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Despite top court's orders, Pakistan parliament rejects motion seeking election funds

Pakistani security and media officials gather in front of the Parliament House building in Islamabad on January 6, 2015. (AFP/File)
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Updated 18 April 2023
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Despite top court's orders, Pakistan parliament rejects motion seeking election funds

  • Pakistan's top court ordered the central bank to issue Rs21 billion to the election commission for polls in Punjab, KP
  • Legal experts say top court may summon PM Sharif or finance minister and issue contempt proceedings against them 
Updated 18 April 2023
Aamir Saeed

ISLAMABAD: In a move likely to increase tensions between Pakistan's government and the judiciary, the lower house of the parliament on Monday rejected a motion calling for the allocation of Rs21 billion ($73 million) in funds to the country's election regulator so it can hold polling in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provinces. 

The development takes place after Pakistan's Supreme Court last week directed the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to allocate and release funds to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) by today, April 17, for elections in Punjab and KP. The court had directed the central bank and the ECP to submit a compliance report on Tuesday. 

Earlier this month, the top court had ordered polling for Punjab's provincial assembly to be held on May 14. The verdict pitted the government against the top court, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's coalition government wants elections in Pakistan's provincial and national assemblies to be held on the same day. 

The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders have mounted verbal attacks against the judiciary in recent weeks, with the party even calling on the chief justice to resign, and accusing two other senior judges of the Supreme Court of being biased against it. 

The government earlier moved a money bill in the National Assembly seeking to discuss the allocation and release of the funds for polls after the Supreme Court's verdict.

“The state bank has no authority to allocate funds for any expenditure,” Minister of State for Finance and Revenue Dr Aisha Ghaus Pasha told reporters. “Only parliament can approve the budget.” 

The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Finance held a meeting earlier on Monday during which it rejected the Supreme Court’s demand for the allocation of the funds and referred the matter to the parliament. 

The SBP's Acting Governor Sima Kamil informed committee members that the central bank had "allocated but not released" the funds, following which the government took up the issue in the federal cabinet meeting, where it was unanimously decided to refer it to the National Assembly for discussion and debate. 

Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar moved a motion in the lower house of parliament for a debate on the matter, where it was rejected. 

The controversy surrounding elections in Pakistan's two provinces was triggered when former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party dissolved the Punjab and KP assemblies in January.

The move was part of Khan's efforts to pressurize PM Shehbaz Sharif's government into announcing early elections, as Pakistan has held voting on all assemblies on the same day, historically. 

However, the coalition government has rejected the demand, insisting that national polls should be held simultaneously in October after the expiry of the assemblies' five-year term. 

The country’s constitution says elections should be held within 90 days from the dissolution of the assembly before the expiry of its term. Since last month, the matter has been pending in the Supreme Court.

Earlier, the ECP had unilaterally deferred voting in Punjab and KP till October, citing lack of security and funds as the reasons. However, the apex court has been pushing the government to release the required funds and extend all other necessary cooperation to the election regulator.

“In such economic circumstances if elections are held again and again for the sake of one man’s ego, it is not in the country’s interest,” the law minister said during the National Assembly session, referring to Khan. 

Speaking about the court's directive to the central bank over the release of funds for elections, Tarar said "only parliament" has the authority to approve or disapprove additional expenses. 

As per the court’s directive, the ECP would submit a report in the court tomorrow, Tuesday, over the non-provision of the funds, which is likely to trigger another legal battle between the judiciary and the government. 

Legal experts say the court may summon the prime minister or the finance minister in the case and initiate contempt proceedings against them for defying its orders. 

Topics: Pakistan politics elections Polls Punjab Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Parliament supreme court

One killed in northwestern Pakistan blast targeting religio-political party leader

Updated 5 sec ago
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One killed in northwestern Pakistan blast targeting religio-political party leader

  • Attack on Maulana Shehzad Wazir of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam has left him critically injured
  • The JUI leader was on his way to a mosque in Azam Warsak when the explosion took place
Updated 5 sec ago
REHMAT MEHSUD

PESHAWAR: One person was killed and six others injured in a blast triggered by an improvised explosive device (IED) targeting a senior leader of a prominent religio-political party in South Waziristan district on Sunday, leaving him in critical condition, police said.
The attack on Maulana Shehzad Wazir comes amid complaints from his Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) party about being targeted by militants operating in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.
JUI chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman also voiced concerns over militant threats disrupting the party’s election campaign in the region ahead of the February 8 national polls, citing warnings from law enforcement about dangers to its candidates.
“The IED was planted in a street leading to Maulana Shehzad Wazir’s mosque, who is politically affiliated with the JUI-F,” Bilal Wazir, a police officer in Wana, the headquarters of South Waziristan tribal district, told Arab News over the phone. “Mufti Ijaz Wazir died on the spot while six others, including Maulana Shehzad Wazir, who was apparently the target of the attack, were left in critical condition.”
The officer said a police contingent was dispatched to the area soon after the explosion to gather evidence and shift the wounded to the hospital.
Asked about the intensity of the blast, he said it shook the entire neighborhood of Azam Warsak, a settlement on the outskirts of Wana.
Speaking to Arab News, Mufti Ijaz Shinwari, the JUI senior vice president in the tribal area, condemned the incident, saying the victims of the attack were religious leaders and key figures of his political party on the provincial level.
“This is inhumane,” he added. “This is clearly a terrorist attack and a cowardly act.”
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, though Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a banned militant group, has a history of targeting civilians, security forces and politicians in the region, aiming to perpetuate instability in KP.
In recent months, the TTP has claimed responsibility for several attacks and is suspected by officials in others.
Earlier this week, however, Daesh, a separate militant outfit, shot dead Hameed Sufi, a senior leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, in the adjacent Bajaur tribal district.
In June, four people, including Maulana Mirza Jan, the president of JUI’s Wana chapter, were shot by unidentified attackers.
Pakistan claims Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers are providing shelter to TTP fighters across the porous border separating the two countries. However, the Afghan Taliban insists they do not allow anyone to use their soil to launch violent attacks in the neighborhood.
 

Topics: militancy in Pakistan IED blast pakistan bombing South Waziristan

Smog drops from hazardous to unhealthy in Pakistan’s Lahore

Updated 17 November 2024
AFP
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Smog drops from hazardous to unhealthy in Pakistan’s Lahore

  • The city’s AQI index reached a daily average of 243, still considered ‘very unhealthy’
  • Current pollution level is 10 times higher than what is deemed acceptable by WHO
Updated 17 November 2024
AFP

ISLAMABAD: The air quality in Pakistan’s smog-choked city of Lahore on Sunday fell below the threshold considered “hazardous” for humans for the first time in two weeks.
The AQI index reached a daily average of 243, still “very unhealthy” but below the highest level of 300 considered “hazardous.”
The level of PM2.5 particles was also more than 10 times higher than the level deemed acceptable by the World Health Organization.
The city of 14 million people close to the border with India peaked at a record AQI of 1,110 on November 14.
Punjab, home to more than half of Pakistan’s 240 million people, closed schools in its major cities on November 6, and on Friday extended the closure to November 24.
It has also banned all outdoor sports in schools until January, and cracked down on polluting tuk-tuks, barbecues and construction sites in pollution hot spots across Lahore.
Seasonal crop burn-off by farmers on the outskirts of the city also contributes to toxic air the WHO says can cause strokes, heart disease, lung cancer and respiratory diseases.

Topics: smog Pakistan Smog Lahore Smog

Pakistan’s finance chief says PM Sharif will soon unveil ‘home-grown’ economic agenda

Updated 17 November 2024
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Pakistan’s finance chief says PM Sharif will soon unveil ‘home-grown’ economic agenda

  • Muhammad Aurangzeb calls the recent IMF visit part of ongoing talks, enhancing mutual trust
  • The visit came weeks after the $7 billion loan approval, making observers think it was unusual
Updated 17 November 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will soon unveil a “home-grown agenda” for economic development, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Sunday, as he informed that his interaction with a visiting International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation last week went well, providing both sides an opportunity to enhance mutual trust.
The IMF delegation, led by Pakistan mission chief Nathan Porter, completed a five-day trip to the country during which it held wide-ranging conversations with the government.
The international lending organization approved a $7 billion loan for Pakistan in September, though it explicitly stated that the delegation’s visit was not part of the first review of the loan program, which is scheduled for the first quarter of 2025.
The IMF visit, which came just weeks after the loan’s approval, surprised observers who considered it unusual, though the finance minister described it as part of an ongoing dialogue between the two sides, noting that it resulted in a positive IMF statement.
Aurangzeb also said the government would specify its overall economic game plan in the next few days.
“The prime minister will soon share a home-grown agenda about how we are going to take forward our overall economic roadmap,” he said, without disclosing its details. “It has been very well syndicated with all the stakeholders.”
The minister emphasized that dealings between Pakistan and the IMF were completely transparent, with all agreed details available in the public domain. He noted the recent discussions with the IMF covered taxation and energy reforms, along with the privatization plan for state-owned enterprises and public finances.
“I welcomed this visit because this is an ongoing dialogue to ensure mutual credibility and trust,” he added. “We have shared our roadmap with them and explained how we are taking things forward.”
The finance minister said the two sides would continue to hold virtual talks, though he noted that he appreciated every opportunity to meet IMF officials face-to-face.
He also mentioned that discussions with the international lender included climate resilience and decarbonization, emphasizing that these issues had to be addressed alongside broader economic challenges rather than sequentially.
Pakistan has faced a prolonged economic crisis marked by rapid currency devaluation and dwindling foreign exchange reserves, which forced it to seek external financial assistance from friendly nations and global financial institutions.
The country has seen an improvement in its macroeconomic indicators in recent months, though it has yet to fully recover from its financial difficulties.
Reflecting on his visit to Washington for the World Bank and IMF meetings earlier this year, Aurangzeb described the discussions as productive.
“They gave us a platform to share with the comity of nations about how we turned the economy around in 14 months,” he said. “We also got an important message, which is that there is no room for complacency and we must stay the course [of stringent economic reforms].”
 

Topics: IMF in Pakistan Pakistan economy Shehbaz Sharif Muhammad Aurangzeb Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb

Pakistan’s IT minister calls for bridging gender digital divide in address to Qatar conference

Updated 17 November 2024
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Pakistan’s IT minister calls for bridging gender digital divide in address to Qatar conference

  • Shaza Fatima says access to technology and Internet is important to ensure women empowerment
  • She says women will overcome social hurdles, join mainstream politics after greater digital access
Updated 17 November 2024
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s State Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima on Sunday called for closing the gender divide in the digital world, emphasizing that women could be empowered by providing access to modern technology and Internet connectivity.
She made the remarks while virtually addressing a conference in Qatar focused on “Digitalization and Women in Politics.”
“In the modern era, it is essential for women to have access to technology and the Internet,” Fatima said during the event, according to an official statement. “Women can be empowered through the provision of digital devices and Internet access.”
The minister said the Pakistani government was taking active steps to eliminate the barriers women face in accessing mobile phones and information and communication technology.
“We are working on a Gender Digital Divide Policy to ensure women’s access to the digital economy,” she informed. “The Prime Minister’s Free Laptop Scheme plays a significant role in providing access to digital tools.”
The minister also highlighted ongoing efforts to develop a “smartphone for all” policy, underscoring how such initiatives could help women overcome social and economic challenges in entering politics.
“Women face social and economic hurdles in entering politics,” she noted. “Through digitalization, women can be empowered and brought into mainstream politics.”
The event underscored growing interactions between Pakistan and Qatar in the technology sector.
Islamabad has stepped up efforts to forge technological collaborations with Doha, sending its first IT delegation to Qatar last December to attract investment and explore opportunities for Pakistani software houses and freelance developers.
Qatar, like much of the Gulf region, is diversifying its economy with a strong focus on technology. From smart city initiatives to tech start-ups and events like the FIFA World Cup 2022, the country is rapidly advancing its technological capabilities.
Pakistan’s top officials have underscored the potential for bilateral collaboration in tech-related areas, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif inviting Qatari investors to explore opportunities in various economic sectors during his visit to the Arab state last month.
 

Topics: shaza fatima Minister for Information Technology

Karachi gears up for premier defense expo next week amid heightened security measures

Updated 17 November 2024
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Karachi gears up for premier defense expo next week amid heightened security measures

  • Launched in 2000, IDEAS has become a key biennial event for the international defense industry
  • The event will host over 550 exhibitors, including 340 global defense companies, from 55 countries
Updated 17 November 2024
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: A senior government official in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province said on Sunday extraordinary security measures have been implemented for the country’s premier defense exhibition, which is scheduled to commence in Karachi next week.
The International Defense Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS), held biennially since its inception under General (r) Pervez Musharraf’s administration in 2000, has grown into a key event for the defense sector.
This year’s exhibition, running from Tuesday to Friday, will host over 550 exhibitors, including 340 international defense companies, alongside more than 350 senior civil and military officials from 55 countries.
Sindh’s Home Minister, Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar, told Arab News that police, Rangers and other law enforcement agencies are working in coordination to enforce heightened security measures in connection with the event.
“The police, Rangers, and other law enforcement agencies are united and alert on one platform to implement extraordinary security measures,” he said.
Karachi has faced significant security challenges, including a suicide bombing near Jinnah International Airport last month that killed two Chinese engineers and injured several others. The city also grapples with high street crime rates, with over 90,000 incidents reported in 2023, causing considerable hardship for residents.
Additionally, Karachi’s traffic conditions are notoriously poor, especially during rush hours, and are exacerbated by rain or high-profile events, leading to severe congestion and delays.
The provincial minister added that Karachi’s traffic police would ensure smooth movement for both domestic and international visitors by publicizing alternative routes and addressing traffic-related concerns.
To bolster security, local authorities have already fortified the Expo Center, the venue for the exhibition, with multiple layers of containers.
A day earlier, Brig. Ali Adil, Director of Coordination for IDEAS 2024, outlined the event’s diverse activities during a news conference, which include live demonstrations of cutting-edge defense technology, an international seminar and the IDEAS Tri-Services Karachi Show.
The event will also offer opportunities for networking through business-to-business and business-to-government engagements.
“IDEAS 2024 will bring together representatives of defense industries from around the world to showcase their latest technological innovations, while Pakistan’s defense sector, including both public and private companies, will present products of international standards,” Brig. Adil said.
This year’s event will feature a new “Startups Pavilion” designed to offer international exposure to young Pakistani entrepreneurs, who will display innovative projects and technologies, he said.
Commodore Aitazaz Khalid, Director of Media for IDEAS, confirmed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will inaugurate the exhibition on Tuesday.
An international seminar on “Pakistan Defense Production Potential – Challenges, Opportunities, and Way Forward” will be held on the third day of the event, with presentations from leading national and international experts.
General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, will be the chief guest for the seminar.
For the visiting dignitaries and Karachi residents, the Tri-Services Karachi Show will be held at Nishan-e-Pakistan, located on the city’s seafront.
Deputy Inspector General of Traffic Police Iqbal Dara also briefed the media on the traffic management plan and alternative routes to ensure smooth access for attendees and ease congestion during peak hours.
He said IDEAS 2024 would set new records, surpassing previous milestones in terms of the exhibition space, number of exhibitors and international participants.
 

Topics: International Defense Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) International Defense Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) 2024 IDEAS Pakistan 2024

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