LAHORE: 

Days after his faction of the Pakistan Muslim League swept to victory in the parliamentary  polls, Nawaz Sharif told newly elected lawmakers on Monday that there was no other option except to negotiate with the Taliban in the interest of peace.

Alluding to the outlawed group’s peace overtures before the election, Nawaz said the Taliban invitation for dialogue should be taken seriously.

Speaking about the strategy evolved by his party vis-a-vis the Taliban, Nawaz said, “The bullet is not a solution”.

“We want to use each and every option; every issue has to be brought on the [negotiating] table for a solution.”

Pakistan, according to Nawaz, has no other option apart from engaging the Taliban in talks.

The PML-N leader made these remarks at Alhamra Hall while addressing newly elected MPs from among his party, including independent candidates who have thrown their weight behind the PML-N and given it a simple majority in the lower house.

Apart from the Taliban threat, Nawaz also spoke about the country’s economic situation and indicated the steps his government intended to take to spur its early revival.

Six MPs elected from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas Nazir Khan Wazir, Bilalur Rehman, Shah G Gul, Dr G G Jamal, Sajid Turi, Bismillah Haji have joined the PML-N.

Nawaz also did some number crunching, counting the human and material cost of delaying the dialogue process with the Taliban. “We have lost around 40,000 lives, wasted billions of dollars and ruined our economy as a result,” said Nawaz. “Why can’t we start dialogue with the Taliban and make our country peaceful?”

On the economy

An atmosphere of peace will revive the economy and end the energy crisis, Nawaz said, adding that the nation will be able to observe a change within the first 100 days as the country gets on the “right track.”

He acknowledged that it was difficult to decide as to which economic problem should be addressed first: the return of loans worth Rs16,000 billion, an end to the circular debt or new development projects for the country. Making a decision was all the more challenging as the previous government led by the PPP had left the national kitty empty. He said that he was in close consultation with Senator Ishaq Dar on how the PML-N could solve the conundrum.

Dar has been asked to find a way out of a circular debt worth of Rs500 billion in order to give temporary relief to the public from load-shedding. There would be a one-time payment in this regard, he said. Through effective management, the PML-N leader said his party would try to rid the nation of the energy crisis.

Nawaz said he intended to reduce government expenditure by up to 30 per cent. “I do not want to set deadlines — but we will try to complete in months those tasks that take years.”

Provincial set-ups

In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Nawaz said he could have played the role of a spoiler yet he chose to adhere to the constitution and allow the PTI to form its government.

In Sindh, he said that the centre would provide support to the PPP-MQM coalition and help it curb violence, improve law and order and revive the economy. However, he warned that he would not tolerate any killings in Karachi.

In Balochistan, Nawaz said his party was ready to form a coalition government. In this regard, the party has already approached some of its coalition parties in the province.

Commenting on the structure of the centre, Nawaz said that his party had won 124 National Assembly seats and thanks to the inclusion of many independent candidates the PML-N now enjoyed a simple majority.

He added that if any party had reservations in working with the PML-N, the winning party will address on its own the country’s challenges. He said his meeting with Imran Khan was to seek his support and share his views on forging a common agenda for the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21st, 2013.

ISLAMABAD: 

Despite having voted in the elections — dealing severe blows to many a party and politician while giving a fresh mandate to others — the people of Pakistan remain quite literally powerless.

During the scorching days of summer, they are forced to sweat it out, whether at home, in offices or even in emergency wards. This is the reality of Pakistan’s prolonged — and worst ever — power crisis.

At the moment, Punjab receives around 68 per cent of total power generation, while the remaining is being distributed among the other provinces. As of this Monday, total power generation was 9,000 megawatts (MW) against a demand of 16,000MW. That means a shortfall of 7,000 MW, and a power crisis of unparalleled proportions.

The shortfall is resulting in frequent power outages across the country. For instance, urban centres of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are made to go without electricity for up to 12 hours a day. The situation in rural areas is worse where consumers are subjected to up to 20 hours of load-shedding.

The situation in Punjab is not good either. On Monday, Sialkot district and its adjoining areas spent 22 hours without electricity. The Gujranwala Electric Power Supply Company, which is responsible for supplying electricity to the region, blamed Wapda for the power outages.

A vicious circle

Power plants require gas and furnace oil to operate. The main oil supplier: Pakistan State Oil (PSO) has no money to inject and has defaulted at least ten times to international fuel suppliers in 2012 due to a liquidity crunch.

The previous government left behind a circular debt of over Rs500 billion, leading to a shortage of fuel which in turn caused a 7,000MW shortfall, causing unbearable levels of load-shedding.

The main fault lies with the power sector, which is unable to collect bills from many consumers but is forced to continue supply to defaulters due to political pressures.

According to sources, during the ongoing financial year 2012-13, Pakistan State Oil (PSO) was paid Rs369 billion for fuel supply, of which Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) gave only Rs50 billion. The shortfall was paid by the finance ministry.

The water and power ministry had asked the finance ministry to arrange Rs105 billion to provide fuel for power plants for April to June 2013. Instead, the finance ministry released Rs30 billion in April and Rs10 billion in May, against the requirement of Rs35 billion. This led to a shortage of furnace oil for power generation.

The gas gangs

Thanks to a gas shortage, power plants mainly rely on furnace oil, and when that supply is cut off, power shortages take place. “At present, the government needs to inject Rs55 billion every month into the power sector to pay for fuel to operate plants at full capacity,” officials said, adding that many power plants had been deprived of gas due to the powerful compressed natural gas (CNG)and fertiliser industry lobbies.

Lobbying by CNG and fertiliser sectors resulted in more than 600 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) being diverted from the power plants to those sectors, resulting in a jump in the cost of electricity production.

The gas being diverted is from the power plants owned by state-owned power generation companies. These companies need about 735 mmcfd to run their plants, but during the 2011 the maximum amount they have received on any given day has been 300 mmcfd.

These power plants were forced to shift to furnace oil, the prices of which have jumped 72% over the past few years. This policy has also affected the power plants capable of producing about 3,000MW, or over one-quarter of the country’s power supply.

“The gap between the notified power price and the cost of production has gone up by 40%. At present, the government is charging Rs8.87 per unit from consumers against the average power price of Rs11.90 per unit,” said an official of the water and power ministry.

And it’s not getting any better

With the elections over and done with, the water and power ministry says fuel supply has been reduced from 19,000 metric tons/day to 10,000 tons. Gas supply has also declined to 75 mmcfd to four power plants with a 8,000MW generation capacity, which were previously supplied 150 mmcfd. They’re the lucky ones, comparatively.

An official of the power ministry said the power plants with a 4,000MW capacity were shut down due to fuel shortages, and that Hubco and Kapco were not operating on full capacity.

A PSO official said the liquidity crunch had choked their Letters of Credit to the extent that they did not have enough furnace oil to pump into the power sector.

The ministry of petroleum had warned the finance and water and power ministries to arrange funds in a letter sent on May 10. But these two ministries did not arrange the money and the power crisis worsened.

Mismanagement adds to miseries

Financial constraints aren’t the only reason for the crisis.

The interference of the federal government, which forced oil and gas companies to continue supplies despite the default of the power sector, has been a major reason behind the collapse of energy companies.

Petroleum ministry officials said that oil and gas firms were supplying fuel to the power sector, along with other clients, in violation of supply agreements.

Also, there are ad hoc heads supervising power firms who have contributed to their inefficiency. At present, ad hoc arrangements had been made to operate Pepco, NTDC and other power distribution companies.

The former government also empowered gas utilities to manage load shedding on their own. Previously, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) and cabinet used to approve the gas load management plan but now gas companies are reportedly involved in giving gas through commissions, and therefore no gas was being provided to power plants. This is a gross violation of the ECC, which had placed power sector on second priority after domestic consumers.

Under a short term plan, government should divert gas from inefficient captive power plants to Independent Power Plants (IPPs). This would help to generate 5,000MW power which would not only be cheaper, but will also result in continued power supply.

The gas supplied to CNG firms could also be diverted to operate those power plants which were shut down due to a shortage of gas. It’s now time for our economic managers to start burning the midnight oil so that the rest of the country can keep its lights on.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21st, 2013.

ISLAMABAD: 

The Taliban had vowed to sabotage the parliamentary elections because they believe Western democracy is un-Islamic. However, they failed to disrupt the elections which saw an unprecedented turnout.

Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said on Monday that the May 11 elections amply demonstrate that “as a nation we can withstand any challenge”.

“In these elections, the people of Pakistan courageously withstood the threat of terrorism and defied the unfounded dictates of an insignificant and misguided minority,” Gen Kayani said while addressing a day-long conference at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi on Monday.

The conference titled ‘Saving Lives by Jointly Defeating IEDs’ was attended by experts from several countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Turkey.

The army chief also proposed a regional military forum to counter the threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which have inflicted heavy casualties on US-led foreign forces fighting a Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan.

The proposed counter-IED forum could go a long way in eliminating the threat posed by homemade bombs, if supported by the international community, he added.

Speaking at the event, experts from the US and Britain acknowledged Pakistan for taking concrete steps in recent months, towards stopping the smuggling of calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN), one of the main ingredients used in IEDs.

US officials claim that about 80% of the IEDs used in Afghanistan have homemade explosives as the main charge, and more than 80% of these are derived from CAN fertiliser produced in Pakistan.

However, Gen Kayani dispelled the impression that CAN smuggling was the sole stumbling block in eliminating the threat of homemade bombs.

“Production of CAN has come under national and international focus, to the extent of creating a perception that controlling CAN alone can remove the menace of IEDs. Our arguments against this singular perception were taken as unwillingness to act against IEDs,” he added.

However, CAN is only one of the precursors of IEDs, dozens of other are readily available. Moreover, Pakistan is not the only country producing CAN, other regional countries also produce CAN which has a higher degree of nitrogen content than what Pakistani CAN possesses, he said.

The army chief further said that ammonium nitrate, produced in certain regional countries, has 34% to 35% nitrogen content as opposed to 26% contained in what is produced in Pakistan. There is evidence that as Pakistan tightened the control on sale and distribution of CAN, terrorists simply switched to other precursors, like potassium chlorate, not produced in Pakistan, he argued.

Therefore, he said that the underlying complexity of the issue “forces us to adopt a multinational and holistic government approach.”

The army chief told the conference that contrary to prevalent perceptions, Pakistan had come a long way in fighting the IEDs threat during the past three years. “Pakistan has taken significant policy initiatives to counter IEDs. The Pakistan Army, aware of the seriousness of the threat, is leading the drive to create a pragmatic, cost-effective and efficient counter-IED strategy,” he said.

This strategy, he added, aims at creating awareness, assisting in legislation and adopting best practices from across the world to suitably equip and effectively train our forces. He added that the policy was meant to develop a proactive rather than reactive response to the threat at the national level.

Speaking on the occasion, the Deputy Director for Operations/Intelligence Integration, Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organisation USA, Brig Gen Roberts P Walters Jr concurred with Gen Kayani and praised Pakistani efforts to reinforce its border to curb fertiliser smuggling into Afghanistan. Walters praised Pakistani efforts to reinforce its border to curb fertiliser smuggling into Afghanistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21st, 2013.

ISLAMABAD: The government on Monday claimed that the massive passport backlog will be eradicated by mid-June after securing 1.5 million laminates.

Till mid-April, as many as 800,000 applicants were waiting for their new passports since the authorities had run out of the laminates and a court order suspended the government from procuring new ones from its designated supplier.

But the Director General Immigration and Passports (I&P) Dr Zulfiqar Ahmed Cheema in a media briefing on Monday said that all passports pending for months with the department due to lamination crisis have been printed and shipped to respective countries.

The backlog has been halved on the national front too with only four hundred thousand passports pending printing. This, Cheema hoped, would be completely eradicated by June 15, pointing out that his department was printing 20, 000 passports a day.

Laminate is the specially designated paper used for passports. By mid-April the backlog had reached 800, 000 while the passport department was left with only 90, 000 laminates.

However, the department managed to reduce the backlog as the department managed to recover 300, 000 laminates in damages. Then, after the court relaxed its stay order, it was able to order another 1.5 million laminates from it US supplier OpSec after securing a special permission from Prime Minister.

LAHORE: President Asif Ali Zardari called Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif on Monday evening to congratulate his party on gaining a simple majority in the general elections, Express News reported.

In his pre-parliamentary address in Lahore earlier in the day, Nawaz had pointed out that President Zardari had not sent him a note of congratulations.

“President Zardari has not congratulated me yet but this is a tale for an another time,” he said.

President Zardari then called Nawaz felicitating him on PML-N’s success in the general elections.

President Zardari also talked to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Awami National Party (ANP) chief Asfandyar Wali on the phone and exchanged his views about issues facing the country with the party leaders.

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif in his pre-parliamentary address in Lahore on Monday said that if there was an option to talk to the Taliban with the hope of making the country peaceful, they should take it. 

“We have never bad-mouthed anyone in our election campaign,” Sharif said in a slight to his opponents, Express News reported. “We accepted everyone’s mandate.”

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-->“We will help the provincial governments in whatever way, but then there should be an end to the ongoing violence,” the prime minister-elect said.

Nawaz said holding negotiations is the only way to effectively solve problems.

“We have lost several lives, our economy is deteriorating… If Taliban offers us an option to have dialogue, we should take it seriously. Why can’t we talk to the Taliban to make our country peaceful?”

Working on common agenda

He said that affairs of the country should be given precedence over politics.

“All political parties need to work on one common agenda for the betterment of the country and this is what I reiterated when I went to Shaukat Khanum Hospital (to visit Imran Khan),” he added.

PML-N won the highest number of National Assembly seats in the general elections that took place in the country on May 11, establishing a simple majority in the centre. Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) who won in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in the elections has formed its own government in the province.

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari congratulated Pakistani woman mountaineer Samina Baig and her brother Mirza Ali on climbing the world’s highest peak at Mount Everest.

In a message of felicitation, the President lauded the will and determination of Samina Baig and said that she has made the nation proud. According to President Zardari, Samina Baig has earned laurels for the country by becoming the first Pakistani women to scale Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain with a peak at 8,848 meters.

He said that the whole nation was proud of the young lady mountaineer for her historic achievement and for introducing Pakistani women as a symbol of talent and great potential.

Congratulating the women of the country and the entire nation on the achievement, the President expressed confidence that the young Samina Baig will be followed as role model by women of the country and her gigantic achievement will ignite zeal in women folk of Pakistan.

While paying glowing tribute to the two young Pakistani mountaineers from Gilgit Baltistan, 21 year-old Samina Baig and 29 year-old Mirza Ali, the President termed the youth a great future asset of the country.

He affirmed faith in the country and said that Pakistan is a talented nation with all the potential to rise in every field of life.

He urged for the proper grooming and guiding of the talent of Pakistanis especially the youth and women of the county to maximize its true potential.

The President expressed hope that both Samina Baig and her brother Mirza Ali would continue to work hard and keep the flag of the country flying high in the world of mountaineering.

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has asked the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) to help verify votes by matching thumbprints with its database, said ECP Secretary Ishtiaq Ahmed on Monday.

Ahmed was addressing a press conference in Islamabad along with NADRA chairman Tariq Malik.

Malik, while speaking to media, said the database authority currently does not have the system to verify the huge amount of thumbprints. However, he said that it will achieve the ability to do so in two weeks time.

He further added that thumbprints can only be verified if a certain type of ink – earlier specified to the ECP – was used.

Explaining the tedious process of thumbprint verification, Malik said that each thumb impression will be manually verified.

He said the cost of verification will be shared by the interim government and the electoral candidates.

The ECP secretary added that with the required system improvement in place, NADRA will be able to verify 500,000 votes per day.

ISLAMABAD: To provide relief to the nation from increasing load shedding, Caretaker Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso ordered the immediate release of funds worth Rs22 billion, Express News reported on Monday.

According to recent data, the power shortfall has crossed 6,500 megawatts.

The total demand for power is 15,700 megawatts, whereas around 9,000s megawatt energy is produced only.

Because of the severe shortfall, the duration for power outages has reached 22 hours in certain parts of the country.

RAWALPINDI: Former dictator and arrested suspect Pervez Musharraf was granted bail in the Benazir Bhutto murder case, reported Express News on Monday.

The court ordered Musharraf to submit two surety bonds of Rs 1 million each even though the FIA prosecutor suggested that Musharraf should be made to pay Rs 1 billion for the bail.

Musharraf’s lawyers argued that this was a political case and the responsibility of Benazir’s security lay with the officers on duty, not Musharraf.

Another arrested suspect in the case Abdur Rasheed Turabi was denied bail by the court.

Pervez Musarraf is now at the centre of two cases, the illegal disposition of judges’ case and the Akbar Bugti case.

Musharraf’s lawyers plan to apply for bail in the judges’ detention case on May 22.

Safe exit for Musharraf?

PML-N sources said there was growing sense within the party’s ranks that Musharraf’s presence in the country and his possible trial could distract the new government from pressing issues. Therefore, if the former president is allowed to leave the country under the pretext of his mother’s ill health or any other reason, the party should not object to it.

While it is clear what the Sharifs intend to do, one party leader said: “If Musharraf leaves the country before the government takes charge, it will be a win-win situation.”

Reportedly, a message has been circulated within the army that Musharraf will be allowed to leave the country soon. The ‘message’ was conveyed in a bid to pacify growing unease within the army over the trial of its former chief.

Read more: Behind closed doors: Nawaz, Kayani agree on ‘policy overhaul’

Post-May 11 elections, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan made Karachi a battlefield, accused Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Waseem Aftab on Monday.

Aftab was addressing a protest gathering outside the Karachi Press Club.

He further said that the PTI chairman offended MQM supporters by accusing their leader of killing.

PTI leadership had earlier held MQM chief Altaf Hussain responsible for the murder of PTI central vice president Zehra Shahid Hussain in Karachi.

“I hold (MQM leader) Altaf Hussain directly responsible for the murder as he openly threatened PTI workers and leaders through public broadcasts,” Imran Khan had said in a tweet.

“I also hold the British government responsible as I had warned them about British citizen Altaf Hussain after his open threats.”

MQM termed the allegation as an attempt to defame the party leadership.

“It’s yet to be confirmed whether this incident is a street crime or targeted killing,” said Farooq Sattar while speaking at a news conference in the wee hours of Sunday, adding that the blame game at this stage would affect the investigations.

“It is unfortunate that PTI Chairman Imran Khan showed his political immaturity and blamed MQM chief Altaf Hussain for the murder,” he said and called upon the government to take notice of Imran Khan’s statement.

MQM protest

Another MQM protest was held outside the press club in Hyderabad, reported Express News on Monday. According to MQM protesters, the demonstration will continue till the MQM Coordination Committee asks them to disperse.

Security arrangements have been made by authorities to ensure peace.

PTI Protest

The PTI workers are also due to protest in various parts of the country against the MQM chief.

PTI chairman Imran called for a protest in Karachi outside the Mazar-e-Quaid in the evening on Monday.

Earlier, PTI was due to protest outside Karachi Press Club in the afternoon but the venue and time has been changed.

Roads going towards the Karachi Press Club and red zones had been blocked by barriers in preparation for the protest.

LAHORE: 

Fuelling doubts about the transparency of the May 11 elections, President Asif Ali Zardari has said that the returning officers (ROs) played an important role in the elections.

“If I get [the support of] these ROs, I can win the presidential election,” he said while talking to a delegation of South Asia Free Media Association (Safma) at Bilawal House on Sunday. The PPP did not want to sacrifice ‘another Bhutto’ just for another 25-26 seats, he added.

Quashing rumours about his plans to step down, President Zardari said he would complete his constitutional term. “If I did not resign at the time of elections [to lead PPP’s campaign], there was no justification for my resignation now,” he said.

He said that the PPP could not run a proper elections campaign in Punjab because of the Taliban threats. Moreover, the judiciary was also against PPP, he added. “The party couldn’t fight on multiple fronts simultaneously.”

Despite reservations, President Zardari said that the PPP has conceded defeat and he will administer oath to the party that has won the mandate. “The opposition leader will be from the second largest party in the National Assembly,” he said. “We would have no issue if PTI becomes the second biggest party and gets the opposition leader slot.”

President Zardari said that the PPP lost 40 to 45 seats because of its poor elections strategy. Asked what would be the party’s strategy if the 2013 elections were held again, the president said he would step down to lead PPP’s election campaign.

He said that Manzoor Wattoo was made the president of Punjab chapter of PPP in view of the traditional biradri politics in the province not because of his ideological stance. Wattoo worked hard but unfortunately his efforts did not yield the desired results, he added.

He said two former premiers from his party – Yousaf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervaiz Ashraf – could not effectively lead PPP’s election campaign. Gilani was busy making efforts for the recovery of his son, while Ashraf was fighting court cases against him.

President also blamed the energy crisis for the poor performance of PPP in the elections. “The PPP government could not handle the electricity crisis and this caused the party’s defeat in the elections,” he added.

About Sindh where the PPP has emerged as the single largest party, President Zardari said that the PPP would form a coalition government with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), though the party has enough seats to form the next government independently.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20th, 2013.

ISLAMABAD: After receiving a formal invitation to join the government in the Centre, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl has tasked its central leader Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri to negotiate the terms of a coalition with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

The four-member committee formed under Haideri will hold talks with PML-N’s second-tier leadership to discuss further modalities of the alliance between the two parties. The other three members of the committee are Akram Khan Durrani, Maulana Gul Naseeb Jan and Malik Sikander Khan.

“The committee will discuss the details of the partnership with PML-N and will report back to the JUI-F cabinet committee, which will take the final decision,” said Jan Muhammad Khan Achakzai, the spokesperson for JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

The decision to form the committee was taken during the meeting of JUI-F’s executive committee on Sunday. Earlier, PML-N leaders Senator Raja Zafarul Haq and newly elected MNA Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry visited the JUI-F chief’s residence on Saturday to formally invite the party to join the government.

Sources said the JUI-F leadership insisted on receiving a share in the Balochistan government and at least one important portfolio in the federal government, along with reserving the chairmanship of the Kashmir Committee for Fazl. The PML-N delegation said they would convey the demands to their top leadership which would take the decision.

The two parties have decided to hold further negotiations since PML-N was uncomfortable with the idea of taking JUI-F along elsewhere, apart from the Centre.

“The second-tier leadership from both sides has been tasked with resolving any deadlocks and finding ways to form an alliance that is acceptable to both sides,” said a JUI-F official. He said portfolios and other benefits will be discussed further along in the negotiations. The talks will initially focus on the legislative agendas of the two parties.

“We are a political party not an NGO and yes we would go for ministries as they are important in politics,” said the JUI-F official. He maintained, however, that ministries were not the party’s top priority. “The legislative agenda is vital.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20th, 2013.

ISLAMABAD: 

Restoring peace in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa will be a major challenge for the incoming provincial government, says Sirajul Haq, the finance minister-designate in the provincial cabinet.

“But it [the provincial government] will have little say on the issue,” adds Haq, who was elected to the K-P Assembly from PK-95 (Lower Dir-II) on a Jamaat-e-Islami ticket.

In an exclusive chat with The Express Tribune, Haq said that resolving the security issue in K-P depends entirely on the will of the military establishment and federal government. “If they desire to end this bloody game, the issue would be settled within hours,” he added.

If Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan could approach the media, then why was it impossible for the military to negotiate with the Taliban and end the bloody conflict, he said.

For peace talks to begin, Haq suggested that some Taliban prisoners could be released as a goodwill gesture. “But this decision can only be taken at the level of the federal government or the military command.”

Haq revealed that before the 2008 elections, the Awami National Party had reached an agreement with the Taliban on the release of some of their prisoners. In exchange, the Taliban agreed not to create any trouble for the party during its election campaign. However, the ANP reneged on its promise due to the military’s reluctance, and as a result it suffered countless attacks at the hands of the Taliban, he said.

Agreement to bar women from polls

Haq offered a different account regarding the agreement inked by political parties to bar women from voting in his constituency. He claimed that the deal was proposed by the Pakistan Peoples Party based on intelligence reports which suggested militants were planning to use female suicide bombers to attack polling stations on May 11.

“All parties reached a consensus in light of the reports,” he added. “I was personally not in favour of disenfranchising local women.”

Education and budget

As a cabinet member, Haq said his first priority would be to reopen the schools destroyed by Taliban insurgents in the province and to launch a microfinance scheme for graduates. “Under the scheme, loans will be provided to graduates according to their skills level,” he said.

The JI leader, who will likely present the provincial budget for the year 2013-14, said the provincial budget could be termed a bureaucratic budget because the new finance minister and provincial government would have little time to introduce significant changes to it.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20th, 2013.

LAHORE: 

Around Rs74 billion had been disbursed as part of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) without approval of rules of distribution by the Board, according to the audit report.

Regulations for disbursements of funds of Rs74.412 billion to eligible persons and families were not approved by the BISP Board, the Audit and Inspection Report of the programme, for the audit year 2012-13 and financial year 2010-12, stated.

The report was prepared by Saqib Latif, audit expert, Nauman Danish, assistant audit officer, Sarosh Jalees, senior auditor under supervision of Director Muhammad Raza Shah.

The contents of the audit document available with The Express Tribune further state that a review of the BISP Board meetings from October 19, 2010 to January 20, 2012 indicate that the Board had not approved or notified any rules for distribution of funds.

The Board had on an ad-hoc basis approved various initiatives under the programme. However no directives were provided for making payments. Audit is of the view that the payments made are “irregular” in light of the provision contained in the BISP Act 2010.

The management, however, replied to the audit finding, saying that all the payments are being made after approval of standard operating procedure by the BISP Board. The regulations have been formulated and the process of making sub-regulations relating to different operational areas is under way, the reply added.

The audit team rejected the reply, reiterating the point that the BISP management has not been notified with any regulations in the light of the BISP Act 2010.

The report recommended that regulations be notified in accordance with the BISP Act 2010, section 6(I)(d) of which states that the Board’s powers and functions shall be to make regulations and approve policies and manuals.

The section 12 of the act states that funds of the programme shall be disbursed to eligible persons and families in a manner approved by the Board and prescribed in the regulations.

Disbursement record

The BISP management made payments during 2010-12 under various programmes that include Poverty Scorecard System, Parliamentarian System, Waseela-e-Haq, Waseela-e-Rozghar, Waseela-e-Sehat, Emergency Relief Package and among internally displaced persons (IDPs).

According to the audit report, from total of Rs74.412 billion disbursed during financial year 2010-11 and 2011-12, Rs48.310 billion were distributed through Poverty Scorecard System, Rs16.526 billion through Parliamentarian System, Rs1.848 billion through Waseela-e-Haq, Rs266,802 million through Waseela-e-Rozghar, Rs2.747 billion through Waseela-e-Sehat, Rs4.451 billion through Emergency Relief Package while an amount of Rs261,967 million has been distributed among IDPs.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20th, 2013.

ISLAMABAD: For the incoming government’s top aide on the national economy and foreign affairs, it’s impossible to choose between a stable economy and an astute foreign policy. Both are equally important and equally indispensable, says Sartaj Aziz, 84, the man who will set  the economic and foreign policy priorities of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government.

“Focusing on economic revival will help us increase exports and reduce expenditures,” Aziz told The Express Tribune in an exclusive interview. “Only then can Pakistan present a strong case before the International Monetary Fund (IMF),” said Aziz, who has served as finance and foreign minister in the past.

“It is unlikely that the PML-N leadership will approach the IMF in two to three months. We will decide upon this later,” Aziz adds. “In the prevailing situation, we may not be able to meet their conditions.”

Aziz sees economic revival as a means to strengthen Pakistan internally and pave the way for better conduct globally. “We will focus on economic development to attract investment. This will help improve relations with other countries,” Aziz said.

He admits the burgeoning power crisis has dealt a severe blow to Pakistan’s already crumbling economy. “If we resolve this crisis, our economic growth will go up by nearly two per cent.”

Aziz says his party is cognisant of the fact and has done proper planning to overcome the energy crisis. “This is a part of our comprehensive economic plan. Several groups are working on it and we will make announcements during the coming budget,” he says.

Peace talks with Taliban

On the issue of dialogue with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Aziz refers to a statement by incoming premier Nawaz Sharif in which he said that his government would pursue talks only with groups that ‘accept Pakistan’s constitution and democratic system”.

“It is premature to tell whether or not we will talk to a certain group,” Aziz adds. “The PML-N government will formulate a formal policy after consulting all stakeholders, and this will take some time.”

Afghan conundrum

On the foreign front, Aziz says the PML-N government will facilitate the withdrawal of Nato troops by 2014.

“We will sit with all stakeholders and chalk out a strategy for talks with Afghanistan and the United States to determine Pakistan’s policy objectives,” he says. “The civilian leadership, political leadership and other stakeholders will formulate a national policy and then we can talk to the Americans. It will not be a decision of an individual. It will need two to three months of homework to come up with a national policy.”

About the telephonic contacts between Afghan leader Hamid Karzai and Nawaz Sharif, Aziz says Pakistan will play its role for a peaceful and stable Afghanistan. “Pakistan will do whatever it can for Afghan peace as instability in Afghanistan will have a direct impact on Pakistan.”

Contentious drone strikes

Nawaz Sharif has said that his government would talk to the Obama administration about bringing an end to its remote-controlled war in Pakistan’s tribal region. Aziz says the thorny issue of drones should not be taken in isolation. “First, we will formulate a national policy and then we will talk to the US on all issues, including the drone strikes. I hope relations with the US will improve during the PML-N government,” he says.

Ties with India

Vis-a-vis relations with arch-rival India, Nawaz Sharif has said that his government would pick up from where the peace process was left before the 1999 military coup. Aziz says the PML-N government will do its part to lower tensions with New Delhi and normalise relations.

He says the overall foreign policy will remain the same. However, the PML-N government will try to ensure its proper implementation. “Our policy will be to ensure peace and to decrease extremist threats as we can set an agenda to improve the economy. At the same time, we will not compromise on our basic foreign policy principles. So it will need a thorough thinking and consultations in parliament to evolve a consensus,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20th, 2013.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has announced a series of peaceful protests across the country and abroad against PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s statement holding Altaf Hussain ‘directly responsible’ for Saturday’s murder of senior PTI leader Zahra Shahid Hussain.

Speaking at a news conference on Sunday, MQM Deputy Convener Farooq Sattar said that party workers would respond to the PTI chief’s allegations by peaceful protests. “We will take up democratic and legal means against Imran Khan. We will not reply to hatred with hatred,” he added.

Dr Sattar said thousands of MQM workers had been hurt by Imran’s allegations against Altaf Hussain.

He also said that the MQM rejected re-polling in NA-250 and maintained the low turnout has proved that the process was a farce. “We were against these elections as people of 140 polling stations were deprived of their right to vote. These elections were biased and partial.”

Separately, MQM leaders and supporters staged a demonstration outside the Hyderabad Press Club.

They burnt an effigy of the PTI chairman to condemn his statement holding MQM chief Altaf Hussain responsible for the death of Zahra Shahid. “We want to send a message that the people of Hyderabad love Altaf Hussain and they will not tolerate any mudslinging against their leader,” said MQM Hyderabad zone in-charge Muhammad Sharif.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20th, 2013.

LAHORE: A day after firing a salvo against MQM chief Altaf Hussain, PTI Chairman Imran Khan urged Karachiites to participate in his party’s protest on Monday against the killing of Zahra Shahid Hussain.

“I salute the courage of the people of Karachi who have been held hostage for long by a [political] party. People of Karachi are being held in chains of fear and I urge them to come out and break these shackles,” Imran said in a video message from Shaukat Khanam Hospital in Lahore on Sunday.

He urged other political parties, “who are sick of tyranny”, to join the protest.

Imran also called upon Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary and Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G Ebrahim to take notice of ‘massive and unprecedented’ rigging in the elections.

“No democracy can thrive without free and fair elections. Now this is the responsibility of these two men to restore the trust of the people in the sanctity of the ballot,” he added.

PTI supporters have been staging protests in major urban centres, including Lahore and Karachi, against alleged rigging in the elections.

Imran warned that if his party’s concerns were not addressed, the voters who came out to vote for the first time on May 11 would lose their faith in the democratic exercise. “I can say with confidence that the elections were massively rigged,” he added.

He said that his party’s demand for recounting in six National Assembly constituencies is doable. “Recounting with the help of thumbprints will remove our apprehensions. We may lose after the recount but we will accept it and people’s trust in the electoral process will be restored.”

Imran reiterated what his party’s leadership announced at a news briefing earlier in the day: PTI supporters will stage a sit-in outside the Election Commission in Islamabad on May 24 if the party’s demand was not met.

PTI Secretary General in Punjab Dr Yasmeen Rashid has said that Imran would also participate in the sit-in.

Punjab-wide protest on May 21

PTI’s Punjab chapter President Ejaz Chaudhary on Sunday threatened province-wide protests outside all divisional press clubs on May 21 if the party’s demand for recounting was ignored.

“The PTI has given the ECP three days for recounting but the commission paid no heed. This step is extremely important to establish the fairness and credibility of the elections,” Chaudhary said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20th, 2013.

ISLAMABAD: Officially, little came out from Saturday’s meeting between the incoming premier, Nawaz Sharif, and army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Express Tribune, however, learnt on Sunday that the two sides agreed to ‘overhaul’ the country’s national security and foreign policies.

During the meeting, which lasted three-and-half hours, at Sharif’s Model Town residence in Lahore, the PML-N chief told Kayani that he plans to revisit the policies of the previous administration that have “not only damaged Pakistan’s relations with other countries but also hurt its national interest”.

A close aide to Nawaz told The Express Tribune that the security establishment will hold a detailed briefing on major national security and foreign policy issues for the new government once it is formally sworn in.

The aide quoted Gen Kayani as telling Nawaz that the army “fully respects the mandate given to his party and is ready to follow whatever policies he intends to pursue in the larger national interest”.

Reportedly, the army chief also put his weight behind PML-N’s efforts seeking an immediate end to the US drone campaign in the tribal belt. According to another source, Kayani told Nawaz that the security establishment had no ‘secret understanding’ with the US on its drone campaign. The source pointed out that the PML-N intends to raise the issue with the US administration as soon as it takes charge.

Saturday’s meeting was also aimed at dispelling the impression that PML-N’s election victory might put it at odds with the security establishment because of the ‘historic baggage’, said another PML-N leader.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said Nawaz assured Gen Kayani that he had “no grudge against the army as an institution” and that he was ready to work with it to steer the country out of crises.

“It [Kayani-Nawaz meeting] will have a calming effect and will smooth civil-military relations,” said political analyst Dr Ishtiaq Ahmed. “It will also certainly settle nerves in both camps,” he added.

Safe exit for Musharraf

Another issue that was thought to be discussed in Saturday’s meeting was the fate of former president Pervez Musharraf, who is currently under house arrest at his farmhouse on the outskirts of Islamabad.

PML-N sources said there was growing sense within the party’s ranks that Musharraf’s presence in the country and his possible trial could distract the new government from pressing issues. Therefore, if the former president is allowed to leave the country under the pretext of his mother’s ill health or any other reason, the party should not object to it.

While it is clear what the Sharifs intend to do, one party leader said: “If Musharraf leaves the country before the government takes charge, it will be a win-win situation.”

Reportedly, a message has been circulated within the army that Musharraf will be allowed to leave the country soon. The ‘message’ was conveyed in a bid to pacify growing unease within the army over the trial of its former chief.

A military official, when approached, referred to the statement of Gen Kayani he made on ‘Yaum-e-Shuhada’ last month emphasising that “It is not merely retribution, but awareness and participation of the masses that can truly end this game of hide and seek between democracy and dictatorship.”

When contacted, however, both the PML-N and the army refused to comment on the matter.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20th, 2013.

KARACHI: After much debate, allegations and counter-allegations between political parties, a partial re-run of the vote in 43 polling stations of NA-250 (Karachi-XII) concluded peacefully and efficiently on Sunday, amid tight security provided by police, Rangers and army personnel.

As unofficial results from the re-polls poured in late Sunday night, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) appeared far ahead of the pack.

Dr Arif Alvi, PTI’s candidate for the National Assembly seat, led with 17,541 votes – a staggering lead considering his sole rival for the constituency, Jamaat-e-Islami’s Naimatullah Khan, could muster around 446 votes, despite Jamaat-e-Islami’s boycott.

Unofficial results for NA-250’s corresponding provincial assembly constituencies – PS-112 and PS-113 – were similarly encouraging for PTI. Its candidate for PS-112, Khurram Sher Zaman, secured 2,521 votes from seven polling stations, against his opponent Khalid Iqbal of Awami National Party who could only secure 177 votes.

PTI candidate for PS-113 Samar Ali Khan, meanwhile, polled 9,501 votes, according to the results of 28 polling stations. His rival candidate, Saleem Zia of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz bagged around 3,291 votes.

Till the filing of this report, election staff was still busy counting the votes from 43 stations.

Talking to The Express Tribune, a senior Election Commission official said that Dr Alvi had unofficially been elected to the National Assembly seat. According to the official, Alvi secured around 51,000 votes on May 11, against Muttahida Qaumi Movement candidate Khushbakht Shujaat, who received around 47,000 votes, and Pakistan Peoples Party candidate Rashid Rabbani, who received around 17,000 votes.

With their respective parties’ decision to boycott the partial re-run of polls, their chances of defeating Alvi have been virtually erased.

“After adding the results from the re-polls, Alvi’s vote count may rise up to 68,500,” the official maintained, adding that the final results would be announced by May 22.

More than 80,000 voters had been registered in the 43 polling stations where the re-polls were scheduled to take place. While the process ended without any untoward incident – as opposed to May 11, which witnessed mismanagement and staggering delays, amid allegations of rigging – the turnout on Sunday was much lower than Election Day. In several stations, the turnout was as low as 30-40%, compared to 55-60% on May 11.

The low turnout can be gauged from the example of Aram Bagh polling station, where only 49 votes were cast against 1,400 registered voters. Similarly, while 1,100 voters were registered at the polling station near the Railway Station, only 500 people turned up to cast votes on Sunday.

A higher turnout was witnessed in the DHA and Clifton areas, despite fears stoked by the killing of senior PTI leader Zahra Shahid Hussain the night before.

“We are really happy to see the arrangements made by the ECP. If such measures had been taken on May 11, the situation would have been much better,” said Abdul Haq, a senior citizen who came to vote at the Aisha Bawany School.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20th, 2013.