ECP ensures equal representation of women in the panel

Daily Briefs

Photo : Dawn

15 December 2022, Thursday I Vol 3, No.274

ECP ensures equal representation of women in the panel

UN stating Pakistan's agriculture sector has 70 per cent child labour, the Public accounts committee ordering removal of illegal recruitments in PESCO and ADB announcing Pakistan as the second most expensive country in South Asia

PR Daily Brief | PR Team

In Brief
INTERNAL
Equal women representation should be ensured in ECP, says Senate
On 14 December, the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice approved an amendment to the Constitution to give women equal representation in ECP. The amendment asks for at least two out of four ECP members to be women. The amendment was part of the constitutional amendment of the new composition of the commission. The panel has decided that each province would nominate alternately a man and a woman member so that the commission has two men and two women members at all times. The committee also made the decision that a majority of committee members agreed that there should be one seat reserved for women from Islamabad in National Assembly. (“ECP to have equal women representation: Senate panel,” Dawn, 15 December 2022)

Pakistan’s agricultural sector comprises 70 per cent of labour from children, says FAO
On 15 December, Dawn reported that the UN has expressed concerns over the presence of 70 per cent of the child labour force in Pakistan’s agricultural sector. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations representative in Pakistan said Child labour in agriculture is not only about children being out of school but it is also a major health issue as they are exposed to pesticides. The FAO and ILO are jointly implementing the ‘Clear Cotton Project: Eliminating Child Labour and Forced Labour in Cotton, Textile and Garment Value Chains’ (2018-2023) which has been funded by the EU. Pakistan is among the four countries where the project is being implemented. (“70pc child labour in Pakistan’s agri sector concerns FAO,” Dawn, 15 December 2022)

Exception in the special court against the funding case sought by Imran Khan
On 14 December, the special court on offence exempted Imran Khan and Amir Kayani in the FIR registered against them in the prohibited funding case. Imran Khan sought an exemption over medical grounds while Kayani’s counsel was seeking an exemption since he was out of the country. The FIR also mentioned United Bank Limited and its manager for its alleged failure to report suspicious transactions to authorities. (Malik Asad, “Court exempts Imran from hearing in prohibited funding case,” Dawn, 15 December 2022)

NAB accepts the acquittal of Maryam Nawaz and Capt Sardar in Avenfield Reference
On 15 December, the News International reported that the NAB has decided not to challenge the acquittal of Maryam Nawaz and Capt (retd) Safdar in the Avenfield Reference. The NAB also declared the decision of accepting the acquittal of Maryam Nawaz and Capt Safdar as correct and final after the IHC has accepted both Maryam Nawaz and Capt Safdar’s conviction plea. (“Avenfield Reference: NAB decides not to challenge acquittal of Maryam, Safdar,” The News International, 15 December 2022)

IHC fixes date for hearing against Imran Khan’s disqualification case
On 14 December, the IHC fixed the date for hearing a petition to disqualify Imran Khan for purportedly concealing information regarding his alleged daughter Tyrian Jade White. The plea was filed by ECP stating that Imran Khan has provided incorrect information while submitting his nomination papers for the previous general elections. He added that even though the former prime minister has three children, he had mentioned two in the papers and concealed the existence of his third child. During the previous hearing, the court asked the petitioner’s counsel whether the IHC could hear the case on the basis of Article 199 or if it should go to the ECP. The petitioner’s lawyer, while presenting a judicial precedent, said that the court can look into the matter. He added that the court possesses the jurisdiction to review the matter even if there was factual controversy. (Awais Yousafai, “Tyrian White: IHC to take up Imran’s disqualification case on 20th,” The News International, 15 December 2022)

PAC orders removal of illegal recruitment in PESCO
On 14 December, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in a meeting directed the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) the immediate removal of 2,605 employees and ordered an inquiry against the officers responsible for improper recruitment. Out of 2605 employees, 1300 were from Swat and Chairman and the chairman asked the officials why the recruitment was made especially from Swat. The committee ordered an inquiry against the relevant recruiting officers and ordered the immediate withdrawal of 2,605 people recruited recently. It also asked for an inquiry report within a fortnight. The committee also directed for issuing of advertisements for recruitment all over Pakistan. During the meeting, the members complained that funds for development schemes were not being released. Officials of the planning ministry said that the funds were available, but the details of how much money would be given to a constituency were still awaited. (Haseeb Hanif, “PAC orders inquiry into improper recruitment in PESCO,” The Express Tribune, 15 December 2022)

The seventh census should be completed on time, says Ahsan Iqbal
On 14 December, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal directed the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) and the provincial governments to ensure effective coordination and spends PKR 34 billion for the timely completion of the country’s first-ever Digital Census and seventh Population and Housing Census-2022. The decisions were made in the fourth census monitoring committee for progress review.(“ ‘Rs34b’ to be spent on digital headcount,” The Express Tribune, 15 December 2022)

ON INDIA
The international community should hold India accountable for terrorism, says the Foreign affairs Ministry
On 14 December, Minister for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar speaking at the Foreign Office said, “no country has used terrorism better to its benefit than India, which suffers from ‘chronic terrorism syndrome’ while remaining the recruiter, financier and facilitator of various outfits and foreign fighters in the region.” She also presented to the media a dossier related to the 2021 Johar Town blast near the home of Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed in which four people were killed. Hina Khan also said Pakistan waited for hard evidence to be making the case and does not unlike India go the next day blaming neighbouring countries. Foreign Secretary Asad Majeed briefed diplomatic missions based in Islamabad on the “state-sponsored terrorism” against Pakistan planned, conducted, and financed by India and asked the international community to hold India accountable for its crimes. (Mariana Baabar, “Dossier on Johar Town blast: ‘Rogue’ India backs terror outfits, says Hina Rabbani Khar,” The News International, 15 December 2022)

ECONOMY
Remittances hit record low in 27 month
On 14 December, the SBP reported that remittances has hit a 27-month low at USD 2.10 billion in November by 14 per cent compared to USD 2.45 billion, as many expatriates dispatched money back home through informal channels. November is the third consecutive month of remittance decline. Another reason for low remittance is the offers of the black market which offers a significantly higher price for the US dollar at PKR 240-250 compared to the interbank market rate of PKR 225 to a dollar. The drop in remittances may trigger further depreciation of the rupee as demand for the dollar has remained high amid the low foreign currency reserves of the State Bank. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are the two biggest sources of remittance flow to Pakistan. (Salman Siddiqui, “Remittances hit 27-month low at $2.1b,” The Express Tribune, 15 December 2022)

The inflation rate will remain higher in coming months, says ADB
On 14 December, the ADB while releasing the outlook for the year 2022 announced Pakistan as the second most expensive country in the South Asian region. It also predicted that the inflation rate in Pakistan will remain high in the coming months and the value of Pakistani rupee may fall further from the current 26.6 per cent. According to the forecast, energy is likely to become more expensive in Pakistan and the rate of economic growth in South Asia has slowed down due to floods adding that the floods in Pakistan and Bangladesh have affected economic growth. The report further stated that the floods have caused significant damage to Pakistan’s economy, causing massive damage to agriculture, especially wheat and livestock. (Mehtab Haider, “Pakistan 2nd most expensive country in South Asia: ADB,” The News International, 15 December 2022)

The government will follow the current programme with IMF, says Prime Minister
On 14 December, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif while addressing a high-level meeting over the economic situation said that the government would follow its current programme with IMF. He said the incumbent government had inherited an economy in ruins and in a miserable situation, but with consistent hard work, they had stabilised it. The prime minister was briefed on the economic situation and was told that the country was not going to default and that all such rumours were misleading. The meeting decided to take action against dollar hoarders, while the prime minister directed to lower the difference between open market and interbank dollar rates. (“Stabilised tattered economy with tireless efforts: PM,” The News International, 15 December 2022)

EXTERNAL
Foreign Minister urges United Nations to encourage negotiations on disarmament
On 14 December, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari addressed the United Nations Security Council in New York and urged the organisation to limit and control the production of nuclear and conventional weapons. Bhutto said: “This council should support negotiations in the relevant bodies to limit and control the nuclear and conventional arms build-up at the global and regional level, including the development and deployment of new weapons and military technologies.” Further, Bhutto opposed the expansion of the permanent members of the security council but agreed to expand the council. (“Pakistan seeks talks to limit arms build-up,” Dawn, 15 December 2022)

Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry Officer pushes for relaxation of visa policy
On 14 December, the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) senior vice-president Shahid Hussain urged the government of Pakistan and Afghanistan to remove obstacles to the promotion of bilateral trade. Hussain called for a relaxation of visa policies and encouraged hassle-free visa provision for the people of the two countries. The senior SCCI officer cautioned that without speedy visa issuance, businesses and investments would not result in positive outcomes. (“Kabul, Islamabad urged to relax visa policy for businessmen,” Dawn, 15 December 2022)

PROVINCE
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Suicide attack kills three and injures 14 others
On 14 December, a suicide attack in the North Waziristan tribal district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa claimed three civilian lives and injured 14 others. The casualties included nine security personnel who were part of a convoy travelling to Miramshah from Datta Khel tehsil. The suicide attacker was riding a bike and crashed into the convoy in the Sargardan area. The attack has not been claimed by any militant group as of now. (“3 killed as suicide attacker rams bike into convoy in North Waziristan,” Dawn, 15 December 2022)

Sindh: Chief Minister promises to provide PKR three lakhs to each flood-hit family
On 14 December, the Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah visited the flood-hit regions in Sehwan and promised that the government would provide PKR 3,00,000 to each family that has been affected by the floods. The funds are being allocated to rebuild the houses that were destroyed by the floods. CM Murad Ali Shah reported that over 80 per cent of the floodwater had been drained from the region. (“Flood-hit families to get Rs300,000 each for repair of houses: CM,” Dawn, 15 December 2022)

Balochistan: The second phase of local government elections comes to an end
On 14 December, the polling for the second phase of the local government elections in 32 districts of Balochistan concluded. The elected Councilors from the first phase of the local government elections cast their votes for the 7 municipal corporations, 48 municipal committees and 597 union councils in the second phase. The second phase of the election seeks to elect candidates for the reserved 33 per cent seats for women and five per cent reserved seats for individuals from the farming, manual labour and non-Muslim communities. The unofficial vote count declared an unopposed election for all candidates from the Dera Bugti municipal committees while 9 municipal corporation seats were won by the Balochistan National Party-Awami. (“Polling concludes for second phase of Balochistan LG polls,” The Express Tribune, 14 December 2022)

Pakistan on Twitter

"Shahbaz Sharif is the first prime minister who is begging all over the world but no one is willing to give him alms. PDM has staked the honor of the country. People are fed up with this incompetent bunch."
-Ch Parvez Elahi

"Our vision for Central Asia is premised on building result-oriented & sustained engagement. Tajikistan, being a gateway to Central Asia, holds key a position in our foreign policy. Our challenge is to transform our excellent relations into a mutually beneficial partnership."
-Shehbaz Sharif

"Education and awareness of the extent and harms of climate change is critical – this education must be relevant to meeting the multiple challenges of achieving sustainable development, climate change and preventing biodiversity loss. These are needed in every aspect of people's lives."
-Sherry Rehman

Daily Briefs

ECP ensures equal representation of women in the panel

UN stating Pakistan's agriculture sector has 70 per cent child labour, the Public accounts committee ordering removal of illegal recruitments in PESCO and ADB announcing Pakistan as the second most expensive country in South Asia

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