Tag: Cabinet

  • Who are the cabinet members in caretaker government?

    Who are the cabinet members in caretaker government?

    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.

  • Neither martial law nor emergency, army and govt clear rumours

    Neither martial law nor emergency, army and govt clear rumours

    Amid the violent protests and political chaos, many political commentators feared that either the army will take over or an emergency would be imposed by the government.

    However, federal ministers and Director-General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry laid the rumors to rest on Friday evening.

    Talking on Geo News’ programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, the DG ISPR said that the imposition of martial law is out of the question as the whole army wholeheartedly supports democracy and will continue to do so.

    In response to unverified reports that army officers have resigned due to the ongoing chaos, the spokesperson snubbed the speculations, categorically stating that not one person had resigned.

    After Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters attacked army installations, the ISPR said that May 9, 2023, would go down in history as a “dark chapter”.

    Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb also rebutted news regarding the “imposition of emergency” in the country.

    “The reports circulating in the media regarding the imposition of emergency in the country are baseless,” she said, adding that no such decision was taken in the meeting of the Federal Cabinet, the minister said in news statement.

    The information minister urged the media to verify facts before airing or publishing any news.

    A day earlier, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that an emergency is a constitutional option but there is no chance of imposing martial law.

    According to media reports, the cabinet proposed an emergency to Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif but no final decision took place.

  • ECC approves interest-free loan scheme for electric bikes and rickshaws to empower youth

    ECC approves interest-free loan scheme for electric bikes and rickshaws to empower youth

    On Thursday, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet approved a loan scheme with 0 per cent markup for environment-friendly electric bikes (e-bikes) and electric rickshaws (e-rikshaws) in a bid to facilitate youth and promote self-sufficiency.

    The approval was given during a meeting chaired by Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, where various financial proposals of ministries and divisions, including the loan scheme, were approved.

    The Ministry of Industries and Production submitted a summary on the financing facility for e-bikes and e-rikshaws, presenting details on viability, demand, and incentives to make them affordable. In order to create a sustainable demand for these vehicles, the ECC approved the Prime Minister’s Youth Business & Agriculture Loan Scheme (PMYB&ALS) model for two and three-wheelers.

    Under this scheme, interest-free loans worth Rs0.5 million will be provided to youth for a period of three years. The Ministry of Industries and Production will work out the modalities of the scheme in coordination with PMYB&ALS.

    During the meeting, the Ministry of National Food Security and Research tabled a summary on the price of sugar during the month of Ramadan and briefed the attendees on the outcome of the Sugar Advisory Board’s meeting with the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) regarding the retail price of sugar.

    The ECC endorsed the decision that PSMA Punjab Zone will provide 20,000 metric tonnes of sugar at a retail price of Rs95 per kg during the holy month of Ramadan for sale to the general public through the government of Punjab at the district level. The ECC also directed to make similar arrangements with other provincial PSMA for the provision of sugar in other provinces/areas.

  • Faisal Subzwari reveals MQM-P was forced to rejoin Khan’s govt in 2020

    Faisal Subzwari reveals MQM-P was forced to rejoin Khan’s govt in 2020

    Senator Faisal Subzwari of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) revealed on Thursday that his party was forced to rejoin the cabinet of the then prime minister Imran Khan in March 2020.

    Speaking on the Geo News programme ‘Capital Talk’, Subzwari revealed how his party was coerced to take a U-turn on their decision and rejoin the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) cabinet despite reservations and unfulfilled promises.

    “In December 2019, Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui resigned in protest from Khan’s cabinet after which negotiations continued between the PTI and the MQM-P from January till the following March. Then MQM-P suddenly got an order to rejoin the cabinet,” said Sabzwari.

    He added that after MQM-P refused to comply with the order, seven of their workers were detained and tortured, which forced the party to rejoin Khan’s cabinet.

    “In September 2020, I told Imran Khan in Governor House that this is what we went through and now I am sitting with you merely because of helplessness and not by choice,” said Sabzwari.

  • PTI and PDM cabinets spent almost Rs7 crore on foreign tours in 2022

    The federal cabinets of Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and former PM Imran Khan have spent nearly Rs7 crore (Rs69.97 million) on foreign trips in 2022, states an investigative report by Abobakar Khan for Samaa.

    A total of Rs652,115,04 were spent by federal ministers of the previous and current government on 25 foreign tours in 2022.

    Among the federal ministers of PM Shehbaz, Federal Minister for National Health Services Abdul Qadir Patel spent Rs1 crore on foreign visits.

    Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar spent Rs8 lac and Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs of Pakistan Faisal Subzwari spent Rs6 lac.

    Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman spent almost Rs50 lac on foreign country visits, former Finance Minister Miftah Ismail spent 45 lac on foreign country visits.

    During Khan’s tenure, his Adviser on National Security Division and Strategic Policy Planning, Dr Moeed Yousaf, and Adviser on Trade and Investment, Abdul Razzak Dawood, spent Rs10 lac from the national exchequer on foreign tours.

    Khan’s special assistants including Dr Sania Nishtar, Malik Amin Aslam, and Azam Jamil spent almost Rs10 lac on these foreign trips in 2022.

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  • NAB chief to draw Rs1.7 million salary, gets govt residence, two cars

    NAB chief to draw Rs1.7 million salary, gets govt residence, two cars

    The federal cabinet has approved the salary package, perquisites and benefits of Lt. General (R) Nazir Ahmad Butt as Chairman, National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

    According to news reports, after obtaining the cabinet’s approval, Chairman NAB will get Rs17 lacs monthly as a salary, a government residence and two vehicles. At the same time, he will also get a plot of two kanals in the federal capital. NAB chairman will further get 2000 units of electricity per month and 600 litres of petrol each month.

    The Ministry of Law and Justice, after obtaining approval and authorisation from the Minister of Law and Justice, solicited the approval of the federal cabinet through the circulation of the summary for determination of terms and conditions of the Chairman NAB as admissible to a judge of a Supreme Court of Pakistan.

    It is pertinent to mention here that Lt. General (R) Nazir Ahmad was appointed as Chairman NAB by Ministry of Law and Justice on March 6 and had assumed charge on the same day.

  • No luxury cars, no five-star hotels, federal cabinet’s perks and salaries cut amid economic crisis

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has announced major cuts in perks and facilities that were being given to the federal cabinet as the economic crisis worsens.

    Addressing a press conference on Wednesday in Islamabad, the Premier, flanked by members of the federal cabinet, said that ministers, state ministers and special advisers had decided “willingly” to forego their salaries and perks. He said that all ministers would now pay their own telephone, electricity, water and gas bills.

    The premier further said that federal ministers would also travel in economy class and will not stay in five-star hotels during foreign trips.

    He asserted that no cabinet member or government officer will use a luxury car, adding that “Until June 2024, there will be a complete ban on purchasing all types of new cars.”

    The head of government also said that “to conserve gas and electricity, advice for opening offices at 7:30am during summer has been accepted.”

    Shehbaz Sharif said that it has also been decided that government employees will not be allotted more than one plot, saying that this would be implemented from tomorrow.

    He said that in terms of food, only a single dish would be allowed at government events.

    Talking about the Toshakhana, the premier said that the federal cabinet has decided that no one will be allowed to retain state gifts worth more than $300 (approx. Rs70,000). He also added that the government has decided to make the Toshakhana record public.

    Responding to a question from a reporter, PM Shehbaz said that the measures would save Rs200 billion annually.

    He said that matters with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are at the “last stage” and hoped that everything will go well.

    The development has taken place while Pakistan is eyeing a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) this week as the country reels under a foreign reserve shortage.

    Earlier this week, the National Assembly passed the IMF-dictated Finance (Supplementary) Bill 2023, seeking to impose an additional Rs170 billion in taxes.

  • Big power consumers to face increased tariff due to IMF conditions

    Big power consumers to face increased tariff due to IMF conditions

    The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet approved the removal of subsidies in electricity tariffs for the export-oriented sector and the Kissan package in order to meet one of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) preconditions for reaching a staff-level agreement.

    Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Ishaq Dar presided over the meeting, where the revenue and fiscal measures were discussed to fulfill the IMF’s demands.

    The recently concluded 10-day IMF mission in Islamabad had energy sector reforms and reducing the circular debt as the main focus of the talks. However, the IMF team left without signing an agreement and requested that Pakistan take corrective measures. The ECC meeting was convened to evaluate the situation and implement necessary steps.

    The government approved a revised Circular Debt Management Plan (CDMP) that includes quarterly tariff adjustments, a deferred fuel price adjustment, and a surcharge of Re1 per unit for large power consumers. The approved tariff hike ranges from Rs7-8 per unit until August 2023, with the consumer base tariff expected to increase from Rs15.28 per unit in June 2022 to Rs23.39 per unit by June 2023.

    According to sources, the IMF had requested the government to raise the base tariff by Rs4.06 per unit, but this request was not approved under the revised CDMP. It is yet to be determined how the IMF’s demand was incorporated into the Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies (MEFP) that was presented to Pakistan on February 10, 2023.

    If the IMF continues to insist on a higher base tariff, it is estimated that the Pakistani authorities will have to raise the tariff by a range of Rs9 to 11 per unit.

    The government has so far protected electricity users consuming 300 units or less from a planned tariff increase. However, the revised Circular Debt Management Plan (CDMP) does not address the IMF’s demand for a higher base tariff in order to reduce the need for an additional subsidy of Rs335 billion.

    In accordance with IMF directives, the additional subsidy requirement has been reduced from Rs675 billion to Rs335 billion, and the government has indicated that it will be included as part of the circular debt management plan.

  • Five years jail and arrest without warrant for criticising army and judiciary in new draft bill: Dawn

    Five years jail and arrest without warrant for criticising army and judiciary in new draft bill: Dawn

    A bill has reportedly been prepared by the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) led government where up to a five-year imprisonment sentence can be given to “whoever scandalises or ridicules the Pakistan Army and judiciary through any medium”, reports Riazul Haq for Dawn.

    It is to be noted that the bill is to amend the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC)

    The newspaper has reported that the summary and the bill will be forwarded to the federal cabinet soon.

    It says that whoever makes, publishes, circulates any statement or disseminates information, through any medium, with an intention to ridicule or scandalise the judiciary, the armed forces or any of their members will be found guilty. And the punishment may extend to five years or with a fine which may go as high up as Rs 1 million or both.

    Moreover, it says that the offender will be arrested without a warrant and the offence will be non-bailable and non-compoundable and can only be challenged in a sessions court.

    Dawn also reached out to PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi who said that he had not seen the draft but there had to be “some limit” to defaming someone.

    “Everywhere in the world there is a defamation law and this does not happen that anyone comes up willy-nilly and says whatever they want,” he was quoted saying by Dawn.

    However, later he denied his comments in a tweet as reported by Dawn, and said that he “simply cannot lend support to any draconian legislation”.

    “I believe that Pakistan needs defamation laws with financial recourse to protect everyone from unsubstantiated accusations,” he explained.

    PML-N’s Rohail Asghar also made it clear that no such laws should be passed by the government as he believed that there should be space for criticism.

  • FIA forms team to investigate Imran Khan’s audio leaks

    FIA forms team to investigate Imran Khan’s audio leaks

    The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has formed a team to investigate the matter of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and his aides’ audio leaks related to the infamous cipher that the former Prime Minister blames for his government’s downfall.

    A notification has also been issued which states that the investigation team will include five members from FIA and one member each from Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Military Intelligence (MI) and Intelligence Bureau (IB).

    On October 1, the federal cabinet announced the formation of a committee to probe the diplomatic cipher that it was said had been ‘stolen’ from the records of the Prime Minister’s House.

    Last week, two audio leaks of Khan and his party members surfaced on the internet. In the first audio leak, Khan told his then-principal secretary Azam Khan that, “We have to play with it [cipher]”.

    In the second audio leak, the PTI chief is directing his close aides not to take America’s name while talking about the US cipher in public. He also told his party members to use the word “letter” instead of “cipher” when they talk about cipher in public rallies.