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PR No.19 A meeting of the Committee of Federal Cabinet to review the reinstatement process of sacked employees of Sui Northern Gas Limited, Sui Southern Gas Limited & State Life Insurance Corporation under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Labour & Manpower, Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah was held here today. The Committee was told that 1078 employees of Sui Northern Gas Ltd., 2533 employees of Sui Southern Gas Ltd. and 378 employees of State Life Insurance Corporation have been reinstated On the occasion the Federal Minister Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah said that the present government would honour its commitment for reinstatement of sacked employees. He directed the authorities concern to speed up the process of reinstatement of the sacked employees He also directed to reinstate all those employees who have contacted so for to these departments for reinstatement. He also said that the reinstated employees should be paid pay and allowances equal to regular employees of their respective departments Federal Ministers Rehmatullah Karkar, Haji Ghulam Ahmed Balour and Justice ( R ) Abdul Razzaq Thaeem also attended the meeting of the Committee. Federal Secretaries for Labour & Manpower, Finance and Establishment Division and other high officials of the Labour Ministry were also present in the meeting.
PR No.20 A Loan Agreement was signed on 4th January, 2010 in Islamabad between the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development amounting to Kuwaiti Dinars fourteen million three hundred thousand KD. 14,300,000/- (approximately US $ 50 million) to finance the Reconstruction of Higher Education Institution Project in the Earthquake affected Areas of AJK. Mr. Sibtain Fazal Halim, Secretary, Economic Affairs Division and H.E. Mr. Hesham Al-Waqayan, Deputy Director-General of Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development signed the Loan Agreement on behalf of their respective Governments. The Project aims at the Reconstruction of selected Higher Education Institutions damaged by the October 2005 earthquake in the areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir through seismically safe and improved designs, in order to restore equitable access to higher quality education. The Project comprises about 30 colleges that were badly damaged and includes reconstructions works, provision of furniture and educational equipment, and engineering services for the design and supervision. The Loan bears an interest rate at 0.5% per annum and another 0.5% per annum to cover administration costs and other expenses. The repayment period of the loan will be 20 years 5 year grace period.
PR No.21 Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani chaired a meeting at PM’s House here this afternoon to review progress on the relief and rehabilitation activities of the IDPs. The Prime Minister said Pakistan being the front line state in the war against terror has suffered a lot economically and called upon the international community to fulfill their pledges so that Pakistan can effectively implement its strategy of relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction. The Prime Minister lauded the spirit and support of the provinces, media, and civil society during the Malakand/Swat operation as they played a very significant role in making the whole operation a success. Mentioning the importance of the people’s support in any military operation, the Prime Minister said that winning hearts and minds of the people of South Waziristan is imperative in further augmenting the ongoing successful military operation in the area. He asked the civil society, media and media to come forward to help the displaced persons of the affected areas, as they did in case of Malakand/Swat. The meeting was attended by Minister of State for Finance and Economic Affairs, Ms. Hina Rabbani Khar, Governor NWFP, Mr. Owais Ahmed Ghani, Senior Minister NWFP, Mr. Bashir Ahmed Bilour, Principal Secretary to PM, Secretaries, Cabinet, Finance, Foreign Affairs, Economic Affairs Division, Chief Secretary NWFP and Chairman Special Support Group, Lt. General Nadeem Ahmed. NOT TO BE PUBLISHED/BROADCAST/TELECAST BEFORE THE MORNING OF 5TH JANUARY, 2010
PR No.22 PPP Co-Chairman and President Asif Ali Zardari has felicitated the Party workers on the birth anniversary of Pakistan’s first directly elected Prime Minister and the Party’s founder and first Chairman Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto falling on Tuesday January 5 and said that the best tribute to the martyred leader was to follow in his footsteps and empower the people of Pakistan by lifting them from hopelessness, abject poverty and degradation. On the eve of the 82nd birth anniversary of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Bhutto I wish to reiterate that no matter what the odds we will tread on the path illumined by the founding Chairman of the Party, he said in a message on the occasion. “The Quaid-i-Awam Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto awakened the people and gave them voice which no dictatorship has been able to stifle”. He said Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto led the fight for democracy and peoples’ emancipation from the front and even laid down his life for it before leaving this world to join the ranks of immortals. The PPP Co-Chairman said that Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto believed in dialogue and negotiations to resolve most complex political issues instead of resort to force. It was through dialogue and negotiations that the Party’s founder Chairman recovered the territory lost in the 1971 war and brought back ninety thousand prisoners of war from Indian camps. The Simla Accord that brought longest spell of peace between India and Pakistan also stands as a lasting monument to Shaheed Bhutto’s negotiating skills, the PPP Co-Chairman said. “It was he who prevented through negotiations the war trials of our military officers to protect the name and honour of the country”. It goes to the credit of the present democratic set up to have driven out a dictator from the Presidency through dialogue and negotiations and restored the country’s highest office to democratic forces, he said. Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto gave the country a unanimous democratic Constitution that was later mutilated by successive dictators for perpetuating themselves in power. It is our moral and political responsibility to restore the 1973 Constitution and rid it of all undemocratic Articles inserted into it by dictators. On his birthday I wish to reiterate that we will fulfill this responsibility and urge the Parliament once again to complete the task without loss of time, he said. Shaheed Bhutto awakened the people on the one hand and strengthened nations’ defences by giving it nuclear programme, the Kamra Aeronautical factory and the Heavy Mechanical Complex on the other, he said. Shaheed Bhutto was ‘Pakistan’s modernizer’ who left deep footprints in the sands of history. It is a measure of his mark on history that his martyrdom sparked freedom movements in many countries as people gathered in capitals across the world to condemn his murder, he said. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was a thinker, a friend of the poor, downtrodden and oppressed. Fearless in his beliefs he refused to bow before any man or power other than the Almighty. The PPP Co-Chairman asked the Party workers to rededicate themselves to the ideals of Bhutto on this day of his birth anniversary to tell the world that Bhutto still lives in the hearts and minds of the people and, from his grave, haunts the enemies of democracy.
NOT TO BE PUBLISHED/BROADCAST/TELECAST BEFORE THE MORNING OF 5TH JANUARY, 2010
PR
No.23 Under the direction of Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, various teams of doctors and rescue workers are dispatched to Hunza who are conducting massive rescue and relief operations there to save life of the people who are still stranded under the rubbles. The Prime Minister expressed deep sorrow and grief over the loss of lives due to massive land sliding at Attabad, Hunza where scores of houses fell into the river Hunza. He directed the concerned authorities to provide best medical facilities to the injured. PMMO/wh
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No.24 An MOU was signed between the Planning Commission and Agritech limited (Pak American Fertilizers) for Inland water navigation this evening. Sardar Aseff Ahmed Ali, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission and Engineer Zahid Aziz, head of Engineering (Projects) Pak American Fertilizers Ltd signed the MOU on behalf of their respective Departments. The Signing ceremony was witnessed by the Representatives of Pakistan Navy, Planning Commission and Representatives of Private Sector. Economic progress of any country depends on a fast and cost effective transport service to cater for domestic and international trade. 96% of Pakistan’s freight is carried by road and less than 4% by rail. The current volume of rail and road freight traffic is likely to increase from 170 billion tons/Km to over 600 billion tons/Km by 2020 due to improved economic activity. The major component of running cost of rail & road transport is imported fuel, which presently stands at over US$ 9 billion and is likely to increase manifold in view of increasing freight transport. There is 30,000 Km of rivers and perennial canal network in the country, which offers opportunity of establishing economical water transport system in the country. Establishment of Inland water transport will reduce fuel consumption to about 8 to 10 times and 3to 4 times less than the rail transport. Planning Commission is launching a full scale Inland Water Transport Project as a policy of this government based on link -canals in Punjab & Sindh Provinces and on many sections of Indus River . For this purpose the summary of draft bill has been send to Prime Minister Secretariat through Ministry of Water & Power. After the approval the President of Pakistan will be requested to issue an ordinance to make Pakistan Inland Waterways Transport Authority. It will be an autonomous authority with Administrative & Financial powers under the Ministry of Water & Power. Planning Commission will steer the whole process. Member Infrastructure will be the member of Steering Committee. Planning Commission has allocated Rs.1.4billion for the Inland Water transport System in PSDP of 2009-10 Budget. As soon as the authority is made, work will be commenced on a detailed PC-1.The Inland Water Transport project is in line with the Government’s policy of Public-Private partnership. This is also in line with the objectives of National Trade Corridor Improvement Programme to reduce the cist of transportation. The MOU is being signed with Agritech Limited to facilitate them to carryout the study with the support of Pakistan Navy. Only Pakistan Navy has the equipment and expertise to carryout the study.Agritech will finance the entire study and it will be completed during the current Fiscal Year. The study would enable Government to take a decision regarding a navigation project in River Indus. FJ/wh
PR
No.25 A meeting of the Sugar Advisory Board was held on 4th of January 2009 under the Chairmanship of Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani, the Federal Minister for Industries and Production. The meeting was attended by Federal Secretary Industries, Additional Secretary Industries and representatives of Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Federal Ministry of Finance, Federal Ministry of Commerce, State Bank of Pakistan, Federal Board of Revenue, Chairman Trading Corporation of Pakistan, Managing Director Utility Stores Corporation, Secretary Food Punjab, Secretary Agriculture Sindh, Secretary Industries NWFP, Director Industries NWFP, Director Industries Punjab, Cane Commissioner Punjab, Chairman and Secretary General of PSMA, Pakistan Agriculture Research Council, Agriculture Policy Institute,. The total cane crushed during the current season is 96 lacs 76 thousand tons. The sugar produced is approximately 8 lac tons. The indicative price of sugarcane had been notified by Sindh and Punjab as Rs. 102 per 40 kg and Rs. 100 per40 kg respectively but the average market rate is Rs. 140-160 per kg. The Ministry of Food and Agriculture said that approximately 3.4 million tons of sugar would be produced if due to good price for growers 80% of the sugarcane crop is crushed. They reiterated that as stated all along shortage of 8 to ten lacs was probable. The meeting discussed various measures to check soaring sugar prices which were on average at Rs. 65/kg. The participants were of the view that sugar was available and the issue was to lower and contain prices for which supplementary imported stocks should start arriving at the earliest. TCP informed that it had already tendered and 0.5 million tons of sugar that would start reaching the country by February 2010 while another 0.5 million tons would be following to be positioned inside the country at the earliest. In addition 0.5 million tons would be imported for maintaining strategic reserves/buffer stocks as already approved by the Cabinet. USC would be additionally procuring 0.5 million tons of sugar for intervention from its outlets for the low income group. The following decisions were made by consensus that will be finally decided upon by the Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet: i) The price of sugarcane will be monitored independently by the Provincial Cane Commissioners on a daily basis since it determined eventual sugar price. ii) To incentivize the private sector to import 5 lac tons of sugar sales tax, excise duty Sindh, be waived while import duty was already zero. To monitor the process State Bank of Pakistan will not open Letters of Credit beyond 5 lac tons. The concessions will be allowed only if the consignments reached the country latest by the 31st of March 2010. Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani urged all stake holders to work as a team since there was no problem that could not be resolved if there was well coordinated understanding of issues and a positive will on part of all players.
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TO BE PUBLISHED/BROADCAST/TELECAST BEFORE THE MORNING OF 5TH
JANUARY, 2010 Federal Minister/Chairperson Benazir Income Support Programme Farzana Raja on the 82nd birth anniversary of Pakistan People Party’s founder Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto promised to rid the poor masses of the country of the scourge of poverty. Farzana Raja said Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s struggled for a democratic and developed Pakistan and he will live in the hearts of the people forever. She said Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto gave Pakistan its nuclear programme, Pakistan Steel Mills and Heavy Mechanical complex. Farzana Raja termed Benazir Income Support Programme realization of Shaheed Bhutto’s slogan of Roti, Kapra and Makaan. 2.3 million deserving families across the country are receiving aid on their door step under the programme, while this number would be increased to 5 million this year. She said under the vision of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, deserving families will receive in the next phase of the programme health and technical education in addition to the financial aid. Farzana Raja said the present government under the guidance of President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is working on Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto’s vision to eradicate poverty from the country and to bring relief to the downtrodden section of the society. She said BISP, with a budget of Rs70 billion for the current fiscal year is working to improve the economic status of the poor families by giving them monthly stipend of Rs 1,000 and a Rs 300,000 interest-free loan to deserving families selected through a fair balloting process. NOT TO BE PUBLISHED/BROADCAST/TELECAST BEFORE THE MORNING OF 5TH JANUARY, 2010
PR
No.27 Governor NWFP, Mr. Owais Ahmed Ghani called on Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani at PM’s House here this afternoon and briefed him on the progress of the relief and rehabilitation activities undertaken for the IDPs of South Waziristan. He also briefed the Prime Minister on the overall security situation of the Province. Minister of State for Finance and Economic Affairs, Ms. Hina Rabbani Khar and Senior Minister NWFP, Mr. Bashir Ahmed Bilour were also present in the meeting. PMMO/wh
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