ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has suggested Pakistan to digitalize its budget preparation and execution processes to improve fiscal monitoring and reporting to overcome deviations from the planned budgets.
In a technical assistance report to improve budget practice brought out this week, the international lender said Pakistan needed to take strong control over the budget in the coming years.
The report came as an IMF delegation led by Pakistan mission chief, Nathan Porter, completed a five-day trip to the country in which it discussed the performance of a $7 billion loan program approved in September. 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.
“An examination of Pakistan’s recent budgetary outcomes reveals substantial deviations from planned budgets,” the lender said in the report. “While these discrepancies are partially due to an unstable external environment and political uncertainties, the establishment of stronger fiscal institutions can help deliver a more credible budget, tighten its execution, and prevent policy slippages.”
The IMF pointed out that despite several reforms, the budget processes still involved significant manual and paper-based steps.
“Fully digitalized processes are yet to be prepared and implemented in the Financial Accounting and Budgeting System,” it said in the report. “The Finance Division has designed a data warehouse to store fiscal data and made available a set of dashboards for use by stakeholders, but this is hampered by the lack of timely data provided by some key entities. As a result, fiscal reporting is not yet comprehensive and timely.”
It added that regulatory framework and fiscal data governance practices, including data exchange, did not fully address these challenges.
The IMF also noted Pakistan’s public debt had increased considerably, and interest payments were now absorbing 60 percent of budgeted revenue.
However, it recognized that multiple external shocks and the unprecedented floods in 2022 buffeted the economy and the government’s fiscal position.
“These shocks have been compounded by policy slippages including unbudgeted subsidies, and delays in implementing revenue measures,” it continued, adding the authorities now had the difficult task of converting a primary deficit of 1.3 percent of GDP for FY23 into a primary surplus for FY24. It also emphasized continued fiscal restraint, while preserving essential social and development spending.
The international lender suggested the finance division to require line ministries to prepare their budget submissions within a binding budget ceiling and explain any request for additional resources.
“Consider a reorganization of the Finance Division to reduce fragmentation and improve effective decision-making,” the reported suggested. “Support the reorganization with a functional review of the Division’s structure and staffing.”
IMF urges Pakistan to digitalize budget preparation for better fiscal monitoring
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IMF urges Pakistan to digitalize budget preparation for better fiscal monitoring
- The international lender says budget processes still involve manual and paper-based steps despite reforms
- IMF has pointed out Pakistan’s interest payments absorb 60 percent of budgeted revenue due to public debt
Unidentified men kill religious party leader at mosque in Pakistan’s southwest
- No group has claimed responsibility for the killing in Balochistan’s Khuzdar district, but police said it appeared to be a targeted attack
- It follows killing of two Jamiat Ulema Islam members in Khuzdar and a suicide attack that killed Maulana Hamidul Haq in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
QUETTA: Unidentified men gunned down a religious party leader and injured another person at a mosque in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, a police official said on Saturday.
Mufti Shah Meer Aziz, a member of the Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI) party, was killed while offering prayers at the mosque in Malik Abad area of Balochistan’s Turbat city on Friday night, according to District Police Officer (DPO) Rashid-ur-Rehman Zehri.
The JUI leader was killed on the spot.
“Mufti Shah Meer Aziz was praying inside the mosque. One attacker barged inside the mosque and another was standing at the exit,” Zehri told Arab News.
“Mufti Shah Meer Aziz was killed on the spot and prayer leader of the mosque was injured.”
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the killing, but Zehri said it appeared to be a targeted attack.
“Police have initiated investigation and hunt for the attackers,” he added.
This was the second attack on JUI members in Balochistan within a week, according to police. Two JUI members, Wadera Ghulam Sarwar and Molvi Amanullah, were killed in a gun attack in Balochistan’s Khuzdar district on March 2.
On Friday, the JUI held a protest in the province against the killing of its members as well as the killing of Maulana Hamidul Haq, the head of Jamia Haqqania seminary, in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province late last month.
Haq, who was the son of the late Maulana Samiul Haq, was one of seven people killed in a suicide bombing at a mosque inside the seminary compound on Friday, Feb. 28.
The bombing at Jamia Haqqania seminary was one of four attacks in Pakistan on Feb. 28, two of them at mosques, which were unusual both in their number and timing, just before the holy month of Ramadan.
PM says empowering women ‘imperative’ for Pakistan’s progress, vows to protect their rights
- Shehbaz Sharif’s statement comes on International Women’s Day, which highlights issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights and violence
- Women’s rights activists are also scheduled to gather in major cities across Pakistan to demonstrate their support for women as part of the ‘Aurat March’
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said that empowering women was no longer an option, it was an “imperative” for the prosperity of Pakistan, promising to advance women’s rights through concerted government efforts.
Sharif said this on the International Women’s Day, celebrated annually as a focal point in the women’s rights movement by focusing on issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.
In Pakistan, women march in major cities on this day to highlight the issues facing them, including harassment, bonded labor, domestic violence, and lack of representation, work and education opportunities.
In his message, Sharif said they were celebrating the strength and luminosity of women who were redefining possibilities from classrooms to boardrooms, and from fields to frontlines, to shape a bright future of the nation.
“This year’s theme, ‘For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment,’ is a call to action, reminding us of our shared responsibility to create a society where women thrive and contribute meaningfully,” the prime minister said.
“Empowering women is no longer an option; it is now an imperative for the prosperity and progress of Pakistan. When we invest in women’s education, health, and economic independence, we uplift not just individuals but generations.”
In Pakistan, just 21 percent of women are in the workforce and less than 20 percent of girls in rural areas are enrolled in secondary school, according to the United Nations. Only 12 women were directly elected to parliament out of 266 seats in last year’s election.
Much of Pakistani society operates under a strict code of “honor,” with women beholden to their male relatives over choices around education, employment and who they can marry. Hundreds of women are killed by men in Pakistan every year for allegedly breaching this code.
Sharif said Pakistan’s journey toward true gender equality was far from over.
“On this day, let us reaffirm our collective resolve to intensify our efforts to further advance respect for women’s rights and build a Pakistan where every woman’s potential is realized and every daughter’s dream is within her reach,” he said.
Women’s rights activists are also scheduled to gather in major cities across Pakistan on Saturday to demonstrate their support for women as part of the ‘Aurat March.’ The march is seen by critics as supporting elitist and Western values in the Muslim country, with organizers accused of disrespecting religious and cultural sensitivities.
In previous years, Aurat March organizers have had to battle in the courts for permission to hold demonstrations, while doctored images of banners held up by women have circulated online leading to harassment and death threats.
In 2020, groups of hard-line men turned up in vans and hurled stones at women participating in the Aurat March in Islamabad.
Brazil’s first woman general offers advice to Pakistani women
- Lieutenant General Carla Lyrio Martins is first woman to rise to the rank of general officer in Brazilian Air Force
- Commandant of Superior School of Defense was in Islamabad last month to deliver lecture at National Defense University
ISLAMABAD: Lieutenant General Carla Lyrio Martins, the first woman to rise to the rank of general officer in the Brazilian Air Force, has some wisdom to share with Pakistani women with ambitions of being part of military missions.
The 59-year-old commandant of the Superior School of Defense in Brasília, the capital of Brazil, visited Pakistan last month to deliver a lecture at the National Defense University (NDU) in Islamabad, where she met Pakistani women from all walks of life.
“In the workshop [at NDU], we are talking about how Pakistan is evolving, is becoming a modern country, more opened and my impressions are the best,” Martins told Arab News in an interview.
“I see many women in this workshop with great ideas, with great, important positions in the market, and I’m impressed. And I think I see just the best for this people, of this country.”
The Brazilian officer, who has earned prestigious military honors in recognition of her outstanding contributions to national defense, said women may not be in equal numbers in armed forces around the world but their role was essential to the success of military operations.
“We are present, and we are necessary for the mission to be accomplished,” she said. “The presence of women makes the force more resilient, more modern.”
Martins began her service in March 1990 at the Aeronautics Specialized Instruction Center and was promoted to her current rank in November 2023. Reflecting on her journey, Martins said she faced many challenges, but the Brazilian military had evolved into an equal-opportunity organization.
“Women in Brazil are very welcomed as we learn to walk together, side by side, with equal opportunities. If you want it, if you have the will, if you study, if you have the mindset to accept new challenges, it is perfect,” she said, adding that she hoped to see more women in leadership roles in militaries around the world.
The Brazilian general said leadership was not defined by gender but by capability and vision.
“I think it’s a matter of posture, capability of being able to interact, to communicate the directions,’ she said. I think we [women] have all the possibilities and the women in leadership positions is increasing in number,” Martins said, adding that women in leadership positions could help define the direction of any institution including the military.
A mother of two, Martins said she wanted women to know that balancing a successful career and family life was possible. And while she emphasized dedication, hard work and education as pivotal to success, she said family life was also vital and men needed to share responsibilities at home.
“Educate yourself, be brave and do try [to follow your dreams] because we can get wherever we want to be,” the general said, offering experience-based advice to young women wanting to join the military service.
Speaking about her perception of Pakistan, Martins said the visit had challenged her view of the country, which had been shaped by its portrayal in the international media.
“The perception we have in other countries of Pakistan is not what I saw here,” Martins said. “I see a modern city, people open to dialogue with tolerance. The perception outside is of a very closed country, but it’s not what I am seeing here.”
Asked about her cultural experience, she said Islamabad was beautiful, praising the city’s hospitality and food:
“I enjoyed everything I tried.”
Pakistan Airports Authority holds e-balloting to select employees for Hajj
- Government agencies, including the armed forces, facilitate Hajj participation for their staff
- The initiative enables employee to fulfill their religious obligations without financial strain
KARACHI: The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said on Friday it conducted an electronic balloting at its Karachi headquarters to select employees for this year’s Hajj pilgrimage.
The PAA, a government body overseeing airport operations, joins other Pakistani governmental organizations, including security forces, who facilitate Hajj participation for their staff.
Such initiatives enable employees to fulfill their religious obligations without financial strain.
“The Director of Human Resources announced the names of the successful candidates selected through e-Balloting,” the PAA said in a statement.
“On this occasion, the Director General congratulated the selected employees and assured that the number of successful candidates would be increased in the future,” it added.
Hajj, an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Makkah, holds profound significance for Muslims worldwide, symbolizing unity and devotion. In countries like Pakistan, many save for years to undertake this spiritual journey.
This year, Hajj is expected to commence in late June 2025.
Pakistan’s government has introduced new measures to assist pilgrims financially, including installment payment options and a sponsorship scheme for overseas Pakistanis.
Pakistan orders undocumented foreigners, Afghan Citizen Card holders to leave by March 31
- The government says it has already granted sufficient time to these people for their dignified return
- It maintains people who continue to stay in Pakistan must abide by the country’s constitution
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government on Friday announced that all Afghan nationals residing illegally in the country, including Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders, must depart voluntarily by March 31 or face deportation starting April 1.
The ACC scheme, initiated in 2017, provided temporary legal status to undocumented Afghans in Pakistan. It differs from the Proof of Registration (PoR) system, which grants refugee status to Afghan nationals recognized by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Pakistan government.
Unlike PoR card holders, who are protected under international refugee frameworks, ACC holders were never formally recognized as refugees and were only granted temporary permission to stay.
The recent directive will primarily impact them along with other undocumented Afghan nationals, many of whom fled to Pakistan following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
“Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Program (IFRP) is being implemented since 1 November 2023,” the government’s statement, available on the Press Information Department’s website, said. “In continuation to Government’s decision to repatriate all illegal foreigners, national leadership has now decided to also repatriate ACC holders.”
“All illegal foreigners and ACC holders are advised to leave the country voluntarily before 31 March 2025,” it added. “Thereafter, deportation will commence [with effect from] 1 April 2025.”
The statement maintained Pakistan had granted sufficient time to these people to ensure their dignified return. It also added that the authorities would adopt a humane approach while carrying out the repatriation process.
“It is emphasized that no one will be maltreated during the repatriation process and arrangements for food and health care for returning foreigners have also been put in place,” the statement noted.
It pointed out that all those individuals who were staying in Pakistan would need to fulfil legal requirement and abide by the country’s constitution.
The Pakistan government launched the deportation drive against “illegal immigrants,” mostly Afghan nationals, in November 2023 after a string of suicide bombings in the country.
Officials in Islamabad cited security concerns for the decision, alleging that Afghan nationals had been involved in militant activities, including attacks on Pakistani civilians and security forces, a claim denied by Taliban authorities in Kabul.
Last year, the government also announced that Afghan citizens residing in Islamabad would require No Objection Certificates (NOCs) after alleging that many of them had participated in an anti-government protest led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which later turned violent.
The government’s directive will affect numerous Afghans in Pakistan awaiting resettlement to third countries, including the United States.
Many of them had assisted international forces and now fear retribution from the Taliban. However, recent policy changes under President Donald Trump’s administration have all but suspended US refugee admissions, leaving thousands in limbo.
Last month, the UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which operates under the UN system, voiced concern over Pakistan’s directive requiring Afghan nationals to relocate from Islamabad and Rawalpindi or face deportation, urging the government to consider human rights standards in implementing the policy.
