PM extends Air Chief Marshal’s tenure Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu was given a one-year extension by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday. President Asif Ali Zardari received an advisory from the prime minister about the Air Chief Marshal’s extension, which the president approved. 16th Chief of Air Staff Zaheer Babar is a four-star air force officer. On March 19, 2021, ACM Mujahid Anwar Khan, his predecessor, gave him command of the air force. It should be mentioned that a few days ago, Air Chief Zaheer Babar and recently elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met to talk about important national issues.
Here, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif planted a seedling to commemorate the start of the nation-wide spring planting campaign. He made an announcement highlighting the government’s commitment to planting twice as many saplings in 2024 as were planted in the previous year (240 million). Speaking at the event, he emphasised how urgent it is to reduce climate threats by increasing Pakistan’s forest cover, which is now only 5% of the country’s total area. He emphasised the need for quick action, using the Global Climate Risk Index to highlight Pakistan’s standing as the fifth most vulnerable nation to climate-related disasters. It is vital to raise awareness since between 1999 and 2018, the nation suffered the loss of 10,000 innocent lives in addition to billions of dollars in financial losses.
In the midst of protests by the opposition in the lower house of parliament, led by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), the National Assembly on Friday passed a resolution asking for an extension in seven ordinances. Azam Nazeer Tarar, the federal law minister, introduced two bills and seven ordinances in the parliament, to the outrage of the opposition members. The Civil Courts Amendment Bill of 2024 and the Legal Aid and Justice Authority Amendment Bill of 2024 were among the legislation presented before the House. The legislation were referred to the relevant standing committees by the chair. The amendments to the ordinances include the following: the National Highway Authority (Amendment) Ordinance 2023; Pakistan Postal Services Management Board (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023; Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (Amendment) Ordinance 2023; and the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023.
Azam Nazeer Tarar, the federal minister of law and justice, asked the opposition on Friday to contribute positively to the nation’s advancement. He justified the introduction of ordinances in the house during his floor speech, stating that all of these would be discussed in committees. He requested input from the opposition parties during the talks. In his criticism of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for opposing the ordinance, Tarar said, “This is not how the country will progress.” You should do some introspection; contacting the IMF and EU with letters won’t help you in any way. He claimed that orders to form National Assembly Committees had been given by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The National Assembly was notified on Friday by Federal Minister of Commerce Jamal Kamal Khan that the export prohibition on onions and bananas was only in effect during Ramadan and would only last temporarily. In response to Naveed Qamar and others’ calling attention notice to the export ban, he stated that the cabinet decided on the ban following the submission of a summary by the Ministry of National Food Security. According to the ministry, these products cannot be exported until the 15th of the next month. He did, however, reassure the farmers that the government was cognizant of their worries and suggest that, should all go according to plan, this timeline might be shortened.
The Pakistani authorities have been requested to ‘do more’ by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) than simply abolishing the special tax regime for the building industry. The Fund instructed the Pakistani government to remove the tax exemption granted to non-profit groups and to reconsider the tax breaks provided to charitable institutions. The IMF insisted on the removal of the cabinet members’ discretionary authority and tax collectors. Sources claim that in order for the provinces to collect taxes from the federation and carry out their local tax rules, the IMF required them to cooperate more. It also suggested that the Ministry of Finance create a unit dedicated to tax policy. It was suggested that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and other organisations promptly establish a comprehensive data transfer system.
According to a report released on Friday by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) showed a 1.35 percent increase in weekly inflation for all combined consumption groups during the week ending on March 14. The SPI in the aforementioned category for the week under review was 327.21 points, as opposed to 322.86 points for the previous week, based on PBS data. The SPI for the combined consumption group increased by 32.89% during the review week as compared to the same week the previous year. The weekly SPI includes 51 important items for all spending groups and 17 urban locations with a base year of 2015–16 = 100.
Ali Mubarak Ali Essa Al-Khater, the Qatari ambassador to Pakistan, paid Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif a visit on Thursday. The prime minister expressed gratitude to Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, the deputy amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, the amir of Qatar, for their heartfelt congratulations on his reelection. He declared that Pakistan was proud of its close, brotherly connection with Qatar and that there was still room for the two countries’ bilateral ties to deepen and become more significant, especially in the sectors of trade, investment, and the economy. He emphasised that, since its establishment during his prior term as prime minister, the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) has been an effective and productive mechanism.
On Thursday, Federal Defence Minister Khawaja Asif stated that it is encouraging that the provinces and the federation are working together to address public issues. In an apparent reference to the meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Wednesday, Khawaja Asif told the media on Thursday at the Parliament House that it was undoubtedly a step in the right direction. He went on to say that the government ought to take care of its own affairs before relying on the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Khawaja Asif declared, “There is no need to go to the IMF if everything goes well.” He asserted that the recently established administration held the solution to our issues and suffering.
The Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), supported by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), filed a case against the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to deny the party reserved seats. The appeal was dismissed by the Peshawar High Court on Thursday. The court insisted, “Petitions are unanimously rejected.” The PHC reopened its hearing earlier today, with Chief Justice Mohammad Ibrahim Khan leading the five-member bench that includes Justices Ijaz Anwar, Ishtiaq Ibrahim, Shakeel Ahmad, and Arshad Ali. Barrister Ali Zafar, the SIC’s attorney, stated during his arguments that the Constitution is silent on the deadline for parties to provide the ECP with a list of names for reserved seats. “Nowhere is it stated that you cannot submit the list again.
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