Tag: Punjab Cabinet

  • Change culture of lying, accusations’, Maryam wants speedy trials in defamation cases

    Change culture of lying, accusations’, Maryam wants speedy trials in defamation cases

    The Chief Minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz presided over the fifth session of the provincial cabinet on April 3.

    The cabinet approved the creation of special speedy trial courts across the province aimed at the expedition of cases related to the physical and sexual assault of children.

    Furthermore, the cabinet was briefed on the proposed amendments to the defamation laws and the establishment of speedy trial courts in defamation cases as well.

    A bill is set to be presented in the Punjab Assembly which would aim to issue decree within ninety days and most importantly completion of trial within 180 days in defamation cases.

    “The culture of lying and accusation will have to be changed,” said Maryam Nawaz in the session.

    It was also observed that the notices in defamation cases could be given through major newspapers, social media, and courier services following the passage of the bill.

  • ‘Got a message from Pakistan PM to include Navjot Sidhu in Punjab cabinet’: Capt Amarinder Singh

    ‘Got a message from Pakistan PM to include Navjot Sidhu in Punjab cabinet’: Capt Amarinder Singh

    India’s former Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Captain Amarinder Singh during a press conference said that during his tenure as CM, he received a message from Pakistan asking him to reinstate Navjot Singh Sidhu in the Punjab cabinet.

    Soon after dropping Sidhu from his cabinet, he had received a call from a mutual acquaintance from Pakistan, Amarinder told reporters.

    “I got a message that Prime Minister (PM) of Pakistan has sent a request that if you can take Sidhu in your cabinet,” said Amarinder without taking names. “I will be grateful. He is an old friend of mine. If he does not work, you can remove him.”

    Navjot Singh Sidhu arrived in Pakistan to attend the oath-taking ceremony of PM Imran Khan in August 2018.

    Sidhu at the time said that he had come to Pakistan as a goodwill messenger and “with a message of love” to become a part of Khan’s happiness.

     Navjot Singh Sidhu again returned to Pakistan to attend the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kartarpur Corridor in Nankana Sahib, in November 2018.

    It is pertinent to mention here that Amarinder was also present during the inauguration of the Karatpur Corridor.

  • Punjab govt initiates process to unban TLP

    The Punjab government has initiated the process to unban Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).

    Punjab Home Department sent a summary for the revocation of the TLP ban to Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Usman Buzdar and his cabinet.

    https://twitter.com/arshdchaudhary/status/1456206675728347137?s=21

    The notification by the Home Department requested the provincial government to respond in three days.

    After the likely approval from CM Buzdar and the provincial cabinet, the federal government will be moved to do away with TLP’s banned status, said the Home Department.

    Earlier today, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed said that the chief of TLP, Saad Hussain Rizvi, had insisted on the closure of the French embassy in the country and asked that this issue is brought in the National Assembly, reports Dawn.

    Moreover, the minister said, “I have made signatures on the previous agreement and I am steadfast on this. As for the rest of the problems, two ministers have been appointed and they will answer your queries.”

    The Punjab government also decided to release 100 more activists of the proscribed organisation from different jails in the province. Previously 2,000 jailed activists of the banned organisation were released.

    Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan hinted at the release of Saad Rizvi and said that the state cannot afford to ban a party that has a 2.5 million vote bank in Punjab.

  • ‘The proposed budget has measures to give relief to the common man’: CM Buzdar

    ‘The proposed budget has measures to give relief to the common man’: CM Buzdar

    The Punjab government on Monday approved the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2021-22 today with an estimated total budget outlay of Rs2.653 trillion, including an Annual Development Programme (ADP) worth Rs560 billion.

    The budget session was the first one in the newly-constructed building of the Punjab Assembly. The total outlay of the budget has increased by more than 18% and the development budget has gained 66% compared with the current fiscal year.

    The Punjab Cabinet also approved the much-anticipated 10% increase in salaries and pension of provincial employees and also green-lighted the decision to increase the minimum wage of workers from Rs17,500 to Rs20,000.

    The Chief Minister of Punjab Usman Buzdar said that the budget is not a “magic of statistics” but is a document based on development.

    Taking a jibe at the Opposition, Buzdar said: “The job of the incompetent and failed Opposition is just to make noise. Criticising the government’s positive policies only for the sake of criticising make them look bad.”

    In the cabinet meeting, the Board of Revenue proposed to increase the agricultural tax. However, CM Buzdar and the Punjab Cabinet unanimously rejected the suggestion.

    “The proposed budget has measures to give relief to the common man,” CM Buzdar. “All targets are realistic and all priorities have been set in accordance with the needs of the masses.”

  • Buzdar rebukes ‘insubordinate’ ministers, decides to ‘act like chief minister now’

    Buzdar rebukes ‘insubordinate’ ministers, decides to ‘act like chief minister now’

    Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, irked by “insubordination” of his cabinet members, said he was being “being forced to act like a chief minister” and now he would “act like one”.

    The chief minister made these comments during a meeting of the Punjab Cabinet after Education Minister Murad Raas interrupted the CM in the middle of the meeting over the removal of a civil servant.

    Dawn reported that Murad earned the chief ministerial ire when he objected to the removal of Punjab School Education Department Secretary Sara Aslam, saying she was transferred a day earlier without taking him into confidence. CM Buzdar, however, took an exception to the remarks and responded in a “harsh tone”.

    “Is the issue big enough to raise in the cabinet meeting, especially when it was not on the agenda?” Buzdar was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

    Buzdar did not stop at this, he went on to warn his ministers about their behaviour. “I am aware of who was doing what and who is conspiring against whom. I am being forced to act like a [strict] chief minister and now that is what you people are going to get,” the CM reportedly said.

    According to reports, Ansar Majeed Niazi — minister for labour and human resource — also got his share of scolding for crossing lines with CM Usman Buzdar.