ISLAMABAD, May 23 (APP):The Economic Coordination
Committee of the Cabinet (ECC) here on Monday approved Special Ramadan Package worth Rs 1.75 billion for providing relief to consumers in the holy month, as compared to Rs 1.5 billion given last year.

The Federal Minister for Finance Senator Muhammad Ishaq
Dar chaired the meeting of the ECC held at the Prime
Minister’s Secretariat.

The Ramadan package would cover 22 essential items available at the Utility Store Corporation of Pakistan (USC) according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Finance here on Monday.

The meeting was informed that as directed by the Prime
Minister the USC was already providing concession on different items since April 27 which would also continue in Ramadan. The relief on different items ranges from Rs 4 to Rs 50.

It is pertinent to mention that overall USC would provide 5 to 10% discount on more than 1000 items for the month
of Ramadan through arrangements with vendors or reducing its own profit margins.

The ECC also approved grant of Tax Exemption under
Gwadar Port Concession Agreement for Operation and Development of Gwadar Port.
Tax Holiday shall be provided to the businesses to be
established in the free zone for a period of 23 years.
The ECC also granted approval for the allocation of
60MMCFD additional available gas from HRL (Habib Rahi
Limestone) Reservoir of Mari Gas to Thermal Power Station
Guddu (TPSG) /GENCO- II.

On this occasion Secretary Water and Power, Younus
Dhaga, informed the Committee that as compared to May 2015, when the total power generation was 14100 MW, this year “we have optimized generation and took it to 16300 MW in the current month”.

The Finance Minister appreciated the efforts of the Water and Power Ministry in effectively dealing with energy crisis and said that “we shall make available 10,000 additional MWs by 2018 as promised by the PML-N in its manifesto.”

ISLAMABAD, May 23 (APP): President Mamnoon Hussain
Monday said that operation Zarb e Azb had produced positive results and situation was returning to normalcy in seven agencies of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

Talking to a delegation of tribal elders from FATA that
called on him at the Aiwan e Sadr, here, the President said
the government had allocated a large sum for resettlement of displaced persons.

ISLAMABAD, May 23 (APP): Pakistan on Monday expressed
its concern over the drone strike in its territory on Saturday
and described it “a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and a
breach of the United Nations Charter”.

“The Ambassador of the United States, David Hale was
called in today by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on
Foreign Affairs (SAPM), Syed Tariq Fatemi, to express concern over the drone strike on Pakistani territory on Saturday, May 21, 2016,” a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here said.

In the meeting, Tariq Fatemi pointed out that the drone strike was a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and a
breach of the United Nation’s Charter that guarantees the
inviolability of the territorial integrity of its member
states.

He also emphasized that such actions could adversely
impact the ongoing efforts by the Quadrilateral Coordination
Group (QCG) for facilitating peace talks between the Afghan
Government and the Taliban.

The Special Assistant to the Prime Minister also underlined that Pakistan and the United States had been closely coordinating in the fight against the menace of terrorism and that this cooperation needed to be maintained, the press release added.

ISLAMABAD, 23 May 2016: Minister for Interior, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Monday directed Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration to establish a Special Cell to check illegal land grabbing in Capital.

Chairing a meeting here, he directed, “Establish a Special Cell
comprising Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue), Superintendent of Police, Islamabad and officials of revenue department to address land grabbing issue in Islamabad.”, a Spokesman quoted the Minister as saying.

The meeting was also attended by Secretary Interior, Chairman National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), Director General Immigration and Passport, ICT administration and senior officials of the Ministry.

Ch. Nisar said, “Innocent and poor owners of land in ICT rural
areas are hoodwinked by land mafia on rates far lower than original market rates and this practice must be stopped.”

The Minister said, he would fully support all schemes and
housing societies, aimed at providing residential facility to
low income government employees.

Ch. Nisar said, he has no objection on land acquisition
in city subject to fact that buyer and seller of land are mutually agreed and the land is purchased at market rates.
He directed Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to submit
short term, medium term and long term plan for re-organization of the Agency with a set timeline.

The Minister also approved in principal a proposal by Capital
Development Authority (CDA) and ICT administration for establishment of new sectors in Federal Capital to cater to ever growing needs of low income government employees.

Meanwhile, with upcoming month of Ramadan, he directed ICT administration to ensure reasonable prices of daily kitchen items for consumers and speed up anti-adulteration campaign in the city.

“The traders must be taken on-board for the campaign of
controlled pricing of kitchen items and in action against the
adulterators,” directed the Minister.

The Director General Immigration and Passport, and Chairman NADRA briefed the Minister over progress of suspension of Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs) and passports of proclaimed offenders and absconders.

Chairman NADRA informed, “NADRA was in process of  making a centralized data bank of proclaimed offenders and absconders.”

The Chairman said so far it has received a list of 7,678
proclaimed offenders and absconders from FIA, ICT Police and Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF).

A proposal of hosting Executive Members Committee meeting of Geneva based International Civil Defence Organization (ICDO) in Islamabad in 2017 was also approved by the Minister.

The Minister was apprised by Director General Civil Defence
that Pakistan’s membership of executive body of ICDO has been extended for term of another four years by Geneva based organisation.
The DG Civil Defence said hosting of executive body meeting
would contribute to soft image of Pakistan and would help in
highlighting its positive role in achieving overall goals and
objectives of ICDO.

LAHORE. May 23 (APP): Federal Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique on Monday said that Pakistan was making a strategy to deal with issue of executions of Jamaat-e-Islami leaders in Bangladesh.

Addressing a conference titled “Shuhada-e-Wafa”, organised by the Islamic Lawyers Forum at the Lahore High Court Bar premises, he said that Hasina Wajid-led government was instable and that was why it was increasing distances with Pakistan to enhance its relations with India.

“Until now, no country supported the revenge actions of Hasina Wajid-led government,” he added.

He said that executions of Jamaat-e-Islami leaders in Bangladesh was not only the problem of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan but also of every Pakistani.

He said that the government was making a strategy on the issue to stop Bangladesh from more executions and all stakeholder would be consulted in this regard.

He said that the Pakistani government would become a complainant for the executed Jamaat-e-Islami leaders, as it could not ignore those who supported Pakistan at that time.
He said that the government would raise the issue at all forums including the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) and the United Nations, wherever it was required.

Speaking on the occasion, Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Siraj ul Haq said that no crime proved against Jammat-e-Islami leader Motiur Rehman Nizami in the tribunal but he was convicted for supporting Pakistan.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Leader Chaudhry Sarwar condemned the executions of Jamaat-e-Islami leaders in Bangladesh and urged the government to play an effective role in this regard.

ISLAMABAD, May 23 (APP): Thomas Drew, the newly appointed British High Commissioner to Pakistan, called on the Federal Minister for Finance Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar here Monday and discussed ways and means to further enhance bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

The minister welcomed the newly appointed High Commissioner and said that he hoped that his current appointment to Pakistan would play an important role in further improving the bilateral relations between the two countries.

ISLAMABAD, May 23 (APP): The first cargo flight of relief
goods from Pakistan, for the victims of the recent devastatingfloods, landslides and torrential rains in Sri Lanka, arrived in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo on Monday.

The Pakistani cargo plane brought full load of C 130 aircraft
carrying priority relief items indicated by the Sri Lankan
authorities, at the Bandaranaike International Airport Katunayake.

ISLAMABAD, May 23 (APP): The Board of Investment (BoI) Monday urged the Chinese company, China Zhongde International Investment Group to invest in establishing fruit processing units along the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Gilgit Baltistan.

“The major portion of fruits produced in Gilgit Baltistan goes
waste due to lack of processing facilities,” Secretary BoI, Azhar Ali Chaudhry said during a meeting with the six member delegation of the company headed by its Chairman, Gaobing Zhao.

ISLAMABAD, May 23 (APP): Minister for Planning,
Development and Reforms, Prof. Ahsan Iqbal Tuesday said that Pakistan would determine its future by following Chinese model of achieving economic development through polity stability, social harmony and solidarity, right economic policies and built in process of reforms.

Speaking at an event titled ‘Symbol of immortal
friendship icon of iron brotherhood’ hosted by the Ministry
of Planning and development in connection with 65th
anniversary of Pak China diplomatic relations here, he said that China achieved a remarkable economic development in decades by adopting these principles.