ISLAMABAD, July 19 (APP): President Dr Arif Alvi on Wednesday approved the appointment of five private members of the Board of Benazir Income Support Programme.
The newly appointed board members include Dr Muhamamd Amjad Saqib, Barrister Ayesha Haq, Dr Qaiser Bengali, Haris Gazdar and Dr Abdul Qayyum Sulehri.
The president approved the appointment on the prime minister’s advice under section 5 and 8 of the BISP Act.
KARACHI, Jul 19 (APP): The State Bank of Pakistan on Wednesday announced the Domestic Systemically Important Banks for the year 2023 under D-SIBs framework aimed at further strengthening risk management capacities and resilience against shocks.
According to a statement issued here, the central bank has designated National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), Habib Bank Limited (HBL) and United Bank Limited (UBL) as D-SIBs for the year 2023 after carrying out the annual assessment based on banks’ financials as of December 31, 2022 in line with D-SIBs framework.
In addition to the implementation of the enhanced supervisory requirements, the designated banks have to follow additional Common Equity Tier-1 (CET-1) capital requirements according to the specified bucket.
The NBP has been assigned bucket D with 2.5 percent additional CET-1 requirement, the HBL has been placed in bucket C with 1.5 percent additional CET-1 requirement and UBL in bucket A with 0.5 percent additional CET-1 requirement.
The enhanced requirements aim to further strengthen the resilience of the systemically important banks against shocks and augment their risk management capacities, the SBP spokesperson informed.
Besides, branches of Global-Systemically Important Banks (G-SIBs) operating in Pakistan would also be required to hold additional CET-1 capital against their risk-weighted assets in Pakistan at the rate as applicable on the respective principal G-SIB, it added.
D-SIBs Framework notified in April 2018 by SBP is consistent with international standards and global best practices and takes into account the local dynamics, the statement said adding that the framework specifies the methodology for the identification and designation of D-SIBs, enhanced regulatory and supervisory requirements and implementation guidelines for D-SIBs.
Giving details of two steps process of identification of D-SIBs, the spokesperson stated that in the first step, sample D-SIBs were identified each year based on the quantitative and qualitative criteria while in the second step, D-SIBs were designated from amongst the sample D-SIBs based on institutions’ composite systemic score in terms of their size, interconnectedness, substitutability and complexity.
ISLAMABAD, July 19 (APP): President Dr Arif Alvi has approved appointment of Ayaz Shaukat advocate as Advocate General (AG) Islamabad while Captain (retd) Shahid Ashraf Tarrar was appointed as Chairman of Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) with immediate effect.
The president also approved resignation of Jahangir Khan Jadoon from the office of Advocate General Islamabad with effect from July 14, President Secretariat Press Wing said in press releases on Wednesday.
The president approved appointment and resignation under Article 48 (I) and Articles 2,3 and 6 of the Advocate General (Terms and Conditions of Service) Order, 2015.
While the president also appointed Shahid Ashraf Tarrar as FPSC chairman who had already been working as member of the commission.
The president made the appointment till January 17, 2024, on the advice of the prime minister and under Article 48 (1) of the Constitution and the Sections 3 (3), 4 (1) and A-5 of the FPSC Ordinance 1977.
ISLAMABAD, Jul 19 (APP): The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has asked the political parties to submit their consolidated statement of accounts for the financial year 2022-23 by August 29.
According to the ECP spokesman, political parties were required in terms of Section 210 of the Elections Act, 2017 that they were required to file with ECP their statement of accounts for the financial year, which ended on June 30.
It may be recalled that Section 210 of the Elections Act, 2017 provides that a political party shall, in such a manner as may be prescribed, submit to the Commission, within sixty days from the close of a financial year, a consolidated statement of its accounts audited by a chartered accountant on Form-D containing annual income and expenses, sources of its funds and assets and liabilities.
The statement to be submitted to the ECP shall accompany the report of a chartered accountant with regard to the audit of accounts of a political party and a certificate signed by an office-bearer authorized by the party head stating that no funds from any source prohibited under the Elections Act, 2017 were received by the political party and the statement contains an accurate financial position of the political party.
The statement of accounts is to be submitted on Form-D as provided in the Elections Act, 2017. Printed Forms were available, free of cost, in the Election Commission Secretariat, Islamabad and in the offices of the provincial election commissioners, Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Form-D/Proforma for the source of funds were also available on ECP’s Website.
The ECP said that the overwriting should be avoided and the membership or certificate issued by ICAP in respect of the Auditor engaged shall be annexed to the Form-D along with the last valid renewal certificate.
The Form-D shall also accompany a legible copy of each of the bank statements for the period of 01.07.2022 to 30.06.2023 of the party, along with a bank reconciliation statement.
The statement shall be addressed to the Secretary, Election Commission of Pakistan, Constitution Avenue, G-5/2, Islamabad and shall be delivered through an office bearer of the party, duly authorized by the party head in terms of rule 156 of the Election Rules, 2017. Statements received through the post, fax, courier service or any other mode shall not be accepted, it added.
ISLAMABAD, July 19 (APP): The Kashmiris living across the world observed the Accession to Pakistan Day on Wednesday with a renewed commitment to fight the Indian oppression and achieve their right to self-determination as guaranteed by the United Nations Security Council resolutions.
It was July 19 in 1947, that the genuine representatives of the Kashmiris unanimously passed the resolution of Kashmir’s Accession to Pakistan during a meeting of the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference at the residence of Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan in Aabi Guzar area of Srinagar.
The historic resolution called for the accession of the State of Jammu and Kashmir to Pakistan in view of its existing religious, geographical, cultural and economic proximity to Pakistan and the aspirations of millions of Kashmiri Muslims.
The development had come almost a month before the creation of two sovereign states of Pakistan and India under the Partition Plan of the British Indian colony on August 14 and 15 respectively, the same year.
As per the resolution, around 80 percent of the Muslim population, rivers passing through Kashmir, language, culture and state’s relations with Pakistan were the factors making accession to Pakistan inevitable.
The UNSC resolutions No. 47, 51, 80, 96, 98,122 and 126 also declared that the fate of Jammu and Kashmir would be decided as per the wishes of the Kashmiri people through self-determination.
The Indian government had also committed before the UN that they would grant the self-determination right to the Kashmiris but later retracted. What to talk to giving right to self-determination, the Indian authorities also abolished the Article 370 and 35A revoking the special status of Kashmir.
The Narendra Modi government was striving for changing the demography of Kashmir to distort the facts its original map but the people of Kashmir would never let these move succeed.
Meanwhile, the posters of accession to Pakistan Day, appeared in Srinagar and other parts of the territory reads that 19th July is of special significance and an important day in the history of Jammu and Kashmir when the Kashmiri people had attached their future with Pakistan in 1947.
The APHC leaders including Vice Chairman, Ghulam Ahmed Gulzar, Abdul Ahad Parra, Ghulam Muhammad Khan Sopori, Yasin Attai, Khadim Hussain, Maulana Sibte Shabbir Qummi, Chaudhry Shaheen Iqbal, Abdus Samad Inqilabi, Dr Musaib, Aaqib Wani, Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference, Jammu and Kashmir Political Resistance Movement, Jammu Kashmir Democratic Youth Forum, Jammu and Kashmir Justice League Forum, Jammu Kashmir Democratic Movement, Wareseen–e-Shuhada, Nawjawanan-e-Hurriyat, Itehaad-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir and Jammu and Kashmir Pir Panjal Movement in their statements said that the decision of 19th July 1947 was a testimony to the fact that the people of Kashmir had linked their future with Pakistan.
They urged the UNSC to take cognizance of the war crimes being perpetrated by Indian troops in the internationally recognized disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir and help resolve the Kashmir dispute as per the Kashmiris’ aspirations and the relevant UN resolutions.
The APHC leaders and organizations said the people of Kashmir, expressing their love for Pakistan every year observe July 19 as Accession to Pakistan Day. They said that it was on this historic day when the Kashmiri leadership unanimously decided to link their future with Pakistan.
In his message from New Delhi’s Tihar jail, the incarcerated JKNF chairman, Nayeem Ahmad Khan said the resolution adopted a month before the creation of Pakistan demonstrated Kashmiris’ unconditional love for Pakistan,Kashmir media service reported.
Referring to the Partition Plan, he said that the state of Jammu and Kashmir was geographically, historically and culturally and ethnically part of Pakistan but India’s policy of deceit and deception, expansionism and perpetual denial to implementation of the UN resolutions on Kashmir have pushed the region into a quagmire of uncertainty.
Pakistan’s just and principled stand on Kashmir is well-known, well established and well-acknowledged that the Kashmir issue needs to be settled through a simple parameter which reflect the aspirations of the major party to the dispute – the Jammu & Kashmiri people.
PESHAWAR, Jul 19 (APP): Iranian Consul General in Peshawar, Ali Banafshekhah, Wednesday said the China’s cultural center set up in Peshawar could play an effective role in promoting people-to-people relations between Pakistan and Iran, besides its main objective of further strengthening Pak-China friendship.
He expressed these views during his visit to China Window, a center for promotion of Chinese culture and information in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The Iranian diplomat took round of different sections of China Window, singed the Friendship Wall and penned down his remarks in Guests Book.
Speaking on the occasion, Ali Banafshekhah said on one side Pakistan and China had strong friendly relations, and on the other Iran and Pakistan also had very cordial brotherly relations.
He said he was of the belief that with exchange of delegations from both the countries, “our people-to-people relations will become more intact and strong”.
Both China Window and Khana-e-Farhang Iran could jointly play an effective role in the promotion of historic relations and culture of three countries, he suggested.
The consul general said he was working on arranging visits of Iranian delegations to Pakistan and in the same way the people from different walks of lives from Peshawar should visit their brotherly Iranian country.
He termed the establishment of China Window a welcoming decision which would help share information among the people about the socio-economic benefits of China Pakistan Economic Corridor in Pakistan.
On the occasion, Head of China Window, Amjad Aziz Malik presented a shield to the Iranian consul general in connection with the completion of 10 years of the CPEC project.
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