Day: April 20, 2024

Foreign Office has taken strong exception to the US decision to impose sanctions against commercial entities on allegations of links with Pakistan’s ballistic missile programme.

In response to media queries regarding the US decision to impose sanctions against commercial entities on allegations of links with Pakistan’s ballistic missile programme, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said such listings of commercial entities have taken place in the past as well on allegations of links to Pakistan’s ballistic missile programme without sharing any evidence whatsoever.

She said while we are not aware of the specifics of the latest measures by the United States, in the past we have come across many instances where listings have been made on mere suspicion or even when the involved items were not on any control lists but were deemed sensitive under catch-all provisions.

The Spokesperson said Pakistan rejects political use of export controls. It is a reality that the same jurisdictions, which claim t
o exercise strict non-proliferation controls, have waived off licensing requirements for advanced military technologies for some countries. She said this is leading to arms buildup; accentuating regional asymmetries, and undermining the objectives of non-proliferation and of regional and global peace and security.

She said Pakistan has pointed out many times need to avoid arbitrary application of export controls and for discussions between concerned parties for an objective mechanism to avoid erroneous sanctions on technology needed purely for socio-economic development pursuits.

Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said Pakistan has been ready to discuss end-use and end-user verification mechanisms so that legitimate commercial users are not hurt by discriminatory application of export controls. It is well known that the same jurisdictions, which claim strict adherence to non-proliferation controls, have waived off licensing requirements for advanced military technologies for some countries. She said such discriminatory ap
proaches and double standards are undermining the credibility of non-proliferation regimes and also the objectives of regional and global peace and security by accentuating military asymmetries.

Source: Radio Pakistan

Chairman Pakistan Ulema Council Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi says the registration of pilgrims under the private Hajj scheme is in progress with twenty-four thousand pilgrims slated to participate in the Road to Makkah project this year.

Addressing a news conference in Lahore today, he said that the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah was dispatching high-level officials to train Pakistani pilgrims.

Responding to a question, he said that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia shared identical stances regarding Israel.

Source: Radio Pakistan

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has announced that cellular services will be temporarily suspended in specific districts across Punjab and Balochistan on April 21st and 22nd, during the upcoming by-elections.

This measure, directed by the Ministry of Interior, aims to ensure the integrity and security of the electoral process.

It must be mentioned here that the electoral process’s function depends on the availability of the internet so that the ECP can stay connected with the polling stations after the counting has concluded. Miscommunication led to wide-scale rigging in the recently conducted elections.

The decision to suspend mobile communications reflects a precautionary approach to maintaining public order and preventing any potential misuse of mobile networks during the electoral period.

This suspension is part of broader security measures being implemented to facilitate a fair and peaceful voting process, claims the PTA.

Residents of the affected districts are advised to plan accord
ingly and stay informed through other means of communication during the suspension period.

The PTA has committed to restoring services as soon as it is deemed safe and appropriate, following the conclusion of the by-elections.

Source: Pro Pakistani

Water and Power Development Authority has awarded a multi-million dollar contract for the supply of two critical transformers for the Mangla Refurbishment Project.

The contract has been signed between WAPDA and Chinese contractor CHINT at a ceremony in Lahore.

The project which aims to refurbish the existing Mangla Hydel Power Station will increase power generation capacity of three hundred and ten Mega Watt.

The average annual generation will also increase from five billion units to six point six billion units. The project is being funded by USAID, AFD France, and WAPDA’s resources.

Source: Radio Pakistan

Following Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) directive, the Capital Development Authority has reversed the ban on property transfer.

A letter from Additional Director Land Affectees, Riaz Khan, has confirmed the revocation of the ban initially imposed in January 2024 by the Deputy Director General Land.

Before the official ban on property transfers linked to land affectees was enforced in January 2024, an unofficial transfer restriction had already been in place for several months. Initially, the ban targeted the transfer of properties allocated to land affectees during the tenure of former Member Estate, Afnan Alam Khan.

However, it extended to numerous other cases, causing uncertainty for hundreds of buyers. The CDA distributed its plots through open auctions or allocated them to affected individuals, who later sold them on the open market.

These individuals were those whose land was acquired by the CDA, and they received plots as compensation. While the transfer of plot ownership through open auctions proce
eded smoothly, the process was paused for plots allotted to land-affected persons.

This led to strong protests from the Real Estate Agents Association, who voiced their concerns at the civic authority’s premises regarding the ban on transferring titles in the land affectees’ sector.

Despite the association’s efforts, their grievances were not addressed even after meetings with Chairman CDA, Captain (Retired) Anwar-ul-Haq, and the then Member Estate.

The Real Estate Agents’ Association emphasized the need to identify specific instances of wrongdoing and hold those responsible accountable, rather than halting the entire process. Following this, some individuals approached the Islamabad High Court, which directed the civic authority to immediately begin transferring properties to private individuals, asserting their undeniable right to ownership.

Despite the issuance of a notification by the CDA, realtors remain skeptical of the authority’s intentions, suspecting that the notification was issued under pressu
re from the court.

They expect further clarity on the matter in the upcoming days. According to an insider, the withdrawal of the ban, initially imposed by the DDG Land and revoked by a junior officer like the Additional Director Land Affectees, raises suspicion. This suggests a reluctance from higher management to fully comply with court orders.

Former Member Estate Afnan Alam Khan, along with several other officers of the land and rehabilitation directorate, faced an investigation by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) over a scandal. This scandal involved the alleged fraudulent allotment of land worth billions of rupees in sector E-11.

However, rather than concentrating solely on particular cases, the anti-corruption watchdog has sought comprehensive details of all allotments, plot location changes, and other relevant information from the CDA during his tenure.

Source: Pro Pakistani