Afghan refugees urged to abstain from political activities in Pakistan

Abdul Jabbar Takhari, the Acting Consul General of Afghanistan in Karachi, has urged Afghan refugees residing in Pakistan to abstain from participating in public gatherings hosted by Pakistani political parties, Tolo News reported Takhari said that they will not be able to defend any Afghan refugee who comes under criticism by the Pakistani government amid ongoing disputes among the political parties in the country. "They [Afghan refugees] should not interfere in political affairs of parties here because they have differences among themselves,” the report quoted him saying. He warned that interfering with any party, collaborating with them, or attending their meetings could leave Afghan refugees vulnerable if they encounter government-related issues, saying that the Afghan government will not be able to provide support to them. Read more: Afghan refugee influx Over 600,000 Afghans have arrived in Pakistan in the two years since the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan in 2021. In addition to the new arrival, Pakistan hosts 1.3 million Afghan refugees who are holding the Proof of Registration Cards issued by the government, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesman Qaiser Khan Afridi had recently said. Over the last two years, over 16,000 Afghans have returned to Afghanistan through the UNHCR-facilitated voluntary repatriation programme, he added. In 2017, the government issued a one-time Afghanistan Citizen Card (ACC) to approximately 880,000 refugees which expired this year. "UNHCR is in talks with Pakistani authorities about extending the registration cards of Afghan refugees," Afridi said, adding that they are hopeful for a positive outcome on this issue. According to Afridi, a positive decision from the authorities will provide relief to Afghan refugees, who are experiencing uncertainty and anxiety due to the expiration of their cards. Prior to August 20, 2021, Pakistani authorities estimated that 500,000 to 600,000 Afghans lived in the country.

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OGDC remains most profitable utility

The Oil and Gas Development Company (OGDC) remained the biggest profitable public sector entity in the financial year 2020 with Rs100.8 billion surplus, while the Quetta Electric Supply Company (Qesco) was the on the top of the list of the major loss-making ones with Rs108.5 billion deficit. The finance ministry on Thursday issued a list of 10 top profit-earning and 10-top loss-making entities for the fiscal year 2020. The cumulative sum of top-10 earners was Rs281.7 billion, while that of the top-10 loss-making firms was Rs419.6 billion. The details showed that Pakistan Petroleum Company Limited was the second top profit-making utility after the OGDC with Rs49.4 billion surplus, followed by the National Bank of Pakistan in the third place with Rs30.6 billion. The Government Holding (Pvt) Limited was in the fourth place with Rs29.8 billion, National Power Parks Management was fifth on the list with Rs28 billion, Port Qasim Authority was in the sixth place with Rs15.4 billion, and the National Transmission and Dispatch Company in the seventh place with Rs9.3 billion. The Pakistan Kuwait Investment Company (Pvt) Limited was ranked eighth with Rs6.3 billion, the Faisalabad Electric Supply Company ranked ninth with a profit of Rs6.08 billion, and the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation Limited was ranked 10th with a Rs6.02 billion surplus. Among the companies in the red, the National Highway Authority closely followed Qesco, with incurring Rs94.3 billion losses. The Pakistan Railways came in third with Rs50.2 billion deficit, and the Sukkur Electric Power Company ranked fourth with Rs40.8 billion. The Pakistan International Airlines was in the fifth place with Rs36.7 billion loss, the Sui Southern Gas Company Limited was in the sixth place with Rs21.4 billion, and the Pakistan Steel Mills was in seventh place with Rs20.6 billion. The Hyderabad Electric Supply Company came in eighth with Rs17.7 billion deficit, followed by the Pakistan State Oil in the ninth position with Rs14.8 billion and the Peshawar Electric Supply Company in the 10th place with a loss of Rs14.6 billion.

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Domestic users should expect gas tariff hike

Caretaker Federal Energy Minister Muhammad Ali on Thursday said domestic consumers should expect an increase in the price of gas as the country was suffering a loss of Rs1 billion each day in this sector. While talking to the media in Lahore, Ali said the interim set-up had received an inherited difference in the gas tariff. He added that the gas price difference in the country needed to be fixed, for which the calculations had been completed. The federal caretaker minister said it was the first right to give gas to the province from which it originated. He maintained that the country’s gas sector was running in losses of Rs1 billion daily and Rs30 billion on an annual basis. Ali said the companies working on finding gas reserves had left Pakistan. He continued that there was a shortage of gas in the entire country. The caretaker federal minister said as the country had entered into an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), it could not reduce the gas prices but would increase the tariff instead as per the pact with the Washington-based lender. He pledged that there would be no increase in the gas tariff for the low-income groups. However, he pointed out that the rich in the cities also used cheap gas and this procedure was definitely unfair. Read also: Govt plans special gas tariff for low-income group Ali said that his ministry was trying to import more liquefied natural gas (LNG). “We are trying to order more cargoes [of LNG],” he added. The caretaker federal minister pointed out that the target to increase exports was set at $37 billion this year. Pakistan’s oil and gas reserves have depleted by 17% and 6%, respectively, in the past one year till June 2023 as no major hydrocarbon discovery has been made since long. It signals that leftover deposits will be fully consumed in the next 15 years, according to a research house that cited the data of the Pakistan Petroleum Information Services (PPIS). Experts point out that Pakistan meets only 30% of its energy requirement through the local production of oil and gas while the remaining 70% needs are met through expensive imports. For this, the country has to arrange huge foreign exchange reserves. The share of energy stands at around 25% (around $1 billion per month) in the country’s total import bill. Industry players has been waiting for years for the announcement of a new oil and gas exploration policy, comprising incentives like an attractive increase in prices, to accelerate production activities in the country. The previous policy was announced over a decade ago in 2012. Different governments initiated work from time to time on a new policy, but to no avail.

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Man tortures, electrocutes wife for insisting to visit parents

A man allegedly killed his wife in the Mouza Dhadhar area of Soon Valley on Thursday. A case was registered accusing 70-year-old Mohammad Amir of murdering his 42-year-old wife Shabana by torturing and electrocuting her. Amir married Shabana, a resident of Peshawar, several years ago. Amir reportedly announced the death of his wife through mosque loudspeakers, while keeping the truth secret. When news of Shabana’s death broke, locals visited the home of the deceased. Suspicion immediately rose, since there were marks of torture on Shabana's body. Locals immediately reported the incident to police. According to a report by Nowshera police station, Amir first tortured his wife with a baton and then killed her by electrocuting her. Police immediately took the body into their custody and arrested Mohammad Amir. A case was registered under Section 302 by Nowshera police station on the complaint of Inspector Raja Abdul Ghaffar. Police said the motive behind the murder was that Shabana insisted on going to her parents’ home, while the accused did not allow her to leave, doubting that she would come back. Police are investigating further. Incidents like this remain shockingly common. Earlier this week in Dijkot, a man allegedly shot his wife and his sister-in-law dead over a domestic disagreement. The police took the bodies into custody, handed them over to their heirs and registered a case against the accused. The RPO took notice of the incident and requested a report from CPO Faisalabad. Shehbaz, a resident of Chak No. 431 GB, contracted his second marriage with 30-year-old Nasreen Bibi one year ago. Due to a domestic dispute, Nasreen Bibi moved in with her sister Parveen Bibi in Chak No. 614/GB. Shehbaz came to settle the dispute, but Nasreen did not return home with him. Late on Wednesday night, Shehbaz and his accomplices arrived at Parveen Bibi's house. Shehbaz allegedly shot Nasreen Bibi and Parveen Bibi, while they were asleep, seriously injuring them. The victims succumbed to their injuries. Read also: Retired cop kills wife, neighbour during heated argument Saddar Tandlianwala Police reached the scene, and turned over the victim’s bodies to their heirs after a post-mortem examination. Raids are under way to arrest the accused. Meanwhile, Regional Police Officer (RPO) Dr. Muhammad Abid Khan took notice of the double murder and sought a report from City Police Officer (CPO) Usman Akram Gondal. He issued orders to arrest the accused involved in the incident and to carry out all legal obligations. Domestic violence and murders remain frequent in Punjab. In April 2021, a man allegedly killed his wife after prolonged domestic disputes in the Gulshanabad area of Hasilpur. Kulsoom Bibi, a 32-year-old resident of Gulshanabad, was shot in the head by her husband Muhammad Sharif, reportedly due to domestic disputes. Upon receiving the report of the incident, the area police rushed to the spot and started preliminary investigation. Kulsoom’s husband initially claimed that some unknown persons had killed her. However, he reportedly confessed after further police interrogation that he had shot dead his wife due to domestic disputes. The police said they had arrested the husband of the slain woman after his confession and further investigation was under way. According to the people of the neighbourhood, the couple had frequent domestic quarrels due to which the man might have killed his wife. The police said they were also awaiting the forensic report. From January 1 to April 30 of this year, a total of 10,365 cases of gender-based violence were reported to the police, while 1,768 cases of violence against children were reported in the same period. This data was collected by filing a “Right to Information” request to the Punjab Police through Article 19-A of the Constitution of Pakistan.

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Another Ahmadi worship place comes under attack in Karachi

In yet another act of vandalism, a group of people on Thursday stormed the premises of an Ahmadi place of worship located in Karachi’s Martin Road area, a spokesperson for the community said. According to Amir Mehmoid, the unknown miscreants vandalised the minority community's worship place in a vintage area of Karachi, historically inhabited by a predominantly immigrant population from India. The area was once known for its tolerance and away from the sway of extremism. Sharing the ordeal, the spokesperson revealed that on Thursday morning at approximately 11:30am, a group of eight to 10 people gained access to the place of worship using a ladder and proceeded to vandalise the belongings. Read More: Dr Abdus Salam documentary: Haunting reminder why Pakistan needs heroes despite breeding them "The attack has resulted in a huge damage to the belongings of the Ahmadis within the worship place, including windows, glass doors, wooden doors, cameras, LED screens, tables, and chairs," he lamented. He further disclosed that the attackers, in a bid to insult, defaced images of the founder of the Ahmadi community and its present head. "Although the police were called to the scene, the miscreants had already fled by the time they arrived," he claimed, adding that efforts were underway to register a case regarding the incident. A similar attack occurred in the same area on January 18. During this earlier incident, approximately eight to 10 people attacked the minarets, desecrating them and causing damage to the worship place's building. Read More: Ahmadiyya community’s local head convicted of blasphemy in Algeria The spokesperson said that in the aftermath of this prior attack, the community had registered a case with the Jamshaid Quarters police station under FIR No. 29/23. “But, unfortunately, no action was taken and according to our knowledge no arrest was made in this regard,” he regretted. He urged the authorities to take immediate action against the culprits responsible for the recent attack on their worship place, expressing deep regret that due to previous inaction, these miscreants had once again targeted their place of worship. Notably, this marks the fifth incident of its kind within a span of nine months where an Ahmadi worship place has been subjected to such an attack. ”Not only were the properties vandalised, but the minarets were also partially damaged, bearing a resemblance to the incident that occurred on January 18, 2023," he disclosed.

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Project to make Pindi’s Saddar wire-free

In order to move the hanging electric wires connected to the poles underground for security, safety and beautification in the commercial area around the seven main roads of Saddar Bazar, the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) has prepared a project worth Rs1 billion. According to sources, the project, which has been named “Conversion of the Overhead Electric System to Underground Electric Distribution Network”, will be completed within six months. They said this project with equal funding from the Punjab government and the RCB was approved by the defence minister, defence secretary and the MLC director general following which the IESCO chief, cantonment executive officer, and other authorities finalised the project. Connecting the old commercial area of Rawalpindi to the underground electricity system has also become necessary because at present these dangling electric wires at Saddar Bazar, Adamji Road, Bank Road, Kashmir Road, Hyder Road, Police Station Road and the Cantonment General Hospital Road and their adjoining areas are daily causing accidents besides are affecting the aesthetic appeal of the commercial area. Accidents become norm In these areas, the incidents of wires breaking from poles, transformers catching fire, power systems being badly affected in rain and wind storms and the power system not being functional again for many hours have become a norm. Sources said the issues of safety and security have also started arising due to the garrison power supply of the city’s largest commercial being connected to the age-old system of poles. Given the security issues, it was decided to make the electricity system underground in all these markets for which this most important project was finalised after consultation between the trade organisations and the RCB administration. A cost of Rs1.5 billion was determined for this project by the IESCO and the civil works contractors. However, according to the opinion of experts, this cost was reduced to Rs1 billion, for which it was decided that the RCB and the Punjab government would each cover 50 per cent of the total cost of the project. The Punjab government has already issued Rs500 million in funding for the project. ‘A significant project’ RCB Cantonment Executive Officer Imran Gulzar believes converting the electricity system underground in the main commercial area of Saddar is a significant project which will enhance the safety and security of the electricity system, as well as improve the overall appearance of the commercial area. Daily mishaps caused by wires affixed to and dangling from power poles will be eliminated. “The IESCO will work on this project while the RCB will oversee the completion of the civil construction,” he said. Published in The Express Tribune, September 21st, 2023.

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PM for sharing scientific research

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Wednesday underlined the need that scientific research should be put at the disposal of all humanity, ensuring access to all the scientific breakthrough or discovery which was essential to save human lives, irrespective of the intellectual property rights. He said that it was a time for the international community to rise to the challenge and ensure better preparedness through legally binding obligations for building resilience against the future pandemics. Addressing a high-level meeting on prevention of global pandemics, preparedness and response, the prime minister highlighted that the Covid 19 had caught the world with surprise, which killed over 6 million people across the globe and led to the national and global economies lock downs. But with human ingenuity and power of targeted research the world was fortunate to have developed a vaccine which caused an optimism for the future, he added. The prime minister said that the pandemic also caused several reasons for concerns in the world including inequity in the vaccine distribution among the rich and poor, resistance by the corporate sector, insisting upon the property rights, hampering the wider preparation of the vaccine and inequality in the financial support mobilized for the rich and the poor countries to recover from the Covid. Read Kakar off to US for UNGA session PM Kakar stressed that they must not repeat these aspects in the future pandemic or health crises. The vaccines should be treated as global goods and available to all countries and companies, he emphasised, adding that the commercial companies, private donors and actors should not be put in charge of determining the medical production and distribution of vaccines. “It should be determined through the intergovernmental negotiations under the auspices of WHO,” he opined. “We should also commit to remove trade barriers, strengthen supply chains and facilitate the movement of medical and public health goods by diversifying manufacturing capacities across the regions and promoting technologies for the developing countries,” the prime minister maintained. He further noted that financing greatly affected the national, global and regional emergency health preparedness which required about $30 billion dollars annually and including a estimated gap of $10 billion dollars in the new external finances. He said these should be provided from all resources including allocation of SDRs or recapitalization of the multinational, regional or national development banks. The caretaker prime minister further said that adoption of a political declaration by the high-level meeting would help galvanize the political will. “We believe that issue of prevention and preparedness and response to a pandemic can be best addressed by legally treated through a binding treaty as mandated by the world health assembly, which is currently negotiated in Geneva,” he added.

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