Day: December 30, 2021

KARACHI:Administrator Karachi, Sindh government’s Spokesman and CM Advisor on Law Barrister Murtaza Wahab on Thursday said that the historic fountain, snake house, fish house, lake and animal cages of Karachi Zoo would be renovated and the citizens visiting the zoo will be provided with better food items.

He made the remarks while visiting the zoo. He was accompanied by Metropolitan Commissioner Afzal Zaidi, Senior Director Recreation Mansoor Qazi and other officials. The Administrator Karachi said that the elephant in the zoo will celebrate its birthday today (December 31).

He said that the zoo has earned Rs 6 million this month which will be spent on the improvement of the zoo while Rs 2.3 million has been collected from the safari park. This amount will be spent on renovation and provision of facilities in the safari park. Barrister Murtaza Wahab inspected the various parts of the zoo and the cages of the animals and directed to make them better and more modern.

He also reviewed the facilities available at the zoo for citizens, especially women and children. He said that Karachi Zoo has historical significance and it is not only a zoo but also a vast garden where extensive information related to botany and zoology is available.

That is why the citizens of Karachi are so interested in this place. “Arrangements are being made to preserve all the old trees in the zoo so that this heritage, which is more than two hundred years old, can be preserved and the citizens can get information about all these rare trees,” he added.

The Administrator said that new animals would be brought in to enhance the colors of the zoo. “Zoological gardens and safari parks around the world provide an opportunity for citizens to learn more about wildlife and see them up close, so arrangements are made to keep these places as close to the natural environment as possible,” said the Administrator.

He said that according to the principles and international standards, Karachi Zoo is being built on modern lines. The best results will come in the future. On this occasion, the citizens present at the zoo met Administrator Karachi Murtaza Wahab and appreciated his efforts for the construction and development of Karachi.

Karachi:Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday rejected the mini-budget of the ‘PTIMF’ government and alleged that Imran Khan had pushed the common people against the wall by agreeing to another one billion dollars loan from the IMF.

In a statement issued from Media Cell Bilawal House, the PPP Chairman reiterated that Imran Khan’s IMF deal would bring the country to the brink of bankruptcy. “People of Pakistan are paying a heavy price of the unjust nexus of PTI with the IMF”, said Chairman PPP.

He also termed the imposition of tax on daily consumer products, such as bakery items, packaged milk, match sticks, mobile phone calls, books, etc. as proof of Imran Khan’s disregard towards the common people. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari stated that we will not let the country’s plunging into lawlessness due to puppet regime’s anti-people policies.

KARACHI:The provincial cabinet met under the chairmanship of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah at CM House on Thursday and discussed and decided 26 agenda items, including Recruitment Rules for ranks in the provincial police to create police cadre in the provincial service, Search Committee Bill and various others.

The meeting was attended by all the provincial ministers, advisors, special assistants, acting chief secretary Qazi Shahid Parvez and other concerned officers.

Recruitment Rules for police: The home department giving a presentation to the cabinet said that it has drafted recruitment rules for the posts of senior rans (from Superintendent of police BS-18 to Additional IGP BS-21) in Sindh police.

The appointment against the posts of senior ranks below the rank of Inspector General of Police shall be made in accordance with the respective recruitment rules made under the Sindh Civil Servants Act, 1973.

The proposed recruitment Rules for different posts from grade BS-21 to BS-18 are as follows:

Adl IGP (BS-21): By Promotion from amongst the DIGs (BS-20) having minimum 22-year service in BS-17 and above including three years in BS-20, on seniority-cum-fitness basis.

DIG (BS-20): By promotion from amongst the Senior Superintendents of Police / AIGP (BS-19) having minimum 17-year service in BS-17 and above, including three years in BS-19, on seniority-cum-fitness basis.

SSP/AIG (BS-19): By promotion from amongst the Superintendents of Police (BS-18) having minimum 12-year service in grade BS-17 and above, including 3 years in BS-18, on seniority-cum-fitness basis.

SP/ADIGP (BS-18): By promotion from amongst the Deputy Superintendent of Police (BS-17) having at least five -year service as such on seniority-cum-fitness basis.

SP/ADIGP (legal-BS-19): By promotion from amongst the Prosecuting Deputy Superintendents of Police (BS-17) having at least five-year service as such on seniority-cum-fitness basis.

The cabinet was told that the Constitution and the PSP Rules 1985 did not bar the Provincial government from making the subject recruitment rules nor do they suggest any concurrence from the Federal government. The matter of policing or police service is not included in the federal legislative list.

The cabinet was told that the legislative competence of `police’ has been declared to be in `exclusive Provincial domain’ by the High Court of Sindh in CP No. D-7097/2016 and No.D-131/2017 on 17.09.2016 and the same attained finality at the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

According to proposal, after notifying the proposed rules, the eligible officers in the rank of SP(BS-18) may be promoted against the posts of SSP/AIGP (BS-19) in Sindh Police replacing the PSP officers in this rank /posts; then gradually when these Sindh Police Service officers become eligible for BS-20 (DIGP) the same may be promoted as per rules replacing the officers of PSP; and so on and so forth

The cabinet after thorough discussion decided to constitute a committee under Energy Minister Imtiaz Shaikh and it members include Industries Minister Ikramullah Dharejo, Advisor law Murtaza Wahab, Advocate General, Chief Secretary, ACS Home and any co-opted to member to examine the proposed rules and consider the constitutional provisions and present their report within a month.

Search Committee Act: The provincial cabinet discussed and approved Search Committee Act, 2021 for appointment of the Vice Chancellors and other officers of the universities in public sector universities in Sindh.

The committee would be constituted by Sindh chief minister comprising chairman Sindh Higher Education Commissioner, Secretary U and B, Secretary College Education, two co opted members from relevant category of university to be nominated by the government from a panel of five persons sent by chairman.

The functions of the Search Committee include to prescribe recruitment criteria for vice chancellor, scrutinize and shortlist the application in the light of eligibility criteria, to hold interviews of shortlisted candidates and to recommend a panel of three most suitable candidates to the CM for final selection.

The cabinet approved the bill and referred it to the assembly.

Hiring of 1500 interns: The cabinet was told that 318 higher secondary schools, boys and girls, were facing acute shortage of subject specialists for classes XI and XII. They said that their requisition has been sent to SPSC but it would take time and delay was causing academic loss.

The cabinet decided that the hiring would be school specific/need basis and selection would be purely on merit and on district basis.

A stipend/ internship allowance amounting to Rs.50,000/- per month shall be allowed; subject to satisfactory performance. The hiring shall be on purely intern basis, and neither be regularized nor be appointed on contractual/ad-hoc basis. The hiring period would be subject to the need – till the selection/joining of a regular subject specialist.

Out of 1500 internees, 240 would be physics, 240 chemistry, 120 mathematics, 120 botany, including zoology, 240 English, 60 Pakistan studies, 60 each of Islamiat, Sindhi and Urdu.

Incentives for EVs: The Excise and Taxation dept told the meeting that during next five years 100,000 Electric vehicles, 500,000 two to three wheelers, 1000 buses and 1000 trucks would start plying in the country for the reasons such as higher petroleum price, low maintenance cost and such other reasons.

Powers to remove encroachment: The cabinet authorized Senior member Board of Revenue to depute any officers to remove encroachment such as encroachment together with structure, if any, raised on the public property.

The sub-committee in its report recommended its decisions such as fixing Rs1000 Registration Fee for EVs non-commercial vehicles for two years.

Annual Motor Vehicle Tax may be reduced to Rs.500/- for Electric Vehicles only.

Luxury Tax on Electric Vehicles may be reduced to Rs.5000/- for 2000cc and above (or equivalent KW) vehicles only. Motor Vehicle Tax from Electric Motorcycles may be recovered @ Rs.500/- once for all (LifeTime) and imposition of Rs1000/ penalty for late registration.

Adopt Spl Education school program: The Dept of Empowerment of Persons with disabilities presented a policy for `Adopt a Special Education School Programme in the cabinet saying that it would enable them to benefit from the expertise of the private sector, and allow them to focus instead on policy, planning and regulation by delegating day-to-day operations.

The objective of the policy includes to develop the existing infrastructure of Government Special Education and Rehabilitation Centers, to build the capacity of human resources of the Centers/Institutes, to meet with international commitments, to implement local laws and to promote Education for All.

As per policy the Regional Director concerned would carry out the initial screening and feasibility studies for identifying such projects keeping in view the criteria such as the center’s physical infrastructure needs to be repaired or rebuilt. The center being in a rural area/non-functional and has acute shortage of staff, including skilled and unskilled or has non-professional staff, low enrollment and low performing.

The period of adoption may range between three to five years. The cabinet approved the policy with the instructions to bring professional and experienced parties to adopt the schools. The cabinet on the request of the Local Government Department included adjoining areas into existing municipal committees of Moro and Naushero Feroze.

KARACHI:Administrator Karachi, Sindh legal advisor and Sindh government spokesman Barrister Murtaza Wahab on Thursday said that a 5.5 Kilometre long road connecting Shahrah e Humayun with Shah Waliullah Road in Federal B Area Block 4 is under construction.

“Residents will have significant convenience in transportation. The journey of development will continue in every district of Karachi. The PPP government has fulfilled another promise made to the people of Karachi. We will continue to serve the people of Karachi, the Administrator said this while inspecting the road under construction in Federal B Area Block 4 in Central District here.

Metropolitan Commissioner Karachi Syed Afzal Zaidi, Director General Technical Services Shabih ul Hasnain Zaidi and other concerned officers were also present on the occasion. The Administrator Karachi said that in the past this road was very dilapidated due to which passersby were facing difficulties. This road connects Shahrah e Highway with Shah Waliullah Road and there is a lot of traffic congestion so it was necessary to build it as soon as possible.

He said that service to the people is our mission and under this development works are being carried out in all parts of the city and they are being completed expeditiously. “Every possible step will be taken to improve the infrastructure in different areas,” he added.

KARACHI:Although Covid-19 pandemic continued to affect sport events around the globe, the Pakistan Cricket Board successfully delivered 267 matches in 10 tournaments in the 2021 calendar year. These include Pakistan Cup 2021, HBL PSL 6, Cricket Associations T20, National T20, Cricket Associations Championship, National U19 Championship, National U19 Cup, Cricket Associations Challenge, Pakistan Women’s Cup and the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had a stellar calendar year when they swept the Pakistan Cup, National T20 and Quaid-e-Azam Trophy titles. Sindh dominated the Cricket Association tournaments by winning the 50-over, T20 and three-day tournaments, while Southern Punjab U19 Whites and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Blues shared the pathway event titles.

Multan Sultans lifted the glittering HBL Pakistan Super League trophy in Abu Dhabi, whereas PCB Challengers retained the PCB Pakistan Women’s Cup crown. At the start of the year in January, the 33-match Pakistan Cup was held across three Karachi venues. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lifted the trophy with a seven-wicket win over Central Punjab at the State Bank Stadium. Central Punjab’s Tayyab Tahir was the top run-getter, scoring 666 from 12 matches at 60.55. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Asif Afridi topped the bowling charts with 25 scalps from 12 outings in the tournament.

PCB marquee event, the HBL Pakistan Super League, commenced in Karachi but was postponed after 14 matches before the remaining 20 matches were held in Abu Dhabi. Multan Sultans, led by Mohammad Rizwan, won their maiden title, beating Peshawar Zalmi by 47 runs.

Pakistan’s all-format captain and Karachi Kings’ linchpin Babar Azam topped the batting charts, scoring 554 runs from 11 matches at 69.25. Young sensation right-arm fast bowler Shahnawaz Dahani representing Multan Sultans took 20 wickets from 11 matches.

Quetta’s Bugti Stadium hosted the 15-match Cricket Associations T20 tournament from 15 September to 22 September. Sindh, with four wins in five matches, won the competition.

Right-handed batter Aamer Azmat representing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa scored 242 runs from four matches and remained the top run-getter in the tournament. The 20-year old Zaman Khan from Northern topped the bowling charts, taking nine wickets from three matches.

The National T20 was held in Rawalpindi and Lahore from 23 September to 13 October. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa defeated Central Punjab by seven wickets at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore to lift the trophy.

The right-handed batter Sahibzada Farhan representing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was the top run-getter, scoring 447 from 12 matches at 40.64. In the bowling charts, Imran Khan Snr from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa topped the table with 16 wickets from 12 matches.

Cricket Associations Championship (three-day event) was held across different venues of Punjab from 29 September to 14 November. The 30-match tournament was won by Sindh after topping the points table with 34 points.

Balochistan’s right-handed batter Muhammad Azeem Ghumman topped the batting charts, scoring 890 runs from 10 matches. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Zohaib Khan took 30 wickets from nine matches, registering two five-wicket hauls in an innings.

The 15-match Cricket Associations Challenge was held in three Punjab cities and was won by Sindh. In the batting department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Aamer Azmat was the top run-getter with 335 runs from five matches at 67. In the bowling department, Central Punjab’s Mohammad Irfan Jnr took nine wickets from five outings and remained top wicket-taker in the tournament.

In pathway cricket, 12-team National U19 Championship (three-day event) was held from 10 October to 19 November in different parts of the country. The four-day final, which was staged at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, was won by Southern Punjab U19 Whites, who defeated Central Punjab U19 Blues by two wickets.

Southern Punjab Whites’ Mohammad Shehzad topped the batting charts, scoring 829 from six matches at 92.11. Right-arm off-spinner Arham Nawab representing Central Punjab U19 Blues grabbed 30 wickets from six matches.

The National U19 Cup was held from 14 October to 14 November at different parts of the country. The final was staged at the Pindi Cricket Stadium and was won by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Blues who defeated Khyber Pakhtunkhwa U19 Whites by 43 runs.

Central Punjab U19 Whites’ Azan Awais remained top run-getter, scoring 313 from five matches at 78.25. Sindh U19 Blues’ Khawaja Mohammad Hafeez bagged 16 wickets from five outings in the tournament, with one five-wicket haul in an innings.

The Pakistan Women’s Cup was staged from 9 September to 21 September in Karachi. The day-night final was won by PCB Challengers who defeated PCB Blasters by 68 runs at the National Stadium in Karachi.

Aliya Riaz representing PCB Dynamites scored 364 from seven matches at 60.67. The right-arm off-spinner Nida Dar from PCB Blasters topped the bowling charts, taking 14 wickets from seven outings.

The 31-match Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2021-22 was hosted in different parts of the country from 20 October to 29 December. The pink-ball final, held at the National Stadium in Karachi, was won by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who defeated Northern by 169 runs.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s captain Iftikhar Ahmed for his all-round performance (102 and 25, two wickets) was declared the player of the match. In the batting charts, Northern’s Mohammad Huraira was the top run-getter, scoring 986 from 11 matches at 58. In the bowling charts, Southern Punjab’s left-arm spinner Ali Usman picked 43 wickets from nine matches, registering two five-wicket hauls in an innings.