Pakistan seeks strategic economic ties with Saudi …

Lahore: Senior leader of the Pakistan People’s Party, Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, has said that we are eating our future generations, there is a need for an organized and broader movement in Pakistan, if we remain divided into sects and castes, there will be no production. If the potential is wasted now, Pakistan will suffer. He expressed these views while addressing a discussion on the topic of “More provinces or empowered district governments” organized by the People’s Information Bureau and Bhutto Shaheed Foundation at the SAIFMA Auditorium. The moderators were Bushra Manzoor Maneka and Ahmed Ghuman. The ceremony was also addressed by Shahzad Saeed Cheema, Imtiaz Alam, Barrister Aamir Hassan, Khan Asif Khan, Ahmed Owais, Brigadier (R) Dr. Amin Amir Bahadur Hoti, Intikhab Hanif. On this occasion, Faiza Malik Bushra Malik, Sadia Sohail, Dr. Farid Zakaria, Sania Kamran, Fatima Malhi, Aamir Naseer Dozens of PPP workers including Butt, Chaudhry Riaz, Mian Atiq, Rao Shujaat, Wajid Ali Shah were present. Addressing the discussion, the former Federal Interior Minister said that from August 14 till today, we have not seen any change in the British system except the change of the flag. He said that local bodies are not a substitute for anyone, elections should be held for them. Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan said that unfortunately, Pakistan has a debt of 150 billion dollars. In which a ship worth 12 billion also has to come, the PPP also spends lavishly, we will have to tighten the belt tied around our stomach. He said that the problems are so serious that we have made our neighbors enemies, let’s go after looking at the international interest of the country, otherwise we will have to sing their song. Today, the state has become a stepmother. One party is being beaten. Pakistan People’s Party Central Punjab Information Secretary Shahzad Saeed Cheema said that the 73rd unanimous constitution of Pakistan is a social contract, except for the 18th amendment, there are and will be question marks on the motives of every legislation. He said that everyone admits that whose thumb is on the neck of the parliament, there is a big difference between the choice of an individual and a book. Shahzad Saeed Cheema said that our problem is not authority, the problem is the distribution of authority. Imtiaz Alam said that the country was divided but the mandate of the people was not accepted, Imtiaz Alam clarified that national units are constitutional units from which a federation is formed, the main problem of Pakistan Authority-run system. He asked. Have the provinces become empowered after the 18th Amendment? The Joint Interests Council has not met for the last 2 years. He said that we are not ready to give municipal power to the Kashmiris and have gone to hold local body elections. Two provinces are already unstable and now they want to do the same for Sindh. Imtiaz Alam said that the military brothers should do their work, Pakistan is becoming administratively ungovernable. Birsatar Aamir Hassan said that our state institutions are working, right? Local governments, we have received the gifts of democracy from General Zia. He emphasized that Asif Zardari has taken out the N from the N, which has given 17 budgets. The People’s Party is the founder of the constitution, the same constitution put Bhutto on the throne. He said that if there is no rule of law, then what is the use? The People’s Party has not come through any Faiz Hameed nor has it been raised by any Hameed. He emphasized that Provinces should be formed constitutionally. Dividing ideas is not a child’s play. Barrister Aamir Hassan said, “We have been struggling since 1988. Don’t tell us Form 47. You are still a school child.” He said that it is impossible to become Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in history and it is difficult to become Asif Zardari. President Zardari gave powers to the parliament, the parliament gave powers to the provinces, now the provinces have given powers to the district governments. Barrister Aamir further said that abusing the army will not work. We have learned this by sacrificing our lives, we invite them to do politics, otherwise the people are helpless against politics, the 8houses and those whose names they cannot name. Dr. Amin said that the army does not come without the support of political parties, we are all Pakistanis, otherwise the issue of new provinces should become Kalabagh Dam. PTI leader Ahmed Owais said that a system is running in Pakistan without the constitution and law, here you cannot express your opinion, there is a ban on speaking and listening. Pakistan English media Associations (PEMA) representative and senior journalist Intikhab Hanif said all steps in Pakistan have been taken by the sitting regimes. And have been reversed after a change in government which has cost dearly to the country. No one is allowed the discuss the pros and cons of policy during a regime. And those supporting it start finding faults in the policy after the regime is over. Please make state policies in consultation with all stakeholders so that they are owned and continued by the succeeding regimes.

Islamabad: Forty six officers and employees of the Directorate General Immigration and Passports remained posted at Pakistani missions abroad after completing their allowed three year tenure, while audit declared salaries, allowances and other benefits paid after the expiry of their foreign assignments irregular and unauthorized. The issue triggered strong criticism in the Public Accounts Committee, where members demanded to know why the officials were not called back and who was responsible for failing to implement the approved policy. The existing foreign posting policy clearly states that Immigration and Passport staff sent to Pakistani missions abroad are to serve for 36 months. The policy states this period is not extendable. It further states that the posting automatically ends after 36 months and pay should stop at that point. The replacement process is also required to begin at least one year before an official completes the foreign posting so that passport operations at missions are not disturbed. Audit found that the department did not follow these requirements. The department provided a list of 46 officials and employees who had served at different Pakistani missions abroad. The locations included Dubai, Jeddah, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Doha, Kuwait, Milan, London, Barcelona, Paris, Rome, Frankfurt, Manchester, Toronto, New York, Madrid, Hong Kong, Washington, Sydney, Chicago, Berlin, Bangkok, Copenhagen, Los Angeles, Stockholm, Tokyo, Tehran and Vancouver. Audit said the officials had not returned to Pakistan after completion of their foreign assignments. It also said management had failed to arrange their replacements in time. According to the audit, payments of salaries, allowances and other benefits after the completion of the approved foreign posting period were irregular and unauthorized. Audit said failure to follow the foreign posting policy violated instructions issued by the Establishment Division and the Ministry of Interior. It recommended an investigation to determine responsibility and called for regularizing the period during which the officials remained abroad beyond their approved tenure. The matter became more controversial during discussion before the Public Accounts Committee. Members repeatedly asked Immigration and Passport officials why the employees were not recalled after completing three years. Officials said the staff had originally been posted under the existing policy. They explained that proposals for a new policy had later been sent to the Ministry of Interior but had not been finalized. Committee members were not satisfied with that explanation. They argued that until a new policy was formally approved, the existing policy remained binding. Members said government departments could not stop following an approved policy simply because another policy was being prepared. One member said the rules had to be followed as written and officials could not decide for themselves whether an approved policy was right or wrong. The member said a clear violation had taken place because the officials remained abroad after their tenure without proper regularization or recall. Questions were also raised over who had the authority to approve any extension when the existing policy itself described the foreign posting period as non extendable. Members said the matter may have required approval from a higher forum if the government wanted to keep the officials abroad after their original tenure expired. The committee also questioned why the department had not started the replacement process before the officials completed their assignments. Officials acknowledged during the discussion that requests concerning replacements and policy changes were sent after some tenures had already ended. Members pointed out that the department already knew from the start that every foreign posting would end after three years. They therefore questioned why replacement planning was not started earlier. Criticism sharpened when members discussed the scale of the issue. The committee was told that the matter involved 46 officials, not one or two exceptional cases. One member remarked that it appeared as if a large part of the department was enjoying extended stays outside the country. Another member said the handling of the policy showed a troubling level of carelessness and called for the case to be treated as an example so that other departments do not ignore government rules in the same way. A further concern involved the money spent on officials after their approved tenure had ended. One committee member argued that if the officials were staying abroad in violation of the policy, questions would also arise about the legality of expenditure on their salaries, allowances and other benefits during that extra period. The member said the matter could not be solved simply by deciding whether to call the officials back or allow them to remain abroad. The period already spent beyond the approved tenure would also have to be regularized through the proper authority. The Interior Secretary acknowledged that the policy had not been implemented and suggested taking the matter to the appropriate forum for regularization. He also said approval from the Finance Division could be needed for expenditure incurred during the additional period. Officials suggested that the Cabinet or another competent authority might have to decide how to treat the overstayed period. Management had earlier told the Departmental Accounts Committee that the foreign posting policy was under review. It also said the Interior Minister had approved the continuation of currently posted officials until their replacements joined. According to management, official passports could also be renewed under the relevant rules to avoid legal complications in host countries. Audit did not accept this explanation as a settlement of the objection. It maintained that the existing approved policy had been violated because the revised policy had not yet been finalized and the continued foreign postings were unauthorized under the policy that remained in force. Committee members also stressed that responsibility could not simply disappear once the overstay was regularized. They said officials who failed to implement the approved foreign posting policy should also be identified. The committee called for accountability from those who allowed the situation to continue. Members also demanded a transparent selection process for replacement officials. They said employees whose tenure had already expired should be brought back according to the existing rules while new staff should be selected