Govt starts uplift projects to facilitate people: Dar

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar has said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had launched several development projects to improve economy and facilitate the people.

He said that Nandipur, Dasu, Bhasha, Neelum-Jhelum and other projects would be completed in near future to meet the growing demand of energy in the country.

Talking to the official television, he said that PML-N government was taking all important steps to streamline the system. Ishaq Dar said the government had paid circular debt to bring improvement in the energy sector.

Ishaq Dar said that budget deficit had been reduced due to the dynamic policies of the present government.

He said that a large number of people would be provided assistance through Income Support Programme.

The finance minister said that the PML-N was following its manifesto given during the election campaign.

Replying to a question, he said that present government wanted to produce 40,000MW electricity through different resources for achieving speedy progress in all the sectors.

Ishaq Dar said that a huge amount was allocated for fee reimbursement programme of the students.

To another question, he said the government was not getting any dictation from International Monitory Funds (INF).

He said that an additional amount would be given to the provincial governments to bring prosperity in the country.

Meanwhile, the World Bank (WB) Country Director for Pakistan, Rachid Benmessaoud, expressed the hope that the board of the bank would approve assistance for Dasu Project.

“We are working day and night for board meeting to be held on June 10 and hope that the assistance for Dasu Project will be approved,” he said during his meeting with Finance Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar here.

During the meeting WB Country Director assured the finance minister that things were moving positively for Pakistan at the World Bank.

He said that they were encouraged by the positive trends of the economic indicators.

The meeting was also attended by Shahid Mahmood, Special Assistant to the Finance Minister and senior officials of the Finance Ministry.

Ishaq Dar informed the Country Director that Pakistan’s economy was moving in the right direction and that we would continue to engage with multilateral fora including World Bank for assistance in energy and infrastructure development programmes initiated by the government.

He added, in line with the vision of the prime minister to make Pakistan developed and prosperous country, the government has embarked upon a plan to meet the energy requirements and make Pakistan an economically viable country.

He emphasized that World Bank’s assistance in energy and development projects particularly on Dasu Dam and CASA -1000 will help Pakistan progress.

Afghan Taliban free US soldier after five years

PESHAWAR: The Afghan Taliban on Saturday confirmed to have freed US soldier Bowe Bergdahl, they had abducted in June 2009 from Afghanistan, in exchange of their top Taliban commanders.

“Yes our talks finally proved successful for prisoners’ swap. We returned our valued guest to his countrymen and they released our people, including the top five commanders held in Guantanamo Bay since 2002,” a senior Taliban commander told The News on phone from somewhere in Afghanistan.

Pleading anonymity, he said talks for prisoners’ swap had been going on for the past several weeks. He didn’t mention the name of the country but said a brotherly Muslim country, having sympathies with the Taliban, played an important role in bringing together the Taliban and US officials to help exchange each others’ prisoners.

The Taliban commander said Bowe Bergdahl had mostly been held in the tribal areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan after what he termed his ‘dramatic’ kidnapping from Afghanistan’s Paktika province in June 2009.

“After the deal was finalised, Bowe was taken to Ali Sher town of Afghanistan’s eastern Khost province by the third party and delivered to Americans. We don’t know further what happened to him,” the Taliban commander said.

According to the Taliban, they had informed Bergdahl a few days ago about his likely release but he didn’t believe as before this he was once handed over to members of the Quetta Shura or council, the decision-making body of the militants, for his scheduled release in exchange for the five commanders two years ago when they started peace talks with US in Qatar.

“The talks at that time failed and he was again handed over to his captors and that’s why he didn’t trust when was told about his likely release,” he recalled.

He claimed Bergdahl has made several friends among the Taliban but his suffering began when his close friend and senior Taliban commander, Maulvi Sangeen Zadran was killed in a US drone attack in North Waziristan tribal region last year.

“He was actually kidnapped by the militants of Maulvi Sangeen and that’s why the late commander would love him and take care of him,” the Taliban commander said.

Before his release, the Taliban claimed he was given a traditional Afghan turban as a gift.

“It is war in which they kill us and we kill them but we did whatever we could to make him happy and return with good memories,” the Taliban commander said.

The Taliban commander claimed they finally got back their five prisoners including Mulla Fazal Akhund, Noorullah Noori, Abdul Haq Waseeq, Khairullah Khairkhwa and Mohammad Nabi in exchange for the US soldier.

“We initially demanded the release of these people. They arrived in Qatar and joined their families,” he said.

According to Taliban sources, Mulla Fazal Akhund, who belongs to the Kakar tribe and is from Derawad in the central Urozgan province, was the Taliban army chief at the time of his capture.

Mulla Fazal was reportedly leading his fighters in northern Afghanistan where he surrendered to Uzbek warlord General Abdur Rasheed Dostum on condition that he won’t be handed over to the US.

Gen Dostum later handed over him and several hundred other Taliban prisoners to the US reportedly after taking money from the Americans. Noorullah Noori, who hails from Ghazni province, was the governor of Balkh province, while Khairullah Khairkhwa served as Afghanistan’s interior minister during the Taliban rule and also remained the governor of Herat province.

He belongs to Spin Boldak village in Kandahar province sited near the Pakistani border town of Chaman. Abdul Haq Waseeq was the deputy Taliban intelligence chief when he was captured. He belongs to Paktia province. Similarly, Mohammad Nabi was an important military commander when the Taliban were in power. He belongs to the Haqqani network.

‘Jobless politicians’ want to lure Imran into cage: Pervaiz

LAHORE: In an obvious reference to the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leaders Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rashid on Saturday said those meeting in London were politically jobless people and they were luring Imran Khan into their cage.

Speaking to media persons here, he said the remnants of Musharraf were trying to bring together the associates of the former military dictator.

“These people are luring Imran Khan into their cage but he is scared of entering it,” the minister said.

Downplaying Friday’s meeting between Qadri and the Chaudhry brothers in London, the minister said: “It is a waste of time to comment on Dr Qadri and the Chaudhry brothers meeting. One can never enter parliament while the other cannot become an opposition,” he observed.

He said Imran had become isolated politically that’s why he was relying on rejected elements like the Chaudhrys of Gujrat and a Canadian national Tahirul Qadri.

To a question, he said Sheikh Rasheed was a ticket-less passenger, who would be checked by Khawaja Saad Rafique.

The information minister said the government would decide on the removal of Musharraf’s name from the Exit Control List (ECL) after the court ruling.

The minister said Imran Khan had no idea of national politics and wanted to fight with those the government was holding talks. He said Imran was obsessed with the issue of four constituencies. He said Imran had not mentioned the Kashmir issue in his speeches or public rallies yet.

PM consults officials for restoring peace talks with Taliban

 

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has held consultations with some important officials in connection with restoring the peace talks with the Taliban.
According to the sources, despite the military operation in North Waziristan and other agencies against the militants, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan are in favour of restoring the process of the peace dialogue with the Taliban.

The sources in the capital said that two days before the meeting of political and military leadership on Friday, the prime minister had held talks with former ambassador Rustam Shah Mohmand regarding the restoration of peace talks with the Taliban.

The sources said that the government still wanted to create an atmosphere for talks so that durable peace could be established in the troubled areas.

When The News contacted Rustam Shah in this regard, he said that the prime minister was hopeful and the process was moving forward positively.

Forces foil cross-border attack in Bajaur

 

KHAR: At least 16 militants and a soldier were killed in a clash at Nawa Top in the Wara Mamond tehsil in Bajaur Agency after Afghanistan-based insurgents attacked a security checkpost on Saturday, official sources said.
Sources said the clash took place early in the morning near the Pak-Afghan border some 25 kilometres northwest of Khar, the administrative headquarters of Bajaur Agency, when the militants based in Afghanistan’s eastern Kunar province attacked a checkpost of the security forces at around 5:00am.

A soldier was killed and two others sustained injuries in the attack, the sources added.

“The security forces manning the checkpost returned the fire and killed 16 militants in retaliation,” said an official.

Local people said the exchange of fire between the two sides lasted an hour. They said the security forces were backed by gunship helicopters that flew in the area till 10:00am.

Meanwhile, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack and its spokesman Shahidullah Shahid in a phone call from an undisclosed location insisted that 10 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 10-12 were wounded in the assault. He conceded that one Taliban fighter was killed and three injured in the attack.

However, the claims made by the two sides couldn’t be confirmed from independent sources.

It was learnt that the forces tightened security in the areas bordering Kunar in a bid to prevent the militants from staging cross-border attacks.

It may be recalled that five suspected militants were killed in a clash with the security forces in the Manro Jangal area in Bajaur Agency near the Pak-Afghan border last Sunday. Militants operating in the border areas are believed to be planning more attacks now that the weather is warm.

APP adds from Islamabad: Pakistan lodged a strong protest with the Afghan authorities against the attack from the Afghan side and the matter was also taken up by Pakistan’s ambassador in Kabul with the Afghan foreign ministry. The Foreign Office spokesperson in a statement said any allegations about shelling on Afghan civilians inside Afghanistan were incorrect and Pakistan aviation only fired on attacking terrorists.

The spokesperson said Pakistan’s concerns about miscreants and terrorists attacking from the other side of the border have been repeatedly shared with the Afghan authorities. “We hope effective steps will be taken to prevent a recurrence of such incidents. For its part, Pakistan will continue to exercise restraint and make efforts to maintain a conducive environment for constructive engagement,” said the spokesperson.

“We remain committed to maintaining a tranquil border, especially in the run up to second round of Afghan elections,” the spokesperson added.

Reuters adds: Afghan officials said an airstrike by Pakistani forces along the Afghan border killed four civilians on Saturday.

“A Pakistani army helicopter strike in Dangam district killed four civilians and wounded ten others,” said Abdul Habib Sayed Khel, police chief of Afghanistan’s Kunar province, adding that 124 rockets had landed in the province on Saturday alone.

PM rejects summary to increase petroleum prices

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif Saturday directed to maintain the prices of petroleum products at the same level, rejecting recommendations of Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) to increase the same for next month.

The prime minister issued these directives in a meeting with Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar who called on him.

The finance minister briefed the prime minister on cumulative reduction in POL prices during the last three months.

He informed that the economic policies, stabilization of the value of rupee and increase in the foreign exchange reserves had already resulted in reduction of POL prices in the country.

He informed the prime minister that Ogra has suggested increase in prices of petrol, HSD, LSD and HOBC and decrease in price of kerosene oil for the next month.

The prime minister directed that the prices of the petroleum

products, where Ogra has suggested increase, should be kept at the same level and the decrease in price of kerosene oil will be passed on to the consumers, on recommendation of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.

The government will provide subsidy amounting Rs1.78 billion to offset the difference in prices of POL products.

After prime minister’s directive, the price of MS (petrol) will remain Rs107.97 per litre, high speed diesel Rs109.34 per litre, light diesel oil Rs94.13 per litre, HOBC Rs134.63 per litre while the prices of kerosene oil will be reduced to Rs97.40 per litre from existing price of Rs98.07 per litre.

However, Ogra had suggested increasing petrol price to Rs109.28 per litre, high speed diesel Rs111.15 per litre, light diesel oil Rs95.14 per litre, HOBC Rs137.12 per litre and decrease of kerosene oil price to Rs97.40 per litre.

PML-N MPA Rana Jameel Hasan kidnapped

RAWALPINDI: A PML-N member of the Punjab provincial assembly, Rana Jameel, was kidnapped for ransom from the Pindi Bhattian Interchange on Saturday.

Police sources, quoting a statement of the wife of the kidnapped MPA, said that the MPA along with his family was travelling in his car towards Rawalpindi/Islamabad to spend the weekend with their family friends when four to five gunmen in a car intercepted their vehicle near the Pindi Bhattian Interchange and two of them hijacked the car of the MPA and took control of the steering after holding the MPA and his family at gunpoint, adding that they drove down the Motorway and took the exit from Taxila. The captors however dropped his wife and children at Taxila and drove away with the MPA leaving a message to pay Rs50 million ransom otherwise the MPA will be killed, police sources said.

The kidnapped MPA’s wife told the police that the captors were equipped with lethal weapons and warned to pay Rs50 million within the next 36 hours otherwise the MPA would be gunned down.

Earlier, upon receiving information, the top cops of the Rawalpindi police along with a heavy contingent of the Punjab police and paramilitary forces rushed to Taxila and Wah and launched an extensive search operation to recover the MPA and to hunt down the captors but in vain as the captors had left the area.

The police bosses claimed that they had received some clues that the captors and the kidnapped MPA were still in the vicinity of Taxila but they had made no headway.

The secret agencies were of the view that the captors had left the area for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa soon after dropping the MPA’s family at Taxila.

When contacted, the police neither denied nor endorsed the incident of the MPA’s kidnapping.

Rana Jameel was elected from Nankana Sahib as a MPA on a PML-N ticket.

APP adds: Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif taking immediate notice of a news item of kidnapping of Rana Jamil Hassan, MPA, of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) near Pindi Bhattian sought a report from the IG Police. The chief minister directed that effective steps should be taken for the early recovery of MPA Rana Jamil Hassan and to apprehend the culprits involved behind the abduction.

Masked men snatch Jang copies near Lodhran

 

MULTAN: In yet another attack against the Jang Group, unidentified armed men snatched copies of daily Jang from a delivery van and tortured the driver, warning him that he would be killed if he transported the newspaper again.
Seven people wearing masks stopped the vehicle at Kotli Morr and asked the driver – Sabir Shah – to hand over all copies of the daily Jang after snatching the car key and his cellular phone from him. They left the scene after warning him that his vehicle would be torched and he would be killed in case he transported daily Jang again.

The masked men also told Sabir that the driver supplying daily Jang to Rahim Yar Khan should be told to stop his routine; otherwise, his vehicle too would be torched, as they had four ‘checkposts’ on that route.

Giving details, Sabir said as a daily routine, he along with a colleague Ahmed and two passengers left Gujjar Khadda for Lodhran at 3:25am, as he supplies the newspaper from Multan on a route covering Station Adda Larr, Basti Malook, Makhdoom Aali, Lodhran, Dhanote and Karor Pakka.

As he reached the Bahawalpur Bypass, two cars started following him. At Kotli Morr, the armed men carrying pistols and Kalashnikov rifles intercepted his vehicle. While snatching the copies of daily Jang and threatening him of dire consequence, they also thrashed him. According to Sabir, the attackers were wearing shalwar kameez and speaking Urdu.

Our correspondent from Gaileywal said people expressed annoyance over the brutal act, saying they were deprived of their favourite newspaper.

Imran Khan says PTI not joining any alliance

 

LONDON: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has declared that his party will not be part of any opposition alliance and was not in discussions with any party in this regard.
Khan confirmed to The News that he was in London to attend a fundraiser and to spend time with his children and had no intention of being part of any alliance.

Khan told The News exclusively that reports that he was taking his party into an alliance were “absolutely” incorrect.

The confirmation from Imran Khan came as the Chaudhry brothers and Dr Tahirul Qadri entered into an agreement to launch a joint movement against the current set-up.

PTI spokesperson Shireen Mazari had said that Khan was in London not for any political meetings but speculation remained rife that the presence of three anti-PML-N party leaders at the same time could lead to the formation of an alliance. But Khan poured cold water on any such development and said that any decision in the future would be taken in consultation with his party.

Separately, speaking to The News Dr Tahirul Qadri said that the Chaudhry brothers had come to London to meet him only and news that the PTI and the MQM were becoming part of the alliance were “misleading” and “media fabricated”.

He told The News that it was just a “coincidence” that Imran Khan, himself and the Chaudhry brothers were present in London at the same time but “the original meetings were planned between them only and had nothing to do with Imran Khan or his party”.

Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) sources told The News that the Chaudhry brothers wanted to meet Dr Qadri in Canada but the lengthy visa process for the country meant that it was more convenient for Dr Qadri to meet them in London.

A source explained: “Dr Qadri is presiding over a meeting of PAT office bearers on Saturday evening in London and a Europe-wide party convention on Saturday in Birmingham. All other speculation is wrong.”

For God’s sake, let Pakistan progress: Nawaz

 

NANDIPUR: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has come down hard on certain opposition parties for making attempts to sabotage his government’s ‘progressive’ agenda.
After inaugurating the 95-MW thermal power plant at Nandipur on Saturday, the prime minister took his detractors on, saying that the protest-mongers were working on an agenda to destroy the country.

“Why are these parties protesting at this point in time when the government has launched a solid progressive agenda for the betterment of the country? I fail to understand their objectives,” he added.

Nawaz was concerned about what he believed was a futile exercise being conducted from Canada, London and back home. “For God’s sake let this country progress. Haven’t you done enough damage to Pakistan in the last 67 years?

“Are these protests against the government’s programmes for bringing prosperity in the country? We are working hard to come up to the trust of the people, who have given us the mandate, and are endeavouring hard to put Pakistan on the right track,” he added.

Instead of lending a helping hand to the government at this crucial juncture, the opposition had preferred banking on the politics of agitation. They should see how sincerely the present government is working day in and day out for the betterment of the country, he said.

“They should not create hurdles in our progressive agenda. The initiative that the government has taken in Karachi is an attempt to bring about peace in the economic hub of Pakistan.

“It’s a move to end the reign of terror, where kidnapping-for-ransom and extortion is rampant. This operation has been launched to end all these evils, and the move has already started paying dividends,” the prime minister added.

Nawaz said the federal government had launched development projects in the provinces where the PML-N was not in power. “Let the opposition raise a hue and cry but it will not deter my resolve to fulfil the government’s objective of bringing prosperity to every nook and cranny of the country - from Khyber to Karachi and from Khunjerab to Gwadar,” Nawaz added.

The premier specifically recounted his government’s initiatives in the power, agriculture, communications, industrial and general welfare sectors. He said the government had launched numerous projects for reaping long-term benefits in all areas. Some of them have already been launched or are being initiated, including the Kashghar-Khunjerab Pass-Islamabad Highway, Lahore-Karachi Motorway (Rs55 billion already allocated), construction of a state-of-the-art airport and seaport at Gwadar, laying of rail-track from Islamabad to Muzaffarabad, initiating the Diamer-Bhasha (for which the government has launched a land purchase drive and allocated Rs40 billion) and Dasu dams (with the capacity to generate 4,500-MW each), completing the Neelam-Jhelum project, launching of coal and thermal power-plant projects at various sites all over Pakistan, introducing the Youth Employment Scheme etc. Nawaz also mounted a challenge to the opposition to identify just one area where his government had faltered so far.

“The government has made headway in putting a lid on corruption, and is trying to strengthen the democratic institutions.

“We have fulfilled the promise of introducing the concept of good governance. My aim is to bring about prosperity in all parts of the country, even those areas where the PML-N had not got the mandate during last year’s general elections or where it was not in power.

“What is bothering the opposition? The people of Pakistan need to know the reason for their agitatation,” he said.

About the government’s priority area, the power sector, the prime minister said the total power-production capacity of the country stood at 23,000-MW. However, he added, in view of the shutting down of several power plants, that figure had gone down considerably. He said the government managed to push up the production to 16,000-MW last year during the summer with ample water availability. This time round, he hoped, it could be further enhanced. He vowed to equip the country with more power plants in the next six to eight years, adding another 21,000-MW to the system.

“China has been of great help in this regard. The Chinese leadership has been very supportive in resolving the power crisis in Pakistan. China has helped us set up these plants in Karachi, Gadani, Sahiwal, Faisalabad and also helped us in hydel power generation,” Nawaz added. He thanked China for its massive support for bailing Pakistan out of the situation.

Nawaz further said the government had already worked on plans for bringing a marked change in all sectors. He said the government would come to the rescue of agriculturists by furnishing fresh incentives apart from the relief they would get in the form of ample water resources once the two big dams became operational. He said the government had also focused on the industrial sector, healthcare facilities and the education sector. All these projects, he believed, would change the fate of the nation.

The prime minister announced the Tamgha-e-Jurrat (medal for valour) for the director project, Nandipur Power Plant, Captain Mehmood. He thanked the entire team involved in establishing the plant in just seven months despite hindrances like wear and tear of the machinery because of the three-year delay in the project as the previous the PPP government had held the machinery back at the port all this time for political reasons. He announced three-months bonus for all workers and senior staff at the project on behalf of the federal government in addition to the already announced similar reward by the Punjab government. Nawaz also appreciated Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s untiring efforts in controlling the damage done because of the delay. He lauded the Punjab government’s security arrangements, besides its initiatives for the provision of other facilities to the staff, especially the Chinese workforce engaged there.

In his address, Shahbaz Sharif termed the generation of electricity in a record period of seven months from the first turbine of the Nandipur Power Plant a success story of commitment and determination.

He disclosed that the project could have been completed three years ago if the previous government had not created hurdles for the previous Punjab government. The country would not have faced an economic loss of Rs165 billion and an additional amount of Rs30 billion would not have to have been spent for reviving the dead project.

While strongly criticising, what he termed the criminal negligence on the part of former rulers vis-a-vis the Nandipur Power Project, he said it was just one of many tragic incidents of the past. He said the machinery of the plant was kept rusting at Karachi Port.

Shahbaz said he was not levelling allegations against anyone; however, it was the nation’s right to know the facts about the loot and plunder with regard to this project. “Like this project, which has been completed in a record time period under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the other energy projects will be completed as soon as possible,” the Punjab chief minister added.

He said the Chinese company Dongfong restarted the work on the project in view of the faith it had in the present government. He said the Chinese company had promised to make the first turbine functional by November 2014, but when the project commenced after a lapse of three years, the Chinese officials were surprised to see the pace of work. It was the hard work put in collectively which ensured the completion of the project before the stipulated time period. He further said Pakistani and Chinese experts worked on this project round-the-clock with determination.

Shahbaz was hopeful that under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif, the country would come out of its existing problems. He further said the projects like the Nandipur Power Plant were a ray of hope in the prevailing circumstances.

He also expressed the hope that all energy generating projects would be completed speedily in the valleys of Mehran, Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. He said the country would be transformed in accordance with the vision of Quaid-i-Azam and Allama Iqbal in the real sense, where everyone would have an opportunity to excel and enjoy equal rights.

He said we would all work as members of the PM’s team for making Pakistan a great country.

The chief minister thanked the Chinese president, premier, people and officials of the Dongfong Electric Company, saying the Chinese government and leadership were fully supporting Pakistan. He also thanked Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister for Water & Power Khawaja Muhammad Asif, provincial ministers Rana Sanaullah, Col Shuja Khanzada, chief secretary and IG Punjab, commissioner Gujranwala, DCO, RPO, CCPO as well as engineers and workers of the Dongfong Company, Pakistani engineers, workers and Project Director Nandipur Captain Mahmood for their cooperation and hard work. He also recommended to the prime minister to award the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz to Captain Mahmood for his contribution in establishing the plant in such a short time period.

Various members of the Nandipur Power Plant, including the Chinese officials, were awarded certificates for their achievements in making the project a great success. The project has the aggregate capacity of generating 425-MW power, and it would reach its peak by the end of the current year.

Online adds: PM Nawaz Sharif said the upcoming budget would contain several relief measures for farmers and the business community.