Tag: CCI

  • PM includes Dar in CCI instead of Aurangzeb

    PM includes Dar in CCI instead of Aurangzeb

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reconstituted the Council of Common Interests (CCI) on Friday, notably replacing Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb with Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

    The PM is heading the CCI which constitutes the chief ministers of all four provinces. Interestingly, this is the first time in the history of the council that a Foreign Minister of Pakistan has been included in the CCI.

    Business Recorder article reported that it would be normal if a Finance Minister isn’t included in the CCI because historically it has happened. However, energy and planning ministers were mostly included because they deal with provincial matters.

    The presence of the Finance Minister and the Law Minister in the CCI is very important as these two portfolios are required to respond to numerous queries raised by the provinces during the meeting.

    A similar pattern could be observed as PM Shehbaz gave Ishaq Dar the control of Cabinet Committee on Privatisation (CCoP) as well instead of including Aurangzeb earlier this month.

  • PM Shehbaz chairs CCI meeting to discuss 2023 census

    PM Shehbaz chairs CCI meeting to discuss 2023 census

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is presiding over a meeting of the Council of Common Interest (CCI) to decide the destiny of the 2023 census. There is a disagreement between the coalition partners on the issue.
    All of the chief ministers and senior members of the federal cabinet reportedly attend the council’s crucial meeting.

    According to reports, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) has informed the federal government that all formalities have been fulfilled and census results are ready for CCI approval.

    Elections would likely be postponed by a few months if the CCI adopts the census findings since the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would need more time to redo the delimitation exercise.

    According to the legislation, the ECP is required to organise elections based on new data if a new census is announced.
    It is important to note that the National Assembly will be prematurely dissolved on August 9 — three days before its term ends — by the ruling coalition, giving the electoral body 90 days to hold elections.

  • Top Islamic council allows construction of Hindu temple in Islamabad

    Top Islamic council allows construction of Hindu temple in Islamabad

    The Council of Islamic Ideology, a top constitutional body responsible for giving legal advice on Islamic issues to the government, has ruled that there were no constitutional or sharia constraints against constructing a Hindu temple in Islamabad or any other place in the country.

    The CII, in a meeting on Wednesday, also allowed the government to hand over the temple site as well as its adjoining Dharamshala (community centre) in Saidpur village of Islamabad to the Hindu community “so that it can offer religious rites as per their beliefs”.

    However, briefing media about the recommendations of the three-day CII meeting, council chairman Dr Qibla Ayaz said that there was no tradition of constructing places of worship with public money so the Hindu temple could not be constructed with public money.

    The CII recommended to the government to establish a ‘special welfare fund’ for minorities which they can utilise without any outside hindrance.

    The constitution provides right to all citizens to practice their religion freely and perform last rituals of members of their community in accordance with their religious belief, it said.

    The Hindu community was allowed to perform last rituals of a deceased person in shamshan ghat (a mortuary where corpses are cremated).

    The CII contended that the Hindu community was allowed to construct a community centre to perform their religious rituals and marriage ceremonies and there was no harm in it as per the sharia.