PTI funding probe: President Alvi among others received funds from ‘fake accounts’

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has seized records of hundreds of fake bank accounts through which millions of rupees were transferred to bank accounts of President Arif Alvi, PTI leader Asad Umar, and others including Hamid Zaman, Manzoor Chaudhary and Tariq Shafi. According to FIA, some of the accounts were opened in the name of local companies and religious trusts but the money was used for political purposes. The investigation agency has sent the preliminary investigation report to the DG FIA. The investigating agency also sought help from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) for further investigation, while the record of hundreds of accounts from different banks in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad were seized. The records of funds coming from foreign countries have also been confiscated and notices have been issued to these companies as well. As per the preliminary investigation, money was transferred from fake bank accounts of PTI to President Alvi in ​​2013. The FIA report said Alvi had opened a bank account without the permission of PTI’s central finance board and the funds were also transferred to PTI leader Faisal Vawda using the same account. A local company funding the former ruling party also turned out to be fake, as per the report. The owner of the company, which donated Rs3 million to the PTI, expressed ignorance about funding any political party. Millions of rupees were also transferred to PTI leader Asad Umar from the account of PTI Islamabad while the party received funds of $1.3 million from Wootton Cricket Limited Dubai in the same account. A transfer of Rs2.5 million from an account opened in the name of religious trust to PTI Lahore was also detected. The money, received for the flood victims, was used for political purposes, said the FIA report. The FIA issued notices to Tariq Shafi, Hamid Zaman and Manzoor Chaudhry. Tariq Shafi's name is already on the no-fly list.

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Ministry to send Pakistani manpower abroad for free

Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Sajid Hussain Turi has said that steps were afoot to send Pakistani workers and professionals abroad free of charge and minimise the hurdles for thousands of citizens seeking better professional opportunities in foreign countries. Currently, Pakistanis trying to bid adieu to the country for greener pastures are required to pay fees ranging from Rs,50,000 to 100,000. However, a summary seeking abolition of the charges as well as smoothing out of the bureaucratic maze will be soon presented to the cabinet for approval. The move will essentially enable the government to export manpower to mitigate unemployment and earn precious foreign exchange. Furthermore, in order to make the process transparent, easier and faster, the ministry has also directed the officials concerned to digitalise the protector office. Mr Turi, who chaired a high-level meeting on Friday, was briefed by federal secretary, DG bureau of immigration, DG overseas employment corporation and other senior officers. During the meeting, he announced that protector offices will be established soon in Bannu, Abbottabad, Sukkur, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir. The licenses of overseas promoters pending for three years were also issued, he added. A summary would be prepared soon to fill the vacant posts so that the efficiency of the institutions can be improved, Mr Turi said and added that strict action would be taken against officials involved in illegal activities and corruption. The minister stressed the importance of community welfare attaches (CWAs) to improve their performance for the welfare of overseas Pakistanis. However, an online meeting of all community CWAs will be held every fortnight to review the performance. "I will not tolerate any negligence regarding the complaints of overseas Pakistanis, he warned and urged the Welfare attach to provide easy access to Pakistanis living abroad for solving their problems and welfare. The Ministry's doors are always open for all kinds of cooperation and problems of overseas Pakistanis", he said. On the instructions of Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, an online complaint portal is being established for overseas Pakistanis, he added. Opportunities will be found in different countries for the export of OEC Pakistani manpower. He also hinted to initiate training and foreign language classes for OEC manpower export. Rise in Pakistanis seeking jobs abroad Pakistan is one of the biggest exporters of manpower, beating even India and Bangladesh by sending around 224,705 workers to different countries for various jobs in 2020 -- a trend which has been rising steadily despite all odds. This year, Pakistan ‘broke records’ after a surge in the number of citizens leaving the country for better professional opportunities. Meanwhile, according to the Bureau of Emigration Overseas Employment (BEOE), an increase of 27.6 per cent was noted in the number of Pakistanis seeking jobs abroad in the year 2021 compared to the previous year. Around 286,648 workers were registered for overseas employment in 2021, representing a 27.6% increase over the previous year. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (54%), Oman (13.4%) and Qatar (13.2%) are the main destinations for unskilled migrant workers from Pakistan in 2021. An overall increasing trend was observed in terms of migrants registered in 2021 as compared to 2020.

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MNAs, speaker to donate one-month salary to flood affectees

In the wake of massive devastation caused by the flash floods across the country, National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf on Friday announced the donation of one month's salary of all MNAs, including himself, and a two-day salary of all employees of lower house of parliament for the rescue, relief and rehabilitation of flood affectees. According to a statement, Ashraf, presently in Canada to attend the 65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Assembly, raised the situation during his various meetings with the speakers of Canada, Australia, Malaysia, the Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and others and apprised them of the damages done by floods. In his meetings with the expatriate community, the speaker also appealed to the overseas Pakistanis, philanthropists and well-placed Pakistanis to come forward, shedding all political, religious or cultural differences and unite as one nation to jointly help their brothers and sisters in distress. Read more: UN 'Flash Appeal' for flood victims to be launched on Aug 30 In line with the instructions of the speaker, the National Assembly of Pakistan is also establishing a special counter to coordinate the donation activities, it added. The enormity of the monstrous floods was increasing with each passing day, with the death toll and the number of marooned people escalating at a rapid pace. Describing the devastating floods as “a national emergency”, the government on Thursday appealed to the “national spirit” of the people to come forward and extend their helping hand for the relief of the marooned people. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) put the nationwide death toll from the rains and floods at 937. According to the latest data, the floods have wreaked havoc in 116 of the country’s 160 districts, which roughly translates into three-fourths of the country. Overall, the NDMA said 4,254,740 people were affected by the floods, including 215,997 people living in relief camps. Meanwhile, a United Nations 'Flash Appeal' is to be launched simultaneously in Geneva and Islamabad on August 30.

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Qatar did not offer $2b in cash

Qatar has not offered immediate provision of $2 billion in cash to Pakistan but renewed its interest in buying the two LNG-fired power plants that Islamabad was initially reluctant to sell without a competitive bidding process. “Doha seems more interested in making investments in various sectors than offering cash to immediately bail out Islamabad,” a government official said after the three-day visit of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday. “After the $3 billion investment commitment by Qatar, there is no funding gap, hence, no immediate requirement for the $2 billion cash,” Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said when contacted. Last week, the acting State Bank of Pakistan governor had indicated that Qatar might provide $2 billion cash to Pakistan to shore up the foreign exchange reserves. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has asked Pakistan to increase the gross official foreign exchange reserves to $16.2 billion by June next year, pointing out a hole of $4.5 billion that has to be filled by securing commitments from the bilateral creditors. Qatar’s policy of no-cash but investment is in line with the policies that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have adopted this time towards Pakistan, breaking the past practice of signing off big loan cheques that Islamabad never paid back. The king of Saudi Arabia on Thursday also directed to make a $1 billion investment in Pakistan after a similar announcement was made by the UAE a few days ago. The materialisation of these investments worth $5 billion from the three countries would require a strong commitment from the government of Pakistan, which will also keep it on track to follow the procedure prescribed by the IMF. Qatar, through its $425 billion sovereign wealth fund, has shown its intent to make $3 billion investment in airports, power plants, port terminals, solar energy and the stock market. However, another aide to the prime minister said that the Qatar Investment Authority was not keen to invest in oil and gas sectors; rather it was more interested in diversifying its investments. A member of the PM’s delegation said that Qatar again showed its interest in investing in LNG-fired Haveli Bahadur Shah and Baloki power plants. It was not Pakistan that offered the power plants rather the Qatari government showed interest, he added Last week, the government had decided to shelve the plan to sell these power plants to Qatar due to anticipated low sale price, excluding the liabilities. There was a view that the government might get $500 million to $600 million at best, which was politically difficult to sell to the people as the best price, they added. The Power Division had also advised the prime minister that determining the price of the plants was not immediately possible and there was a need to hire consultants to complete the transaction. The National Power Parks Management Company Limited (NPPMCL) owns 1,230 megawatts (MW) Haveli Bahadur Shah and 1,223MW Balloki power plants. These power plants were set up with government funding instead of the 70:30 debt-to-equity ratio. The Ministry of Finance had bought the equity of these power plants a few years ago through the Pakistan Development Fund proceeds. The government official said that the sale of the Roosevelt Hotel, New York, and the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) did not come under discussion. The Roosevelt Hotel is owned by the PIA through PIA-Investment Limited. The PIA-IL holds its stakes through a subsidiary which is registered in the British Virgin Islands. The hotel, located at a highly priced location, was closed in December 2020. But Qatar offered to invest in the Islamabad International Airport and the Jinnah International Airport, Karachi. The government official said that the materialisation of $3 billion investment by Qatar would depend upon how quickly the issues are being sorted out. He said that PM Shehbaz instructed to set up a monitoring and implementation cell to materialise the investment.

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Woman allegedly gang-raped

A woman was allegedly gang-raped by three men in the Sadiqabad area of Rawalpindi. The victim, a resident of a resident of Muslim Town, Sadiqabad, lodged a complaint with the police that after her divorce, she had been in contact with one Chaudhry Tufail, who proposed to marry her and assured her of supporting her children from the former husband. She said that the accused told her that he has arranged a Qazi for Nikah and called her to Chandni Chowk. The victim said that Tufail arrived showed up in a car and took her to an unknown location, where two armed men were already present. She said that the trio allegedly raped her at gunpoint and threatened her with dire consequences if she narrated her ordeal to anyone before they dropped her near Rehmanabad. Police registered a case and started an investigation against the suspects who are at large. Meanwhile, Rawalpindi police arrested 13 suspects and seized over 17 kgs of narcotics and 18 liters of liquor from their possession. A police spokesperson said that separate cases had been registered against all the suspects. Published in The Express Tribune, August 26th, 2022.

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Evacuee property: 'Govt approval a must for sale'

The Supreme Court has held that the no evacuee property could be sold without getting the approval of the federal government and no federal minister could approve the sale of an evacuee property either on his discretion or on the basis of relaxation of rules. A division bench of the apex court led by Justice Ijazul Ahsan upheld a Lahore High Court (LHC) ruling regarding the cancellation of the sale of Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) properties to private individuals in Rawalpindi. The bench heard the case of property belonging to the ETPB in Raja Bazar, Rawalpindi and decided the case in favour of the ETPB. After hearing both sides, the bench dismissed the appeal of private appellants along with other applications. The property was sold in 1992, following the approval given by then social welfare federal minister in 1977. It was sold by an ETPB official on the letter of the deputy secretary of the ministry, according to the case papers. Justice Ahsan authored the 17-page judgment, which held that there was no provision in the law governing the ETPB, the relevant rules or the 1977 Scheme, which allowed a federal minister to approve the sale of evacuee land either on his discretion or in relaxation of rules. According to the judgment, the federal government could accord the approval for a sale in favour of the appellants only after the board deliberated on the matter and passed a resolution for the sale of the suit property. It said that in the absence of an appropriate application before the competent authority and without it being processed in the departmental hierarchy, according to the law and rules, the entire superstructure of the transaction which culminated in the sale deed was based on an incompetent and unlawful exercise. Therefore, the judgment continued, any and all actions taken on the basis of the memorandum dated March 22, 1977 were unlawful and inconsequential on the rights of the ETPB/federal government insofar, as far as the ownership of the suit property was concerned. The court said that the minister had no power or authority on behalf of the federal government, and approved the sale of the suit property, especially in the absence of a resolution passed by the ETPB’s board seeking permission for sale of the suit property in favour of the appellants. The court said that when the concerned federal minister accorded approval for sale of the suit property, while he was not authorised to do so by the competent legislature, his actions could not be considered as executive actions in terms of Article 173 of the Constitution. There was also nothing on the record to suggest that the concerned minister had ever directed the ETPB’s board to deliberate on the matter and pass a resolution, concerning the sale of the suit property to the appellants, the court added. “If there was never any resolution, then there was never any sanction of the sale 19 either. If there was never any sanction, then there could have been no approval from the Federal Government for sale of the suit property,” it said. The apex court said that the high court had rightly concluded that being bereft of its executive nature; the sale deed had been obtained without the approval of the federal government and was, therefore, illegal and void ab-initio. In essence, the bench observed, “in order to sell or dispose of land managed by the ETPB, a resolution has to be passed by the ETPB’s Board which is then approved by the federal government”, adding: “Once approval has been accorded by the Federal Government, an officer is designated and authorized by the Chairman in terms of Section 12(2) of the ETPB Act who shall then carry out the sale or disposal of the land/property in question in the terms laid down by the federal government-sanctioned board resolution.”

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PM seeks urgent report on inflated electricity bills

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday, while taking strict notice of public complaints about inflated electricity bills, directed the authorities concerned to submit an urgent report and recommendations on the matter. The premier, chairing an urgent meeting to discuss the complaints on the inflated bills, resolved not to sit idle until the public complaints are addressed. “Khadim-e-Pakistan is answerable to his people for resolution of their grievances. I am committed to speaking truth to my people,” he added. Federal Minister for Power Khurram Dastgir, Special Assistant to PM Ahad Cheema and relevant senior officers attended the meeting. Read more: Fixed ST via power bills suspended On Saturday, PM Shehbaz also suspended fixed sales tax collection through electricity bills and ordered the formulation of a new mechanism. He also directed an inquiry over the levy of increased sales tax ratio to shopkeepers and retailers in the electricity bills other than the agreed one. He issued these directives while chairing a meeting to review electricity rates and fixed sales tax collection through electricity bills. During the meeting, PM Shehbaz specially asked for the inclusion of representatives of traders in the consultation process, prior to taking any decision with regards to the collection of taxes from shopkeepers through the utility bills. While resolving that the government would take all steps for the economic protection of the poor segments of society, the premier also directed the relevant authorities and ministries concerned to immediately devise an effective mechanism for slashing the power rates for the poor.

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