By Sardar Khan Niazi
Let me begin by sympathizing with the citizens, who are suffering from price hikes of daily essential items. The government should rekindle hopes shattered because of the cruel blow of the rise in electricity prices. The government’s focus should be on providing relief to people, not politics.
Experts are terming the increase in base power tariff a violation of the NEPRA’s own rules and regulations, as any determination and execution of an increase in tariff comes about only after holding a public hearing, which never took place.
The government decided to raise the prices of all petroleum products, just a week after making a similar increase; hours after the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority approved a massive increase of Rs7.91 per unit in the power tariff.
Everyone knows the impact of the increase passed on to hapless consumers. It proved a social and economic disaster; pushing a few million people further down the poverty line, reducing the middle class and increasing the lower middle, hiking the crime rate, and deepening social chaos.
The decision has proved detrimental to the industries due to the high cost of doing business and has opened the floodgates of inflation.
In addition to making the electricity bills costlier and unaffordable for the consumers, the hike in base tariff has escalated the prices of all household goods being widely used in every household.
The electricity price increase has given a surge to multi-pronged and multiplying tragedy. Shopkeepers are paying more bills and are selling at higher rates. Hotel owners now pay additional bills and add them to customers’ charges.
With the new hike in the power tariff, the price of a unit has moved upwards. NEPRA has increased the electricity rates mainly because of fuel prices, capacity cost payments, and the impact of rupee devaluation against the US dollar. This is the highest average tariff rate for power consumers.
NEPRA’s decision to increase electricity tariffs has shifted the burden of power theft, mismanagement, and inefficiencies to consumers on the pretext of fuel adjustment.
The constant increase in power tariffs on the pretext of fuel adjustment has increased electricity prices and added to the already high cost of trade and industry.
Seeking comparable energy tariffs for domestic industries in order to capture the global market, due to high electricity rates, power theft has become rampant, as the tariff is unaffordable to consumers.
The government must adopt business-friendly policies, similar to those adopted by other neighboring countries in the region. Providing affordable electricity would assist in lowering production costs, thereby benefiting the public.
The recent increase in fuel and electricity rates has added to the miseries of the businesspersons, who are already feeling the heat of roaring inflation. The increase in fuel prices and tariff rates has brought about another flood of inflation in Pakistan as it has increased the cost of doing business in the country.
The most lamentable part of this hike is that it was avoidable. Had successive governments been able to improve their bill recovery over the last few years, they could have reduced sectoral losses and escaped lenders’ pressures for increasing the price of power.
The recoveries are stuck at 90pc of the billed amount, and the unrecovered 10pc meant Rs150 billion a year. Add another Rs300bn lost to theft and the sector loses its commercial viability. The tragedy has been unfolding that we, as a nation, have not been able to check.
Instead of improving efficiency, we have always depended on tariff increase, which quickly loses utility, as recoveries drop and theft increases, bringing the sector back to square one. The incredible increase in electricity charges has had a very bad impact on Pakistani citizens.
PM greets President Erdogan over Ukraine grain deal
By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday congratulated President of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan after Russia and Ukraine signed a landmark deal with the United Nations and Turkiye on resuming grain supply to avert a global food crisis, affecting millions across the globe.
The prime minister on his Twitter handle, said that Ukraine grain deal inked in Istanbul was a historic victory of diplomacy, signifying that all crises could be averted through meaningful engagement.
“The grain agreement with Ukraine signed in Istanbul is a historic diplomatic triumph that shows that all crises can be avoided with sincere dialogue. The prime minister tweeted, “I congratulate my brother RT Erdogan on this incredible accomplishment and thank Turkiye for its crucial role in preventing the global food catastrophe.
Separate agreements on the reopening of Black Sea crossings were made yesterday with UN and Turkish authorities by the Russian and Ukrainian ministers of infrastructure. Expressing his pleasure over the successful signing of agreement, the Turkish president in a tweet posted, “With the agreement reached today, we have contributed to averting the hunger that awaits billions of people, from Africa to the Middle East, from America to Asia. May this effort, which is vital to ending the food crisis, be fortunate for our nations and all of humanity.
Russia and Ukraine are two of the biggest grain exporters in the world. Following the Russian-Ukrainian conflict on February 24, Black Sea supply channels were closed, resulting in a decline in Ukrainian exports to a fraction of what they were before the conflict, which in turn drove up grain prices and put pressure on various global economies.
The agreement will open the door for the monthly shipment of around five million metric tonnes of grain.
The agreement would increase the supply of wheat, sunflower oil, fertiliser, and other products on the world market, thereby reducing the threat of rising hunger and food inflation.
PTI has been paid in the same coin, says Marriyum
By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The federal information minister has said that the opposition has been paid in the same coin because PML-Q President Ch Shujaat Hussain has relayed the same instructions to his party members as had been conveyed by PTI Chief Imran Khan to his members during the time of previous Punjab chief minister election.
Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb responded on Saturday to PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry’s criticism of the decision made by the deputy speaker of the Punjab Assembly by stating that the PML-Q president had told his party members not to vote for Ch Pervaiz Elahi. She argued that Imran Khan, the leader of the PTI, had given the same directives during the previous Punjab CM election.
By using intimidation techniques, threats, and abuse, Imran is unable to change the law or the constitution, she argued, adding that if the decision had gone in Imran’s favour it would have been right and if it had gone in Hamza Shehbaz’s favour it would have been wrong.
Ms Aurangzeb was of the view that Pakistan suffered irreparable loss due to lies and hypocrisy of Imran. The country could not make progress and has reached to the verge of bankruptcy during the previous regime, she lamented adding that the Bushra-Gogi mafia had been ruling the roost for the last four years.
She claimed that Hamza’s re-election followed the Supreme Court’s directive. She claimed that the party’s president was the only one with the authority to decide how the party would vote.
She insisted that the PML-Q members’ votes for Ch Pervaiz Elahi were disregarded by the PA deputy speaker at the direction of the Q League chief.
The minister claimed that the constitution served to create the parliament and that it is governed by it.
SC restores Hamza Shahbaz’s status as ‘interim Punjab CM’
By Staff Reporter
LAHORE: Supreme Court of Pakistan on Saturday while restoring July 1 status has made Hamza Shahbaz as interim Punjab Chief Minister.
A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Umar Ata Bandial read out the short verdict.
Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Muneeb Akhtar were the other members of the bench.
The supreme court’s decision reinstated Hamza Shahbaz as interim chief minister as starting July 1. The court remarked that the Deputy Speaker’s decision is incorrect and, if the party leader’s statements are to be believed, would necessitate the establishment of a dictatorship inside the party.
The court ordered Hamza Shahbaz to work in accordance with the law and the constitution and to only carry out routine tasks.
The deputy speaker was represented by attorney Irfan Qadir, while Punjab Advocate General Shehzad Shaukat and Additional Attorney General Amir Rehman were also present at the hearing.
The attorney for Mazari entered his client’s response into the record as the hearing picked back up.
The court asked where the deputy speaker was. Mazari’s lawyer said that he was present in the court for assistance.
The chief justice ordered to move all unrelated people out of the courtroom and adjourned the hearing briefly.
Owing to rush in the courtroom, the court decided to carry out the hearing via video-link.
The chief justice inquired Mazari’s lawyer about the paragraph of the court’s verdict which was referred by the deputy speaker in his ruling.
“It is my first appearance. You are taking a difficult test from me,” Qadir said and read the ruling before the bench on the order.
Justice Ahsan said that in the verdict, the role of the parliamentary leader was clear and asked what was ambiguous in it.
The top court further prohibited Hamza Shehbaz from using his political advantages as Chief Minister till July 25 and stated that it will monitor the Chief Minister’s affairs.
The court stated that any appointment made in the province without due consideration will be deemed void. The hearing was postponed until Monday by the court.
The attorney general, the chief secretary of Punjab, and the advocate general of Punjab were all summoned earlier today by the supreme court, which also ordered the deputy speaker to present the election results for the chief minister of Punjab.
The Chief Justice of Pakistan had constituted a bench on Tuesday to hear Chaudhry Parvaiz Elahi’s plea against the rejection of votes of PML-Q MPs by the Deputy Speaker in the Punjab Assembly Session of Punjab Chief Minister Election.
The deputy speaker of the parliament did not make any mention of their decision during the proceedings of the assembly, the chief justice observed during the hearing. We’re here to learn, so I’ll call the deputy speaker up and ask him to name the passage from the Supreme Court’s ruling that he cited in making his conclusion, he added.
Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan stated that the party leader could only report on the parliamentary party’s disobedience of the directives at the time. The parliamentary party making decisions within the assembly is a democratic tradition, he continued.
Pervaiz Elahi filed the petition against the ruling of Deputy Speaker Punjab Assembly Dost Mazari and Hamza Shahbaz along with the Chief Secretary are parties in the case.
The CJP also ordered the Punjab government to submit its detailed reply in the case. “Prima facie, Hamza Shehbaz’s election as Punjab chief minister is in jeopardy,” he added.
The court ordered the deputy speaker to submit his written reply. With this, the court adjourned the hearing till Monday (July 25) adding that the next hearing would be held in Islamabad.
A number of PTI leaders were present at the court, including Asad Umar, Fawad Chaudhry, Sibtain Khan, Usman Buzdar and Zain Qureshi.
After the election of the Punjab Chief Minister earlier that day, the Lahore Registry of the Supreme Court was opened at midnight.
In order to file the petition, Pervaiz Elahi travelled to the Supreme Court’s Lahore Registry with MPs from both of the parties. Pervaiz Elahi was the joint candidate of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and PML-Q for the position of Punjab Chief Minister.
Ijaz Goraya, the deputy registrar of the Supreme Court’s (SC) Lahore Registry, accepted the plea Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi submitted in opposition to the decision of the Deputy Speaker of the Punjab Assembly.
PTI and Barrister Ali Zafar, Pervaiz Elahi’s attorney, stood before the court to present their arguments. To prevent Hamza from taking the oath, he prayed to the court.
On this, CJP Bandial cautioned the lawyer remarking that it was a legal question that required understanding more than interpretation.
The barrister said that the PA deputy speaker read out the apex court judgement while giving his ruling based on PML-Q President Shujaat Hussain’s letter. Mazari deducted 10 votes polled in favour of Ch Pervaiz Elahi, he added.
Mr Zafar contended that the deputy ignored the role of parliamentary party, adding that according to the SC verdict on Article 63-A, the members would cast their votes on the instruction of parliamentary party. He continued that the parliamentary party issued a letter on July 21 stating that party members would vote for Ch Pervaiz Elahi.
High-profile terrorist arrested by security forces in North Waziristan
By Staff Reporter
RAWALPINDI: Security forces conducted two Intelligence Based Operations (IBO) in different areas of North Waziristan District. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), a high-value terrorist commander was apprehended in injured condition, along with three other terrorists. In the second operation, three terrorists got killed. Weapons, ammunition and IEDs were also recovered. “All the terrorists (killed and apprehended) were affiliated with Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group,” the military’s media wing said. These terrorists remained actively involved in terrorist activities against security forces, extortion for ransom and killing of innocent citizens.
Imran misleading nation through baseless propaganda: Rana Sanaullah
By Staff Reporter
LAHORE: Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said on Saturday that a group under Imran Khan wanted to mislead the nation through its lies and baseless propaganda.
Talking to the media, he said that Imran Khan had been propagating for the last three days that his men were being purchased through greasing their palm, but the number of votes in the Punjab Assembly for chief minister’s election had exposed his propaganda as not a single member of either sides (PTI and PML-N) voted against his party.
He claimed that Imran Khan was an unreliable individual who was working to divide the country and deceive the youth, and that he may result in enormous losses for the country.
The Interior Minister said that the Deputy Registrar was at fault for not alerting the government to PTI employees’ Friday night trespassing at the Supreme Court Lahore Registry.
He asserted that Imran Khan used disrespectful language about courts when the courts were opened for him in the middle of the night, adding that courts should be respected.
The minister claimed that Election Commission of Pakistan was delaying the announcement of its decision in the Foreign Funding Case out of concern that Imran Khan may disparage and abuse them.
Rana Sanaullah demanded the ECP to immediately announce the verdict on Foreign Funding Case as it was clear that Imran took money from abroad to destabilize the country and a legal action should be now initiated against him.
Additionally, he requested that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court appoint a full bench to hear the matters in which the PML-N was involved.
“I have never seen a lawyer use the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Shaheed case ruling in any action, which indicates that neither the bar nor the courts accept the verdict,” he continued.
Article 63-A should be construed in both letter and spirit, according to the minister.
He emphasised that Imran was a troublemaker and that the provinces had been given the necessary ranger force to cope with any unexpected action.
With picture
Ahsan Iqbal hope SC will not take any action that would lead to uncertainty
By Staff Reporter
LAHORE: Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal on
Saturday hoped that Supreme Court (SC) will not take any step that would
increase the situation of unrest in the country.
Ahsan Iqbal claimed during a news conference in Lahore that former prime minister Imran Khan wants to utilise the courts for his personal political gain. He added that making one bad choice could bring about an economic disaster for the nation’s economy.
He claimed Imran Khan used derogatory language toward authorities and the legal system; he was involved in a foreign funding scam; he warned that Pakistan could turn into Sri Lanka; he claimed there was dissension among the forces; and he tried to involve the courts in political disputes by applying pressure via social media. Despite all of these allegations, he claims that no legal action was taken against him.
He claimed that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) accord, which Imran’s government had signed, had put strain on the nation’s economy. He told Imran Khan, “You are to blame for the collapse of Pakistan’s economy.
He claimed that by upholding the IMF agreement that the previous administration had signed, the coalition government was attempting to restore the nation’s confidence. Ahsan claimed that while Imran was in charge, he had gathered all thieves and dacoits into his cabinet, yet referred to his rivals as thieves and dacoits. He said Niazi directed the National Accountability Bureau’s efforts to harm his political adversaries.
He challenged Imran Khan to show a single project, from Karachi to
Peshawar, which he completed during his tenure as the premier. He asked
where Niazi spent development funds during his tenure, what happened to
his promises of one crore houses and five lakh jobs, adding that now he
would not be allowed to mislead the youth by selling new narrative of
slavery. “We will not allow you to hide your ineligibility under the
cover of your so-called narrative,” he said.
The minister stated that it was critical to prevent any disagreement and that the coalition government’s request for the formation of a full bench to hear the Punjab chief minister election issue should be treated seriously. He claimed the coalition parties were committed to upholding the integrity of the legal system at any costs.
The minister claimed that for around two and a half years while under a stay order, Qasim Suri continued to serve as the deputy speaker of the National Assembly and as an MNA, and he also broke the law. He broke the law, but nothing was done to punish him. According to him, the deputy speaker of the Punjab assembly deserves the same respect as any other assembly’s speaker.
He claimed that Imran Niazi was trying to destabilise the nation and incite unrest. He claimed that Donald Trump in the United States had utilised a similar strategy to that used by Imran in Pakistan to rig the electoral process.
He claimed that Imran had engaged 1,400 social activists in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa at a price of Rs 25,000 apiece to carry out a campaign against the government institutions.
According to him, the PML-N and the parties that make up its coalition did a responsible share in saving the nation in the circumstances.When he was asked that there were some efforts under way to bring all political parties on the table to sort out a political solution to the current crisis, Ahsan Iqbal said that if Imran Niazi was looking for an NRO in his foreign funding case on the pretext of reconciliation, the coalition government would not accept it.
Imran’s mismanagement created economic ‘tsunami’: Sherry
By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman on Saturday in her response to former prime minister Imran Khan’s tweet said his fascist agenda of massive debt, mismanagement and violent division of society has created an economic “tsunami” in the country.
The federal minister berated the former premier in a barrage of tweets on her official Twitter account.
The country has suffered because of your worst dictatorship, not your adversaries, Sherry said. Pakistan has been rocked by the economic catastrophe you caused like a tsunami. She continued by saying that Pakistan had been sacrificed as a result of Imran Khan’s unchecked narcissism, which was his sole purpose in life.
“Your government has damaged Pakistan beyond repair. Sherry Rehman said, “It was easier for us to let you sink with your administration in this historic economic catastrophe than to seize control.
But by that time, Khan would have thrown Pakistan into a crisis that would be impossible to escape, she continued.
“You would have taken the economy to a point of no return. You put the country in a terrible situation during your four-year tenure”, Sherry Rehman said.
In seventy years, Pakistan’s total debt was 24 thousand billion rupees, Sherry Rehman said, adding, “You borrowed Rs 50,000 billion in 4 years while running a brazenly false narrative of ‘breaking the begging bowl’. In 70 years no govt had ever crossed such red lines, borrowing never more than 24,000 billion rupees. It is you who were taking Pakistan to default.”
She alleged that Imran Khan was the conspiracy against the country.
“So you left Pakistan totally indebted with net payables now amounting to over Rs 50,000 billion.
