality monitoring company.

“All the educational institutions […] up to higher secondary level shall remain closed and will shift to online mode with effect from Nov 13 within […] DG Khan, Bahawalpur, Sahiwal, Sargodha and Rawalpindi divisions […] till Nov 17,” the province’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said in a notification issued on Tuesday, ordering schools to shift to “online mode.” 

In Pakistan, the higher secondary level refers to upper secondary education, which includes grades 11 and 12. It is also known as intermediate education.

Speaking to reporters, Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat said the decision to close higher secondary institutes was taken “in light of the complaints received from the district.”

“This drastic decision had to be taken to protect children from the deadly effects,” he said. “There is a sense of educational loss, but the decision to close educational institutions is being taken out of compulsion.

Primary schools and government offices had already been closed until Nov. 17 in many districts of Punjab earlier this month, with school closures likely to affect the education of more than 20 million students, according to associations representing private and government schools.

Authorities in 18 districts of Punjab also closed all public parks, zoos and museums, historical places, and playgrounds for ten days last week. 

On Friday, a court in Lahore ordered the government to shut all markets after 8pm. Authorities have already banned barbecuing food without filters and ordered wedding halls to close by 10pm.

On Monday, the UN children’s agency said the health of 11 million children in Punjab province was in danger because of air pollution

“Prior to these record-breaking levels of air pollution, about 12 percent of deaths in children under 5 in Pakistan were due to air pollution,” UNICEF’s representative in Pakistan, Abdullah Fadil, said. 

“The impact of this year’s extraordinary smog will take time to assess, but we know that doubling and tripling the amount of pollution in the air will have devastating effects, particularly on children and pregnant women.”

Topics: Pakistan Punjab Lahore

Bus carrying wedding guests falls into river in northern Pakistan, killing 18

Updated 12 November 2024
AP
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Bus carrying wedding guests falls into river in northern Pakistan, killing 18

  • Accident took place on Gilgit Baltistan region as bus was heading to Chakwal in Punjab 
  • So far only one woman had been found alive and was being treated at hospital, officials say 
Updated 12 November 2024
AP

MANSEHRA, Pakistan: A bus carrying about two dozen wedding guests fell into the Indus River in northern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least 18 people, officials said.
It happened in the Gilgit Baltistan region as the bus was heading to Chakwal, a city in Punjab province, government spokesman Faizullah Farqan said.
He said a search for bodies continued, and so far only one woman had been found alive and was being treated at a hospital.
Police said it was unclear what caused the crash, and officers were yet to record the lone survivor’s statement.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari offered condolences and asked rescuers to expedite efforts to find missing passengers.
Road accidents are common in Pakistan due to poor infrastructure and disregard for traffic laws and safety standards. In August, 36 people were killed and dozens of others were injured in two separate bus crashes.

Topics: Pakistan bus crash

Pakistan says developing nations need $6.8 trillion by 2030 to meet climate pledges

Updated 12 November 2024
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Pakistan says developing nations need $6.8 trillion by 2030 to meet climate pledges

  • PM Sharif calls on donor countries to give 0.7 percent of gross national income as development assistance, use existing climate funds
  • Premier says debt cannot become “acceptable new normal” in climate financing, calls for focus on non-debt financing solutions
Updated 12 November 2024
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday developing countries would need an estimated $6.8 trillion by 2030 to implement less than half of their current nationally determined contributions (NDCs), or national action plans for reducing emissions and adapting to climate impacts defined by the Paris Agreement.

Nearly 200 nations have gathered in Baku, Azerbaijan, for COP29 climate talks this week to thrash out the details of a deal known as the New Collective Quantified Goal, designed to deliver billions of dollars of climate finance to the regions that need it the most. But the United States, Europe and others say they will only commit to the fund if the list of countries contributing to it is widened to include the likes of China, South Korea and Singapore, and the resulting deadlock could block progress during the talks.

Meanwhile, COP29 follows a year of weather disasters that have emboldened developing countries in their demands for climate cash. 

Pakistan is ranked the 5th most vulnerable country to climate change, according to the Global Climate Risk Index. In 2022, devastating floods killed over 1,700 people and affected over 33 million, with economic losses exceeding $30 billion. International donors pledged over $9 billion last January to aid Pakistan’s flood recovery but officials say little of the promised funds have been received so far.

“Developing countries will need an estimated $6.8 trillion by 2030 to implement less than half their current NDCs,” Sharif said in an address on the sidelines of the World Leaders’ Climate Action Summit.

“Donor countries should fulfill their commitment to provide 0.7 percent of their gross national income [as development assistance] and capitalize existing climate funds.”

One such commitment, the $100 billion Annual Climate Finance pledge established over a decade ago at COP15, is now reported by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development to have reached only $160 billion, Sharif said. 

“Despite this number remaining a tiny proportion of the defined need, a significant part of this financing is dispersed in the form of loans, further enhancing the debt burden on developing nations and potentially pushing them toward mounting debt traps, I call them death traps,” Sharif added.

“Pakistan alongside many other developing countries calls for stronger, more equitable climate finance mechanisms. Debt cannot become the acceptable new normal in climate financing which is why we must resume focus on non-debt financing solutions, enabling countries to fund climate initiatives.”

Sharif also called on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to set up a committee to review NDCs “periodically.”

“We need to double adaptation financing from present level and loss and damage funds must be enhanced and directed toward resilient infrastructure and other pressing needs,” Sharif added.

Governments last year pledged $800 million toward a new ‘loss and damage’ fund to help poorer nations being hit by climate-fueled disasters. The fund, which has a director and a host nation, will now be deciding how the funds should be dispersed and calling for more contributions at COP29.

On Tuesday, the world’s top multilateral banks, including the World Bank, European Investment Bank and Asian Development Bank, pledged to ramp up climate finance to low and middle income countries to $120 billion a year by 2030 as part of efforts at COP29 to agree to an ambitious annual target.

Reaffirming a goal of capping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average by 2050, the new figure is a more than 60 percent increase on what the group of 10 multilateral development banks (MDBs) had funneled to poorer nations last year, according to a statement released during the UN climate summit.

The new figure includes $42 billion to help adapt to the impacts of extreme weather, a 70 percent increase over the 2023 number.

Topics: Pakistan COP29 Shehbaz Sharif

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