Day: December 13, 2022

KARACHI: Administrator Karachi Dr. Syed Saifur Rahman on Tuesday said that the land of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation is the assets of the citizens and has to be protected from the Qabza mafia at all costs.

“There are clear orders of the Supreme Court regarding encroachments, so no concession can be given to anyone in this regard. The auction of petrol pumps and huts of KMC will be done keeping in mind the current market value and urban requirements. Continuous feedback is being taken from the officers posted on revenue collection and important decisions will be taken as per requirement,” The Administrator said this while presiding over a meeting with officers of the Land Department in his office here

Municipal Commissioner Syed Shujaat Hussain, Senior Director Land Najam-Uz-Zaman, Senior Director Anti-Encroachment Imran Ahmed Rajput, Additional Director and Deputy Director of Land Department were also present on this occasion.

Dr. Syed Saifur Rahman reviewed the current situation of recovery from KMC land and property in detail during the meeting. He directed the officers to speed up the recovery process and issue dues payment notices to the defaulters immediately. “The cases pending in the court must also be fully followed up and every possible effort be made to utilize the assets of KMC in the larger interest of the city,” he added.

The Administrator Karachi said that no other kind of activities can be done on government land, adding that all the institutions that have established their offices on KMC land should be informed about it immediately.

He said that the best way to save government land from encroachment is transparent auction, adding that it should not be delayed. He said that the previous fairs of KMC markets were not in accordance with the current market value, so they were revised. It was decided that the land value and rent would be determined based on the current market value.

Dr Syed Saifur Rehman said that petrol pumps of KMC are an important source of revenue and therefore they cannot be ignored, directing concerned department to ensure immediate implementation of the instructions.

The Administrator Karachi said that the Land Department should computerize all its records and make the best use of all the KMC land in the city possible. “Wherever there is any obstacle, it should be informed so that immediate action can be taken to remove it. To increase the resources of KMC it is necessary to improve the recovery for which all possible steps will be taken,” he concluded.

ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet Tuesday gave a nod to the Reqo Diq project amid a walkout staged by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) members.

According to details, the JUI and BNP members, key allies to the coalition government, recorded their protest in the cabinet meeting and also staged a walkout. Both parties expressed reservations for not taking them in confidence over legislation regarding Reko Diq. Federal ministers tried to pacify JUI and BNP after the walkout.

The government admitted that the reservations of both parties are valid and amendments will be added soon. However, JUI and BNP decided to boycott cabinet meetings until the amendments presented by them are incorporated into the Bill and left the Prime Minister’s House.

Meanwhile, BNP chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal chaired a meeting of the BNP senior leaders and discussed the current political situation in the country. The meeting seriously considered the option to leave the coalition government while the senior leaders gave their suggestions on the alliance to the government.

The party chief made the final decision on the alliance with the government subject to the decision of the core committee meeting, sources said. On the other hand, the sources said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has made a committee to hold negotiations with the coalition partners and address their reservations.

PM has nominated Federal Law Ministers Azam Nazir Tarar and Ayaz Sadiq to hold the meetings with the disgruntled leaders of both parties and take them into the confidence. Meanwhile, the cabinet approved the multi-billion dollars Reko Diq project deal following the endorsement of the project by the Supreme Court of Pakistan and also approved the clearance of liabilities of Chilean firm Antofagasta.

According to details, the federal cabinet approved an important decision related to the Reko Diq project, allowing the authorities to clear the liabilities of Chilean firm Antofagasta. The cabinet has emergency approval through circulation. A total of more than $22.7 million of interest will be allowed to clear the liabilities.

The Finance Ministry has been directed to arrange the interest payable for Balochistan’s share. The finance ministry would arrange more than $8.5 dollars. Govt Holdings Pvt. Limited (GHPL) have already raised Rs65 billion with the government’s guarantee. The other summaries regarding the Reko Diq project are being presented before the cabinet for approval in the regular cabinet meeting.

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Tuesday claimed there is clear evidence of India carrying out terrorist activities in Pakistan

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Tuesday, Rana said there is clear evidence of India carrying out terrorist activities in Pakistan. Additional IG CTD Punjab Imran Mehmood was also present. “Now, Pakistan has decided to present the matter before the international community and expose India’s nefarious agenda,” he added.

Rana said Pakistan has been a victim of terrorism for decades and India’s footprints are seen in every terror activity in the country. “Our mosques, imambargahs, important buildings, and gatherings have been targeted and Kulbhushan Yadav is clear proof of India’s terrorist activities in Pakistan,” he maintained.

The minister said India’s malicious activities had gone beyond that of an enemy state just to hide its atrocities in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

A powerful blast near the residence of JuD Hafiz Saeed in Johar Town took placed in June 2021. The car bomb blast claimed three people and injured 24 others, including a police constable. The Interior minister said that they had caught all the culprits related to this, referring to the Johar Town blast in Lahore.

AIG Punjab CTD Imran Mehmood said that as soon as this blast took place, CTD registered a first information report (FIR) and within 16 hours, the department “traced” the case. Also, in the initial 24 hours, CTD arrested three terrorists, he added.

The first character was Peter Paul David, Mehmood said, who was traced through the vehicle, he said, noting that the terrorist supervised the operation. “He was affiliated directly with two RAW agents – Ali Budaish and Bablu Srivastava. These agents would terror finance him,” the CTD official said. Sajjad Hussain was David’s assistant and assisted him in the Johar Town blast, Mehmood said, adding that Hussain also destroyed the phones used to communicate for the explosion.

The CTD official said David then directed the agencies towards another terrorist – Zia Ullah. “This guy was the main culprit’s (Sami ul Haq) brother. He would also facilitate others in Pakistan and this was the main lead that helped us move forward.”

The official recalled that the police had traced the suspect within 16 hours of the incident. “And within 24 hours we arrested three terrorists. “Eid Gul and his wife were arrested after 5-6 days. Gul was the person who gave the car to David outfitted with bombs. After Gul’s interrogation, the CTD was finally able to arrest Sami ul Haq, who Mehmood claimed was the main handler of the RAW-sponsored terror activities in Pakistan.

KARACHI: PTCL Group, including Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited and Ufone 4G, has donated 3000 warm jackets to help the flood affected communities of Balochistan for the on-going winter season.

The jackets were handed over to Balochistan Rural Support Program (BRSP) to distribute it amongst the flood affected families especially children, women and elderly to protect them from extreme cold in Orak, Panjpai and Kechi Baig, areas of Quetta, Ajram, Surkhab/Niganda and Tuba Kakari/Ibrahim Khan, areas of Pishin and Shna Khwara and Nasai areas of Killa Saifullah.

On the initiative, Group Director PR, CSR and Corporate Communication, PTCL and Ufone, said, “PTCL Group is aware that the plight of flood affected people has been worsoned by extreme winters and women, children and the elderly have been struggling to protect themselves from cold and winter ailments. These are extremely difficult times and the affected people need our assistance to get through the hardship. That is why, PTCL Group under its continued commitment to the relief and rehabilitation of the flood-hit communities, decided to extend a helping hand to ease their suffering. We are grateful to BRSP for helping us roll out the initiative under our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program.”

On the initiative, Tahir Rasheed, CEO BRSP, said, “Majority of households uprooted by the devastating Monsoon floods of 2022 still await complete rehabilitation and hence remain in dire need of humanitarian assistance to survive. Whilst the affected families brave multiple challenges including food scarcity, clean drinking water, sanitation, shelter and access to health and educational facilities, the harsh winter aggravates the adversity multifolds across cold climatic regions, including Balochistan. Warm clothing and beddings are two of the most needed commodities as extreme cold is setting in with winter diseases galore. We are glad that PTCL Group with its continued efforts and support has once again come forward to uplift the devastated communities.”

PTCL Group was one of the first organizations to respond to Pakistan’s flood appeal for relief and rehabilitation activities across the country. PTCL and Ufone 4G have so far provided food item, clean drinking water, medical support, and free calls to thousands of affected people across Punjab, KP, Sindh and Balochistan in a bid to extend a helping hand.

The company’s CSR program has been envisaged and designed to plug gaps in socio-economic inclusion of the underprivileged segments of society and has been undertaking initiatives to create shared value for various communities across the country.