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Punjab Assembly’s deputy speaker Dost Mazari shown the door

Dost Muhammad  Mazari has been voted out from his office as deputy speaker at the Punjab Assembly in a no-trust bid against him on Saturday. 

Voting on the no-confidence motion against the Deputy Speaker began in Punjab Assembly on Friday.  The voting result was announced moments after midnight. Mazari was removed with 186 votes.

The no-trust motion was tabled against the deputy speaker by PTI following his worsening ties with the party.

Mazari was criticised by PTI Chief Imran Khan and other party leaders for his ruling against the current Chief Minister of Punjab Pervez Elahi. The ruling rejected 10 votes cast by the PML-Q, depriving Elahi of becoming the CM and instated Hamza Shahbaz as the province’s CM.

However, the setback was momentary as the Supreme Court annulled Mazari’s ruling and instated the Khan-backed candidate, Elahi, as the CM.

Prior to the voting, empty ballot boxes were displayed in the House.

Afshan Ibrahim by — July 30, 2022 in News 0
Fuel subsidy relief package- a timely measure to provide respite to inflation-stricken people

ISLAMABAD, Jul 24 (APP):The relief package worth Rs. 28 billion introduced by the present government to lessen the impact of increased fuel prices on the low income groups was indeed a timely measure to provide respite to the inflation-stricken people.

The government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had to increase the prices of petroleum products to help the country’s ailing economy owing to the ineffective past policies of the past.

The Sasta Petrol/Diesel scheme introduced for the first time in the history of the country by any government to provide Rs 2000 to the 14 million families (over all 90 million people approximately) in wake of increased fuel prices to improve the country’s economic indicators.

Hailed as a timely measure to provide the much-needed respite, the payment process under the Sasta Petrol/Sasta Diesel scheme, being executed by the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP), is continuing successfully across the country. Till July 22 (Friday), over Rs 12 billion have been disbursed among 6,138,455 beneficiaries under the Sasta Petrol/Sasta Diesel Scheme.

As per the provincial breakdown of the payments, an amount of Rs 114,262,000 has been disbursed among 57,131 beneficiaries in Azad Jammu Kashmir, Rs. 492,408,000 among 246,204 beneficiaries in Balochistan, Rs. 97,970,000 among 48,985 beneficiaries in Gilgit-Baltistan and Rs 4,610,000 among 2305 beneficiaries in Islamabad.

A total of Rs 2,273,654,000 has been disbursed among 1,136,827 beneficiaries in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Rs 5,558,310,000 among 2,779,155 beneficiaries in Punjab, Rs 3,735,696,000 among 1,867,848 beneficiaries in Sindh.

According to the beneficiaries, the scheme providing Rs 2000 as fuel subsidy is although not enough amount to counter the effects of over-all inflation on poor but a good initiative on the part of the government to minimize at least the impacts of increased petrol prices.

Talking to APP, Anjuman, a beneficiary belonged to Islamabad said, “It is very difficult for the poor people like us to manage our living expenses in the prevailing price hike situation.In such situation, the fuel subsidy amount being provided by the government is a big relief for my family to meet the daily expenses”.
About the payment mechanism, Anjuman said that she had just received the amount of fuel subsidy from the One Window Center in Islamabad where the staff is very helpful and provided proper guidance to the beneficiaries.

Another beneficiary, Nazeeran Mai who belonged from Bahawalpur visited the One Window Center to receive payment and thanked the present government for providing assistance of Rs 2000 under the Sasta Petrol/Sasta Diesel Scheme with a hope that this amount would be increased in future.

Nazeeran Mai said that she will spend this amount on buying ration for her family as it has been difficult to make both ends meet during the prevailing inflation.

Another beneficiary, Safia Bibi, from Banni, Rawalpindi said that she has received the amount of Rs 2000 from the payment center today which she will utilize for fulfilling the needs of her children.

Appreciating this initiative of the present government, she said this amount means a lot to the poor like us and reflect the government sincere intentions to extend relief to the poor even in the difficult economic conditions.
The Sasta Petrol/Sasta Diesel Scheme is covering 14 million families (overall 90 million people) which are around 30 percent of the total population through providing the financial assistance of Rs. 2000.
The 14 million families include the existing eight million beneficiaries of Benazir Kafalat Program and six million additional beneficiaries who were identified through the National Socio-Economic Registry (NSER).
To select the six million additional beneficiaries, the SMS service 786 was opened for those having less than Rs 40,000 monthly income to apply for the scheme by sending their Computerized National Identity Cards.
After receiving payment message from BISP, the registered families of Benazir Kafalat Program belonged from Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan receive their payments from biometric ATMs of Habib Bank and those from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir from Bank Alfalah.
It is pertinent to mention here that the federal cabinet approved a relief package of worth Rs 28 billion to counter the effects of increased petroleum prices on the poor citizens.
According to the Chairperson BISP, Shazia Marri, the coalition government is pursuing concrete efforts to provide much-needed targeted subsidies to the poorest of the poor.
“The increase in petrol prices was a difficult decision to save the country’s economy from bankruptcy owing to the ineffective policies of the previous government”, she said.

outlooktimes staff by — July 24, 2022 in Business 0
Salaries of Airport Security Force to be increased by 15pct: interior minister

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Interior Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has said that the government had decided to raise salaries of the Airport Security Force (ASF) personnel by 15 per cent like other civil armed forces.

Prime Minister Imran Khan had given his approval in that regard on February 18, he said in a statement. The ASF employees would get an increase in their salary from March 1, he added.

The minister said the prime minister had approved a 15 per cent increase in the salaries of the civil armed forces last week. The government had already announced a 15 per cent disparity allowance for the federal government employees from grades 1-19, he added.

Web Desk by — February 19, 2022 in News 0
Pakistan to host OIC FMs session on Afghanistan on Dec 19: FM Qureshi

Pakistan on Saturday announced to host 17th extraordinary session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers on Afghanistan situation will be held in Islamabad on 19th of this month, with core objectives of highlighting the need for urgent assistance and mobilisation of resources to avert a humanitarian crisis and economic collapse in Afghanistan.

“If we don’t pay timely attention, half of Afghanistan’s population or 22.8 million people can face food shortage, and 3.2 million children may face malnutrition. This is the magnitude which we and the world should understand,” Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said during a news conference.

He said that considering the gravity of the situation, Pakistan made an effort and moved ahead to host the international event realising that, if not addressed timely, the situation would have dire consequences for Afghanistan, its neighbours as well as the whole region.

The country could face an economic collapse if the frozen assets were not released to cope with the burgeoning needs, added the FM.

Announcing the date of the OIC FMs session on Afghanistan, Qureshi said that such an extraordinary session of OIC FMs on the Afghanistan situation would be held after 41 years with the first held in 1980.

He said that besides the OIC FMs countries, Pakistan also invited the special representatives of P-5 countries including the US, China, Russia, France and the UK.

The High Representative of the European Union on Foreign Affairs was also invited and the invitation would also be extended to the World Bank and relevant UN agencies which could assist in the whole process, added the FM.

While, with a mere objective of evolving an international consensus, Pakistan would also invite important countries like Germany, Japan, Canada and Australia.

Qureshi said that Pakistan desired to invite a high-level delegation of Afghanistan to interact with the visiting dignitaries and apprise them of the latest on-ground situation.

Sajal Subhan by — December 4, 2021 in News 0
Afghan board signals women could still play cricket: report

Women could still be allowed to play cricket, the chairman of Afghanistan’s Cricket Board has claimed to an Australian broadcaster in an apparent backflip on the Taliban’s hardline stance.

Azizullah Fazli said the governing body would outline how this would happen “very soon”, adding that all 25 of the women’s team remained in Afghanistan and had chosen not to leave on evacuation flights.

“We will give you our clear position on how we will allow women to play cricket,” he told SBS Radio Pashto late on Friday, the broadcaster reported on its English-language website.

“Very soon, we will give you good news on how we will proceed.”

His comments appear to contradict the deputy head of the Taliban’s cultural commission Ahmadullah Wasiq, who told the same broadcaster on Wednesday that it was “not necessary” for women to play sport.

Those remarks saw Australia threaten to cancel a historic maiden men’s Test between the two countries, set to take place in Hobart in November.

Australian Test captain Tim Paine turned up the heat on Friday, saying he believed teams could pull out of next month’s Twenty20 World Cup in protest, or boycott playing Afghanistan.

In an overnight statement, the Afghanistan Cricket Board urged Australia not to punish its men’s team over the Taliban’s apparent ban, saying it was “powerless to change the culture and religious environment of Afghanistan”.

“Do not isolate us and avoid penalising us,” it added.

Cricket Australia said in brief comments on Saturday that it remained in regular dialogue with the Afghanistan Cricket Board and that “we made our position very clear in the statement”.

It was referring to a statement on Thursday in which it supported “the game unequivocally for women at every level”, adding that it would have “no alternative” but to cancel the Hobart Test if the Taliban banned women.

Under International Cricket Council regulations, nations with Test status must also have an active women’s team.

Afghanistan’s position as a full member was set to be discussed at the ICC’s next board meeting in November, but Australian media said the governing body had brought it forward to within the next fortnight.

Despite recent reports that many of the women’s team were in hiding in Kabul and that members of the Taliban had come looking for them, Fazli insisted they were safe.

“The women cricket coach Diana Barakzai and her players are all safe and living in their home country,” he told SBS.

“Many countries have asked them to leave Afghanistan, but they have not left Afghanistan, and at the moment, they are in their places.”

Afshan Ibrahim by — September 11, 2021 in Cricket 0
Governor Sindh Visits K-Electric’s BQPS-III Power Plant, Reviews Swift Progress of Unit One

Karachi, May 03rd, 2021: Governor Sindh Imran Ismail visited K-Electric’s Bin Qasim Power Station-III (BQPS-III) project to review the progress on the latest addition to Karachi’s power network. The visit followed a meeting between KE’s Senior Leadership and the Governor Sindh where KE presented an update on the company’s preparedness for Ramadan and the 2021 summer season.

BQPS-III is a USD 650 million project which will be adding 900 MW of generation capacity to KE’s existing network. This mega-project is progressing on the back of close collaboration between leading engineering firms who are partnering with KE to achieve a shared vision of empowering Karachi. Work is progressing swiftly, and the first unit of 450 MW is over 70% complete and is expected to come online in the next 5 to 6 weeks. The high-efficiency plant will be utilizing RLNG as its primary fuel source. Not only is this expected to reduce the carbon footprint, the inclusion of RLNG will further diversify the company’s fuel mix and bring savings by lowering import costs for the government by eliminating the need for furnace oil.


KE officials were joined by senior representatives from Siemens, SSGC, and PLL, who apprised the Governor of the progress on the construction of a spur pipeline which will be supplying 150mmcfd of gas to BQPS-III, which is keeping pace with the plant’s progress and is also over 90% complete. The underlying Gas Supply Agreement between SSGC and PLL is also in advanced stages and is expected to be finalized as soon as necessary approvals are received from the Government, ensuring an adequate supply of fuel to energize the plant.


Commenting on his visit, Governor Imran Ismail said, “The sincerity of the Government of Pakistan is evident in the support they have extended to KE, and I am pleased to see that Sehr and Iftar times during this Ramadan are exempt from load-shed as a result. I’m monitoring the situation daily to ensure that the best possible facilitation is given to the citizens of Karachi. Seeing the scale and progress of work and the commitment with which KE is working, I feel positive for the future of the city. KE’s management and representatives from Siemens, SSGC, and PLL have assured me that they are working to complete the project on time, and I have instructed them to resolve any bottlenecks that may affect the energization of the plant which is expected to be inaugurated by the Honorable Prime Minister. In this process, I have also assured them of my fullest support from my office and from the Government of Pakistan.”


CEO K-Electric, Moonis Alvi said, “We’re grateful to the Governor Imran Ismail sahab and our partners at Siemens, SSGC, and PLL for visiting BQPS-III today. The timely execution of this project is critical to meet Karachi’s future demand, and we are all working around the clock to ensure the same. I also want to commend the Government of Pakistan for their support to KE and Karachi, especially during Ramadan which has enabled us to fully support Karachi’s power requirements. We look forward to this support in the summer months as well. Without their assistance and collaboration, it would not be possible for us to realize this dream for Karachi.”

Speaking with media during his visit to under construction BQPS-III site, Mr. Imran Maniar, Managing Director Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) said, “It is very important for us to work together with KE which is also our largest customer. Timely energization of this plant is necessary and we are working with KE to ensure their RLNG requirement is met. SSGC is pleased to be playing its role in this process.”

Web Desk by — May 4, 2021 in Business