Tag: SIFC

  • Gandapur angry in public gatherings, calm in closed-door meetings

    Gandapur angry in public gatherings, calm in closed-door meetings

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur can play a significant role in engagement between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the establishment, The News’ senior journalist Ansar Abbasi has reported.

    Informed sources told The News that Gandapur’s behaviour was entirely different to his usual outspoken self during the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) meeting, as compared to his attitude while addressing public gatherings.

    He behaved very calmly during his interaction with the federal government, The News reported on Tuesday.

    On Monday, during a joint press conference along with the interior minister Mohsin Naqvi and power minister Owais Leghari, Gandapur stressed that his political activities should be kept separate from his administrative duties. He further stated in a presser that he is ready to work with the federal government to resolve the issues faced by KP.

    The chief minister also conveyed the message of PTI founder Imran Khan: “We do not have any conflict with institutions, there is no disagreement with the governor’s policy, and we will have to negotiate on the issues and rights of the province.” 

    “He is cooperative, he positively takes part in discussions on issues of national interest and never engages in any sort of conflict,” a source who has attended a few such federal-level meetings revealed about the conduct of the KP chief minister.

  • Kabhi haan, kabhi na; Gandapur to attend SIFC meeting after all

    Kabhi haan, kabhi na; Gandapur to attend SIFC meeting after all

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur has said that he will attend the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) meeting in Islamabad today after receiving an invitation from the federal government, The News reported on Saturday.

    “Yes, surely, I will represent my province in the SIFC meeting,” replied Gandapur when he was asked about whether he would attend the meeting or not.

    Earlier, the KP government had strongly criticised the federal government for apparently ditching CM Gandapur.

    “Ignoring the province and its people from their representation in the Special Investment Facilitation Council is a great injustice to this province,” said KP government’s spokesperson Barrister Saif.

    The SIFC meeting will be chaired by the Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif at PM House today.

    The country’s top civil and military leadership, federal ministers and chief secretaries would attend the meeting.

  • SIFC ditches CM Gandapur and he’s not happy about it

    SIFC ditches CM Gandapur and he’s not happy about it

    The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has strongly criticised the federal government for not inviting KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur to the upcoming apex committee session of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC).

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif summoned the SIFC’s session at 11:45 am on May 25. KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur was not invited to the meeting.

    Chief Ministers of all other provinces have been invited to the SIFC meeting except Gandapur.

    KP government’s spokesperson Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif condemned the federal government, saying that the “Form 47 government of Shehbaz Sharif” showed bias towards the province.

    Earlier this month, CM Gandapur had come down hard on the federal government, warning of a strong reaction if the Centre failed to give an exact timeframe for resolving the province’s core issues.

  • Email kholo! SIFC to officials

    Email kholo! SIFC to officials

    The Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) has ordered all the focal persons of ministries to regularly check and respond to their emails after it was revealed that no one responded to UAE companies interested in investing in renewable energy projects in Pakistan.

    The event unfolded when the Foreign Office (FO) of Pakistan noted that when its ambassador to UAE held a meeting with Abu Dhabi Development Holding Company (ADQ) focal person to receive an update on the seven bilateral investment MoUs signed with UAE in November 2023.

    It was then revealed that the ADQ had tried to establish contacts with the concerned focal persons through formal channels of communication – emails. However, they received no reply in over a month and despite reminders, they await our response.

    Considering the recent developments, SIFC has requested all focal persons to establish official communication channels with a proper record keeping mechanisms in place. Email is regarded as the official means of communication while WhatsApp is treated as an informal tool.

  • Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb will meet with IMF on April 14–15

    Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb will meet with IMF on April 14–15

    Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb announced on Friday that a government delegation will meet with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington DC on April 14 and 15.

    Talking to the media during his visit to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), the Minister said that the features of a new programme will be discussed in a Washington DC meeting. However, detailed talks will be held in Pakistan.

    He also said that the government plans to join a longer programme with the IMF, adding that the country’s economy will stay stable with the fund.

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also hinted on March 21 that the new IMF programme will last for three years.

    “New tranche of loan is likely to be received from the IMF in a few days, however, we would need another programme,” he had said while addressing a session of the Special Investment Facilitation Council’s (SIFC) apex committee attended by civil-military leadership.

    Aurangzeb responded to a question regarding the IMF, saying that the size of the new programme has not been discussed yet.

  • Government likely to extend new IMF programme for three years, says Shehbaz Sharif

    Government likely to extend new IMF programme for three years, says Shehbaz Sharif

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has indicated that the government is likely to extend the new International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme for three years.

    “The new tranche of loan is likely to be received from the IMF in a few days, however, we would need another programme,” he said while addressing a session of the Special Investment Facilitation Council’s (SIFC) apex committee attended by civil-military leadership on Thursday.

    Shehbaz Sharif also stated that the presence of civil-military leadership, including elected lawmakers, in the session is a clear message of unity, development, and prosperity for the country.

    The PM also said that the former coalition government, comprised of 13 political parties, prioritised the country over politics.

    “There are major challenges to national economy. The SIFC is an important platform which was primarily establishment to remove hurdles in foreign investments, and it held several meetings during the last eight months.” Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir played vital role in SIFC’s formation, he added.