Pakistan Bar Council has held a meeting and strongly condemned the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to delay elections beyond the constitutional limit of 90 days, citing delimitation.
According to sources, the members discussed the situation regarding the delay in elections and decided to launch a “lawyers’ movement in case elections are not held within 90 days.”
Pakistan Bar Council apex regularity body of lawyers has strongly condemned ECP’s decision to delay elections beyond constitutional limit of 90 days due to delimitation. pic.twitter.com/OmCBSr5V6X
They reiterated that Article 224 of the constitution of Pakistan binds ECP to conduct the general election within 90 days after the dissolution of assemblies.
The Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Executive Committee said, “It is the duty of the commission to conduct free, fair and transparent elections within stipulated period as mandated by the constitution.”
Earlier this week, The Supreme Court Bar Association challenged the decision to hold the upcoming general elections based on the fresh census, seeking suspension of the decision.
It further demanded that the Supreme Court order the ECP to hold general elections immediately in the country. The SCBA says elections on the new census is an attempt to unconstitutionally delay the exercise. In the petition, the federation, the Council of Common Interests, the four provinces and the Election Commission of Pakistan have been made parties. The formation of the Council of Common Interests was not constitutional, the petition maintains.
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar’s 24-member cabinet comprising of politicians, TV artists and anchors, retired bureaucrats, and servicemen has been sworn in by the President of Pakistan, Dr. Arif Alvi, on Thursday.
Of the 24 members cabinet, 16 are federal ministers, three are advisers to the prime minister, and five are Special Assistants to the Prime Minister (SAPMs). Most of them are new faces, not seen before in a government set-up.
Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, the 14th former governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, who has also served in Asian Development Bank (ADB) as its Director General of the Southeast Asia Department, has been given the portfolios of Finance, Revenue, Economic Affairs and Privatization.
The portfolios of Defense and Defence Production have been given to Anwar Ali Hyder, a retired lieutenant general, who formerly served as chairman Naya Pakistan Housing and Development Authority and has an association with Army Welfare Trust.
Jalil Abbas Jilani, a former foreign secretary, who has served as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Belgium, Luxemburg and the E.U, and Australia, has been appointed the foreign minister.
Former Balochistan minister for Home, Tribal Affairs, Prisons and PDMA, Mir Sarfaraz Bugti, has been given three portfolios — federal minister for Interior, Overseas Pakistanis and Narcotics Control.
The information ministry has gone to senior journalist Murtaza Solangi, who has served as director general of the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation and has been in journalism for over 30 years.
The ministries of Law and Justice, Climate Change and Water Resources were given to Ahmed Irfan Aslam, a senior lawyer who has served as a member of the Supreme Court’s International Arbitration Cell . His significant contribution is facilitating Pakistan’s successful resolution of the Karkey and Reko Diq cases through out-of-court settlements.
The ministries of Power and Petroleum have been given to Muhammad Ali, a former SECP chairman, who has also served as a Director on the Boards of reputable companies like Engro Corporation Limited, Karachi Stock Exchange (Guarantee) Limited, Dawood Bank Limited, etc.
The portfolios of Commerce, and Industries and Production have been given to industrialist Dr. Gohar Ejaz, chairman of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association, a recipient of Sitara e Imtiaz, who has also been awarded an Honorary Doctorate in management from the Uniersity of Punjab, Lahore.
Dr Umar Saif, a former Chairman of the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB), has been given two portfolios of Information Technology and Telecom, and Science and Technology. Dr. Saif served on the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Pakistan between 2013-14. He has served on the Boards of several government and semi-government organizations, including Aitchison College, Bank of the Punjab, Technical Education & Vocational Training Company (TEVTA), Engineering Consultancy Services of the Punjab, Urban Sector Planning and Management Services Unit, Lahore Parking Company, Punjab Municipal Development Fund Company and Punjab Educational Endowment Fund.
The portfolio of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives has been given to Muhammad Sami Saeed, a former federal secretary and former director of Asian Development Bank representing Kazakhstan, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Pakistan, Philippines and Timor-Leste. He joined the Civil Service of Pakistan in 1980 and has extensive experience in public finance and development.
Prominent TV artist and former Director General, Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA), Jamal Shah has been picked up as federal minister for National Heritage and Culture. Jamal is also the founder of Artists Association in Pakistan and Hunerkada College of Visual and Performing Arts.
Madad Ali Sindhi — a famous Pakistani writer, columnist and journalist, who has written numerous Sindhi books — has been given the portfolio of federal Education and Professional Training.
The portfolio of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination has been given to prominent health expert Dr. Nadeem Jan, a professional for 24 years who has worked with UN, USAID, World Bank, EU, DFID, INGOs and national Governments.
Khalil George of the Balochistan Awami Party, former Parliamentary Secretary for Minority Affairs, has been awarded the Human Rights ministry.
Religious scholar, TV anchor, host on Dunya Tv, popular for his religious show Peyam-E-Subh, Aneeq Ahmed, graduated from Karachi University in International Relations and started his career from PTV in 1999, joined GEO in 2002 and then moved to ARY in 2005. He has been with DUNYA TV since June, 2011. Aneeq Ahmed has been appointed as the minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony.
Shahid Ashraf Tarar, a retired captain, has been given three portfolios — Communications, Maritime Affairs, and Railways. Shahid Ashraf is also the Chairman of Federal Public Service Commission. He formerly served as Executive Director World Bank Group where he led HR Committee as Chairman for two years. He also worked as Federal Secretary Communication, Chairman NHA, Secretary Excise & Taxation, Director General NAVTEC, Deputy Commissioner, Director to the President and Head of Economic Sector Los Angeles, USA.
Advisers
Retired air marshal, Farhat Hussain, a recipient of Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Military), Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military) , and Sitara-i-Basalat, has been made an adviser to the premier on aviation with the status of a federal minister. He is the Chairman of Scaled Aviation Pvt Ltd and President of Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies.
Ahad Khan Cheema, a confidant of former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, has been appointed as an adviser on establishment, also with the status of a federal minister. Cheema joined the District Management Group (now called Pakistan Administrative Service) in 2001 and had served under former chief ministers Punjab Chaudhry Pervaiz Ellahi and Shehbaz Sharif on various welfare and development projects. He was the first high-profile arrest in Punjab by the NAB before the 2018 general elections. A BPS-19 PAS officer, he became the head of the Lahore Development Authority, in 2013, during the last PML-N government and was conferred the award of Tamgha-e-Imtiaz in recognition of his services for carrying out the Lahore Metro Bus Service Project.
Former federal secretary for Finance Division, an eminent economist with wide-ranging experience of both public and private sectors, Dr Waqar Masood will perform as a special adviser on finance, with the status of a state minister. He has held several prestigious positions in the Federal Government including Special Secretary to the Prime Minister, Secretary Finance Division, Secretary Economic Affairs Division, Secretary Petroleum & Natural Resources and Secretary Textile Industry.
Special Assistants
The caretaker PM also appointed five special assistants, with the portfolio of adviser on human rights and women empowerment going to Mishal Hussain Malik, wife of the Kashmiri freedom movement leader Yasin Malik. She is the chairperson of Peace and Culture Organisation which highlights the plight of people of Kashmir in IIOK&K.
Jawad Sohrab Malilk, a qualified lawyer and businessman, has become an SAPM for overseas Pakistanis. He was formerly SAPM for Shehbaz Sharif. He has been successfully running a vast business empire stretched to Lon¬don, Pakistan and Dubai and has good contacts inter¬nationally including with the Ameri¬can members of Congress, British parliamentarians, global business elite, Gulf royal families and political parties in Pakistan across the board.
Retired vice Admiral Iftikhar Rao has been made the adviser on maritime affairs, He has more than 40 Years of Maritime Experience. He has served on board and commanded ships and is also a Naval Aviator.
TV anchor and writer Wasih Shah has been made advisor on tourism. He is famous for his poetry and contribution to literature and has been hosting TV shows for a while now.
Syeda Arfa Zehra has been made advisor on federal education and professional training. She is a Pakistani educationist and urdu language expert. Zehra is also a former caretaker provincial minister of Punjab. She is recognized for her knowledge on the Urdu language and literature and is specialized in intellectual history and South Asian social issues; outside of the university sphere, she speaks at language conferences and televised forums.
A total of 12 federal ministers and three state ministers have decided to give up their salaries and work on voluntary basis due to the worsening economic crisis in the country.
The ministers themselves proposed to Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif that they will work without pay. The Premier has approved the request and appreciated their concern for the nation.
This will be the very first time that such a large number of cabinet members will be serving without getting paid.
It has also been reported that the Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) have decided to donate one-month salary each to the earthquake victims in Turkiye and Syria.
Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif this week appointed eight more special assistants for himself.
With the eight new special assistants to the prime minister (SAPM), the cabinet now consists of 34 federal ministers, including one without a portfolio, seven ministers of state, four advisers to the PM and 25 SAPMs.
According to the notification, the Premier was “pleased” to appoint MNA Iftikhar Ahmed Khan Babar, MNA Maahr Irshad Ahmad Khan, MNA Raza Rabani Khar, MNA Mahesh Kumar Malani, Faisal Karim Kundi, Sardar Saleem Haider, Tasneem Ahmed Qureshi and Mohammad Ali Shah Bacha on the post of SAPM.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan had a 52-member federal cabinet, including 25 federal ministers, four ministers of state, four advisers and 19 SAPMs.
PTI’s Senior Vice-President Fawad Chaudhry criticized PM Shehbaz for adding eight more members to his cabinet.
“People are drowning in the quagmire of inflation and the imported government is increasing the army of cabinet members. Eight new non-important members have been added unnecessarily to the cabinet and this is an expression of the priorities of the Shehbaz Sharif government,” said Fawad while talking to The Nation.
Chaudhry claimed that the back of the country’s economy had been broken and the middle class was shedding tears on monthly expenses while, at the same time, the “imported government” was playing the flute, like Nero.
“It is a necessary evil in parliamentary systems, especially, when governments are based on a coalition,” said the president of Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, while talking to The Express Tribune.
The decision was reached during a meeting of the coalition partners, where the country’s overall political situation was discussed with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
As per media reports, the meeting expressed its readiness to take the unprecedented economic crisis head-on and not give up till the country saw economic stability.
The participants of the meeting decided that the government would complete its constitutional tenure in a bid to take the country out of the current economic turmoil.
During the cabinet meeting, it was pointed out that “NAB’s black law” was used only for political revenge, and harassment of government officials and the business community.
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday said the federal cabinet members, whose names appeared in the Pandora Papers, would not be removed from their positions unless proven guilty.
“Action will be taken once they are proven guilty,” said the minister.
Chaudhry criticised the owners of media houses and said, “I see the photos of [Finance Minister] Shaukat Tarin and [Industries Minister] Khusro Bakhtiar being aired on TV channels, but not of media house owners, who have also been named as owners of offshore companies.”
Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Monday formed a high-powered cell to investigate the 700 Pakistanis named in the Pandora Papers, including federal cabinet members, politicians, retired generals, owners of media houses, and others in establishing offshore companies.
The cell will categorise the named individuals into four groups: those who have declared their offshore companies in Pakistan; those who have not declared their companies here and committed tax evasion; those who used their companies for money laundering and individuals who have not shown their offshore companies as part of the assets owned by them while declaring their wealth, reports Dawn.
