Tag: Hammad Azhar

  • SAPM for power Tabish Gauhar resigns due to problems in ministry

    SAPM for power Tabish Gauhar resigns due to problems in ministry

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Power and Petroleum Tabish Gauhar has reportedly stepped down from his position after almost one year of his appointment.

    According to sources, Prime Minister Imran Khan asked for the former’s resignation as he [Imran Khan] and the Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar weren’t evidently happy with his performance, reports Samaa News.

    “After a year of public service, I’ve decided to call it a day to return to my family. It’s been the privilege of a lifetime to serve the country, to the best of my abilities, in an honorary capacity. I shall remain indebted to the PM for giving me this opportunity,” Gauhar tweeted.

    While publicly accepting the numerous challenges in the energy sector, he added: “No doubt that under the able leadership of Azhar, the MOE [Ministry of Energy] team will continue to stay the course on structural reforms.”

    According to Geo News, the development comes after Gauhar and Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi developed rifts on the controversy sparked over the Engro LNG terminal’s dry-docking. Other disagreements included the Pakistan Stream Gas Pipeline (PSGP) project and Gauhar’s stance in favour of laying down the North-South Pipeline with the help of local gas companies.

    Last month, he had written a letter to Hammad Azhar, pointing out multiple challenges in the energy sector.

    Gauhar had resigned from his post earlier this year but at the time his resignation had not been accepted. Later, Gauhar had lodged a complaint with the premier, pleading that two cabinet members were interfering in the affairs of the Ministry of Energy.

    After this news, a total of 11 Special ministers have resigned so far.

    Zulfi Bukhari as SAPM on Overseas Pakistanis

    Dr Ishrat Hussain as SAPM on Institutional Reforms and Austerity 

    Tabish Gauhar as SAPM on Power and Petroleum

    Lt Gen Asim Bajwa as SAPM on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) affairs

    Firdaus Ashiq Awan as Special Assistant to Punjab Chief Minister on Information

    Dr Zafar Mirza as SAPM on Health

    Tania Aidrus as SAPM on Digital Pakistan

    Shahzad Qasim as SAPM on Coordination of Marketing and Development of Mineral Resources

    Dr Waqar Masood Khan as SAPM on Finance and Revenue

    Iftikhar Durrani as SAPM on Media Affairs.

    Yousaf Baig Mirza as SAPM on Media Affairs.

  • PM Khan informed about a serious rift in his cabinet

    PM Khan informed about a serious rift in his cabinet

    Serious disagreements between cabinet members have led to problems at the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum. Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has been informed about the current rift, reports The News.

    Important facts were brought to light in Geo News Programme, ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’. According to reports, the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum is worried about the interference of Asad Umar and Ali Zaidi.

    Asad Umar, Minister of Planning Commission and Special Initiatives heads the Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCOE), and Ali Zaidi, Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs, is its member.

    Reportedly, Special Assistant to PM Khan Tabish Gauhar has lodged a complaint with the premier, pleading that the two cabinet members were interfering in the affairs of the Ministry of Energy.

    Sources say that Hammad and Tabish are in favour of using the full capacity of the existing terminals. However, they are being pressured in the cabinet to sign the Sui South gas pipeline agreement with the new terminals rather than the old Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) terminals.

    Asad Umar gave a tough time to the Energy Ministry for arranging LNG at a higher cost and for the dry docking of the Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU) at the Engro Terminal. 

    The decisions forced the country to face a gas-electricity crisis, subjected the government to the wrath of the Opposition, and triggered a backlash from the masses.

    In the CCOE meeting, Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin, along with Umar and Zaidi, objected to the delayed dry-docking from June 29 to July 5 and why it wasn’t done earlier in 2019. Tarin wanted an inquiry in this regard and ordered Railway Minister Azam Swati to lead the inquiry. Sources have revealed that Tabish was trying to put an end to the inquiry.

    However, Gauhar is currently not attending the CCOE meetings. Sources said that despite protests from Gauhar, the inquiry will go ahead since it is part of the written procedures of the CCOE and has been ratified by the federal government.

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Bilawal congratulates PM for increasing the population of donkeys in the country
    
			
    Bilawal congratulates PM for increasing the population of donkeys in the country
    
			
    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari criticised the government on Friday saying that as per the economic survey 2021, if nothing else, the population of donkeys has increased during the regime of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the country, for which Prime Minister Imran Khan’s policies must be lauded. 
    

    

    


    

    

    

    Addressing the National Assembly (NA) a day after Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif delivered his budget speech, Bilawal slammed the government for presenting a budget that was a “pack of lies”. 
    

    PPP chairperson reprimanded the government for abandoning the country’s population during these unprecedented times, saying that the ruling PTI could never realise the problems of a common man.
    

    Bilawal went on to add that people, who were suffering because of the inflation brought on by Khan’s government, were well aware that the claim of four per cent economic growth was nothing but a lie.
    

    He added that the nation might still have forgiven the government had they not “abandoned the people so ruthlessly amid these difficult times”.
    

    “We introduced the revolutionary Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) but this government, on the other hand, persistently talks about the Ehsaas [programme], when you have no realistion [of the people’s predicament].”
    

    He said that people will never forgive the government for further pushing them below the poverty line.
    

    Bilawal said that if the country has seen economic growth, as claimed by the PTI-led government, then why does it have to “beg before the International Monetary Fund (IMF)?”
    

    “If the economy has significantly improved, then the government should immediately opt out of the IMF’s deal,” he said.
    

    Pointing out that the PPP had increased salaries multiple times and raised pensions, he said the PTI had not raised salaries in the last two years even though the entire world was struggling in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic and every Pakistani was facing financial troubles.
    

    The PPP chairperson recalled that the PTI had reached an agreement with government workers on raising their salaries, adding that the insufficient hike in their salaries was an act of deception by the government.
    

    As Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar began his speech in response to Bilawal’s criticism, Shehbaz began making his way out of the assembly, prompting the minister to challenge him to stay and hear him out.
    

    “If you are not cowards then remain in your seats and listen to what I have to say,” said Azhar.
    

    “If you have the strength to hear the truth, then listen to what I have to say,” Azhar said but the PML-N president did not react and exited the house.
    

    

    
https://twitter.com/trendinpk/status/1405788144121921538

    

    

    Azhar began his speech by hitting back at Bilawal, saying, “Those who have never worked a day in their life or taken any responsibility are telling us how to run the economy and the country.”
    

    Mocking the way Bilawal kept switching between English and Urdu during his speech, Hammad Azhar implied that oratory skills are not enough to remove the stains of corruption from someone’s character.
    

    “They said to us that this is a government of ‘puppets’. Do they want a government of convicts? Do they want a government in which people are known not by their names but by the dirtiest scandals in the history of this country?”
    

    

    


    

    

    

    He said that the PTI had come into power after being elected, adding that it had not “threatened or bribed its way into government”.
    

    Azhar said some people in the Opposition say that despite corruption, there is also progressive work being done. “If corruption had anything to do with development, Sindh would have progressed beyond California.”
    

    If someone wants to see the destruction that corruption brings, then go and look at the state of Sindh, the minister said. “You will see how corrupt rulers ruin the lives and the futures of people. Sindh is a living example of this.”
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    ‘We are not rulers and should not act as rulers,’ says PTI’s Noor Alam
    
			
    ‘We are not rulers and should not act as rulers,’ says PTI’s Noor Alam
    
			
    The government on Tuesday faced an embarrassing situation in the National Assembly when it received harsh criticism from its own members on the issue of load-shedding in various parts of the country, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP ) province where the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has been ruling for six years, as reported by Dawn. 
    

    Four members of the PTI from KP invited the attention of the Minister of Energy Hammad Azhar to the “shortage of transformers and other electrical equipment resulting in load-shedding in KP, causing grave concern among the public”.
    

    The notice had been moved by Junaid Akbar Khan from Malakand, Imran Khattak from Nowshera, Sher Akbar Khan from Buner, and Gul Zafar Khan from Bajaur.
    

    The movers talked about load-shedding in their respective constituencies. Noor Alam Khan, PTI’s MNA from Peshawar, blasted the government not only on the issue of load-shedding but also price hike.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    The Opposition members kept on thumping desks throughout Khan’s speech, making Hammad Azhar angry. The minister, while responding to Noor Alam, alleged that he had delivered the speech for the galleries.
    

    Noor Alam said the minister did not have the correct information as the officials of his ministry and power companies provided him wrong information. He said on the one hand the government was charging Rs34 per unit from the people and on the other hand, people were not getting electricity.
    

    Khan said load-shedding and price hike were the two major issues being faced by the people. He said the MNA’s could not go to their constituents as they “abused” the MNA’s when they had no electricity.
    

    Khan said load-shedding and price hike were the two major issues being faced by the people. He said that parliamentarians could not go to their constituents as people “abused” them due to no electricity.
    

    “We are here to serve the people of Pakistan. We are not rulers and should not act as rulers,” he said.
    

    He added there was load-shedding of 22 to 24 hours in some areas.
    

    In response to Khan’s speech, Azhar blamed the previous two governments for the present situation in the country. He said the PTI government was not responsible for the wrongdoings of the previous regimes.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Cabinet reshuffled, again
    
			
    Prime Minister Imran Khan has once again reshuffled the federal cabinet, appointing Shaukat Tareen as new finance minister.
    

    Tareen has replaced federal minister Hammad Azhar, who was appointed as the country’s finance minister a few weeks ago when the premier replaced him with Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh.
    

    Other changes include Khusro Bakhtiar as the minister for industries and production, Shibli Faraz as the minister for science and technology, replacing Fawad Chaudhry, who has been appointed as the minister for information and broadcasting, replacing Faraz.
    

    Omar Ayub has been appointed as the minister for economic affairs, replacing Khusro Bakhtiar.
    

    Last month, Faraz had shared the premier’s intentions on reshuffling the cabinet, saying that he was bringing in a new team.
    

    Prior to that, the government had asked Hafeez Shaikh to step down and appointed Azhar in his place.
    

    Faraz said decisions were made keeping in view the realities of the country and that the PTI regime wished to give relief to the poor.
    

    “When a new individual comes along, they come up with new ideas,” he had said.
    

    Reports had earlier quoted sources as saying that PM Imran was considering bringing about important changes to the cabinet on a “big scale”, adding that ministers who did not perform up to the expectations will be removed from their portfolios.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    ECC allows import of cotton, sugar from India
    
			
    ECC allows import of cotton, sugar from India
    
			
    The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet has approved two summaries of the commerce and textile ministry to lift ban on import of cotton and white sugar from India.
    

    According to reports, there were 21 items on the agenda of the ECC meeting to be chaired by newly appointed Finance Minister Hammad Azhar. Commerce and Textile divisions had submitted five crucial summaries for approval besides others.
    

    At the agenda no. 16, the Textile Division summary sought permission from the ECC to lift ban on import of cotton and cotton yarn from India in a bid to bridge raw material shortfall for the value-added textile sector.
    

    In addition to this, another summary of the commerce ministry at agenda no. 20 also sought permission to allow import of white sugar from India through the Trading Corporation of Pakistan and commercial importers.
    

    The resumption of import of these goods will lead to partial revival of trade relations. On Aug 9, 2019 Pakistan downgraded trade relations with India in reaction to the latter’s decision to revoke Article 370 of its Constitution that granted occupied Kashmir a special status.
    

    In May 2020, Pakistan lifted the ban on import of medicines and raw material from India to ensure there is no shortage of essential drugs amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the first step of reversing of complete suspension of trade with India.
    

    However, Indian premier’s letter to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Pakistan Day was the first step in the right direction amid reports of UAE Royals brokering peace.
    

    On Tuesday, PM Imran replied to Modi’s letter, saying Pakistan also desired peaceful relations with India.
    

    “The people of Pakistan also desire peaceful, cooperative relations with all neighbours, including India,” he said in his reply.
    

    “I thank you for your letter conveying greetings on Pakistan Day.”
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Hammad Azhar to replace Hafeez Shaikh as Finance Minister
    
			
    Hammad Azhar to replace Hafeez Shaikh as Finance Minister
    
			
    The federal government has decided to replace Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh with Federal Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar.
    

    Hafeez Shaikh shall be replaced by Hammad Azhar because according to Article 91 (9) of the constitution, a person who is not part of the parliament can be minister for only six months.
    

    However, to become a minister again, the individual should be elected to one of the two houses of parliament, Senate or National Assembly.
    

    Hafeez Shaikh had a period of six months to be elected as a member of the assembly. For that purpose, the ruling party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chose Hafeez as a candidate for Senate elections, which he could not win. Therefore, the government has selected Hammad Azhar as his replacement.
    

    Hafeez had been serving as an advisor to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on finance before he was appointed federal minister.
    

    He was given the portfolio after the Islamabad High Court ruled that unelected advisors and special assistants cannot head government committees.
    

    Muhammad Hammad Azhar has held his current portfolio since April 6, 2020. Previously, he served as Federal Minister for Economic Affairs from July 10, 2019 till April 5, 2020.
    

    PM Imran reportedly conveyed to Hafeez Shaikh to step down from his role, and a notification in this regard is also expected to be released soon.
    

    Hammad Azhar tweeted that he is “honoured to be entrusted with the additional charge of Finance by the Prime Minister”.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    

    


    

    

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Contempt case against ECP possible, warns govt
    
			
    Contempt case against ECP possible, warns govt
    
			
    Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has said that the government will begin contempt proceedings against the members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), including the chief election commissioner (CEC) if they do not resign from their posts.
    

    Addressing a press conference along with Minister for Industries Hammad Azhar on Tuesday, Fawad said that the government is working with the Attorney General of Pakistan and will go for contempt of court proceedings against ECP officials. He warned that the ECP officials should step down themselves or legal options will be exercised.
    

    Earlier, the government had demanded election commission officials to resign and reconstitute the election body as it “failed to act as a neutral umpire”. 
    

    Meanwhile, ECP has sent notices to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and its own scrutiny committee to appear before the watchdog on March 22 to explain their stance over keeping secret the foreign funding documents of the ruling party.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    ECP finds ‘serious discrepancies’ in Hammad Azhar’s assets: report
    
			
    ECP finds ‘serious discrepancies’ in Hammad Azhar’s assets: report
    
			
    The Election Commission of Pakistan is likely to take action against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and federal minister Hammad Azhar over “some serious discrepancies observed during scrutiny of [his declared] assets”.
    

    The News reported that the minister did not declare his “shares in a flour mill and few other businesses in one of his declarations submitted to the ECP”.  
    

    “After he became MNA in 2018 and later became a member of the cabinet, the assets declared by him and his spouse were different from those he had declared earlier” while filing his nomination paper, the report said, adding that this prompted ECP to launch the scrutiny some two years back.
    

    “Our [ECP’s] team found an apparent mis-declaration, serious discrepancies and deficiencies in Hammad’s declarations, and he failed to explain his position before the electoral body scrutinising his and his wife’s assets and liabilities,” the report quoted an ECP official.
    

    Meanwhile, Hammad Azhar has refuted the content of the report and said that it “is compiled without reading my reply to ECP which easily answered all queries in May 2019”. 
    

    

    


    

    

    

    He said the reporter ignored his written filed in the election commission in response to the scrutiny.
    

    About his response in 2019, the ECP official quoted by The News said that it was “unsatisfactory”.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    ‘Only Turkey, not even China, supported Pakistan at FATF,’ Indian media reports claim
    
			
    ‘Only Turkey, not even China, supported Pakistan at FATF,’ Indian media reports claim
    
			
    After the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) decided to keep Pakistan in the grey-list till February, Indian media reports have claimed that Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Turkey was the only country to back Pakistan at the plenary meeting of the global anti-money laundering watchdog while China bailed out.
    

    The FATF, also known by its French name, Groupe d’action financière, is an intergovernmental organisation that combats money laundering. In 2001, its mandate was expanded to include terrorism financing.
    

    Pakistan was placed on the FATF’s grey list in 2018 whereas in February 2019, the country had secured an extra four months to complete the plan after missing 13 of the 27 targets set by the global watchdog.
    

    According to reports, Turkey, during October 23’s plenary, proposed a special visit to Islamabad to make an onsite assessment of the Imran Khan government’s implementation to plug holes in its legal framework to curb terror financing.
    

    READ: ‘Successful implementation’: Hammad Azhar says FATF blacklisting off the table
    

    The suggestion was seen as an effort to let Pakistan off the hook for now and immediately place it on the white list but was not supported by any other country, including allied China and Malaysia.
    

    “Out of 27 points, we have implemented 21 points given by the authorities concerned regarding FATF, ” Minister for Revenue Hammad Azhar said while talking to a private television channel after the watchdog decided to retain Pakistan on its grey list.
    

    Except India, every country had appreciated the efforts of Pakistan for satisfying the people dealing FATF, he added.
    

    BLACKLISTING OFF THE TABLE:
    

    In a statement, FATF urged Pakistan to complete an internationally agreed action plan by February 2021. FATF said Pakistan had now reached 21 targets out of 27 set for it in 2018 when Pakistan was placed on FATF’s “grey list” of countries with inadequate controls over terrorism financing.
    

    But Pakistan still needs to demonstrate that law enforcement agencies are identifying and investigating the widest range of terrorism financing activity, FATF said.
    

    The watchdog also asked Islamabad to demonstrate that terrorism financing probes resulted in effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions.
    

    “FATF acknowledged that any blacklisting is off the table now,” Pakistani federal minister Hammad Azhar tweeted.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    Azhar, who leads Pakistan’s delegation at FATF plenary meetings, said the forum’s discussions were focused on how Pakistan could be supported in meeting its targets before a formal review in the middle of next year.