Ombudsman institutions functioning with full govt’s support: Ejaz
ISLAMABAD, Jul 11 (APP): The Ombudsman institutions are functioning in Pakistan with the full support of its citizenry and the incumbent government.
This was stated by Wafaqi Mohtasib (Federal Ombudsman) Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi while addressing an international seminar in Bangkok on the role of the Asian Ombudsman as a mechanism for promoting fair administration, good governance and the rule of law, a news release on Tuesday said.
The seminar was held as part of the Asian Regional Meeting 2023 hosted by the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI) which is a global ombudsman body with over 200 members from across the globe.
In his address to the seminar, Qureshi emphasized that the institution of Wafaqi Mohtasib was playing its due role in the dispensation of administrative justice, thereby complementing the efforts of the supreme judiciary in providing justice to all citizens.
He said that the steps taken by the Wafaqi Mohtasib’s institution to check against the maladministration and administrative excesses of government agencies, in fact, contribute towards promoting good governance, the rule of law and respect for human rights.
Highlighting the growth of the institution as an effective mechanism for speedy and inexpensive justice, Wafaqi Mohtasib Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi stated that it has perfected its complaints-handling mechanism over the last 40 years.
The incidence of complaints has touched an all-time high figure of 164,173 during 2022 and the disposal of 157,798 complaints has been unprecedented.
During the first six months of the current year, it has received 90,660 complaints and disposed of 92,387 complaints including the backlog which is reflective of the public confidence in the institution.
Addressing the international seminar, Qureshi said the ombudsmanship has taken firm roots in Pakistan.
The ombudsman institutions are functioning in the country with the full support of its citizenry and the government.
He said the Wafaqi Mohtasib’s institution meets all the given standards in terms of the Venice Principles (2019), the Paris Principles (1993) and the UN Resolution 77/224 of December 2022. Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi being the current President of the Asian Ombudsman Association (AOA), also chaired an informal meeting of the AOA members on the sidelines of the international seminar.
He reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to the cause of ombudsmanship as a means to achieving the ultimate goals of good governance and the rule of law and assured the membership of an active role by AOA in strengthening cooperation within the ombudsman fraternity.
Marriyum terms news item published about Azam Chaudhry as false, baseless
ISLAMABAD, Jul 11 (APP): Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Tuesday that the news item published in Friday Times about Azam Chaudhry was false and baseless.
In a tweet, she said that Azam Chaudhry was not a Pakistan Television Corporation employee and had never been a PTV employee.
She said that he has only been a member of an issues-based analyst pool for PTV. He has not been removed from the pool and has not been asked to leave.
She clarified that nothing of the sort has been communicated to him and he is part of the PTV Lahore analysts pool as she was writing this tweet.
She said that the views and opinions of the said journalist were known to the government at the time he was invited to the press conference.
“If the government wanted to suppress his voice or questions, he would not have been invited and given an opportunity to ask his questions. The Prime Minister answered his questions in detail,” she said.
The minister said that she also answered his questions. She said that the PM spent a significant amount of time answering questions from various reporters at Governor’s House that day.
The minister said that unlike the previous PTI regime and its fascist PM, who was declared a Press Freedom Predator by Reporters Without Borders, PM Shehbaz and the present government firmly believed in the freedom of media.
The PTI government used to only allow selected reporters and journalists to its fascist PM’s press conferences, she remarked. The present government ensured that PM Shehbaz Sharif’s press conferences are open to all reporters and journalists.
The minister said that this story was published without taking the government’s point of view which was unprofessional and fell short of journalistic ethics and standards.
ECNEC okays six projects including solarization of agriculture tube wells
ISLAMABAD, Jul 11 (APP): The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Tuesday approved six projects including “Prime Minister’s National Programme for Solarization of Agriculture Tube Wells” aimed at facilitating the farming community and achieving food security in the country.
The ECNEC meeting, chaired by Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, accorded the approval for tube wells solarization in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan at a cost of Rs 377,236.275 million in three years.
“Phase-I of the project will have Rs 90 billion including Rs 30 billion of PSDP and equivalent share by provincial governments as well as beneficiary farmers for the financial year 2023-24. This project is to enhance agricultural productivity through clean and green energy by converting the existing 100,000 tube wells into solar PV system,” a news release said.
The project is to be executed by the Ministry of National Food Security through the Federal Water Management Cell (FWMC) and Provincial Departments of Agriculture.
The ECNEC also considered and approved a project titled “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rural Investment & Industrial Support Project (RIISP)” to be executed by the KP government in District Bajur, Khyber, Kurram, Mohmand, North Waziristan, Orakzai, South Waziristan and erstwhile Frontier Regions at a cost of Rs 110.700 million including IDA (International Development Association) loan of $300 million from World Bank with provincial government share of Rs 29,700 million (in kind).
The project would be completed in two phases with a six-year period each completing in 2023-2029 and 2029-2031.
The ECNEC also considered a revised PC-I of an ongoing project of the Sindh government titled “Sindh Solar Energy Project (SSEP)” executed in the province by its Energy Department at a revised cost of Rs 27,418.13 million including FEC (Foreign Exchange Component) of Rs 24,265.57 million.
The project is to be financed through World Bank (WB) loan i.e. IDA credit of $100 million (95.2%) and $5 million by Govt. of Sindh (4.7%). “This ongoing project will improve energy security and fulfill Pakistan’s international commitments on climate change,” it added.
The ECNEC further considered and approved a project of Ministry of Energy (Power Division) titled “Evacuation of Power from 800 MW Mohmand Dam HPP to the National Grid (PC-I)” at a rationalized cost of Rs 14,319.18 million including FEC of Rs 6,318.38 million.
The financing source of the project is Asian Development Bank (ADB) which would be executed by National Transmission & Despatch Company (NTDC) in districts Nowshera, Peshawar and Mohmand of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.
Besides, the ECNEC okayed a project of Ministry of Communications titled “Construction of Lahore Bypass from Kalashah Kaku Exit to KLM to Multan Road near Radio Station (40km approx)” at a rationalized cost of Rs 34,446.585 million without FEC.
The project would be executed by National Highway Authority (NHA) in districts Lahore and Sheikhupura of Punjab Province, financed by the federal government under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).
The ECNEC also approved a revised project to be executed by Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination and provincial health departments in collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) titled “Emergency Plan for Polio Eradication” at a cumulative cost of
$1,784.90 million, for polio eradication and making Pakistan free of the crippling disease.
Among others, Minister for Commerce Syed Naveed Qamar, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Finance Tariq Bajwa, SAPM on Revenue Tariq Mehmood Pasha, Senator Nisar Ahmad Khuhro, KP Finance Advisor Himayatullah Khan, federal secretaries and senior officers from federal and provincial departments attended the meeting.