COAS Munir and PM Kakar received a security update in Quetta ; Growth rate projects up to 2.5 per cent in FY24
In Brief
POLITICS
PIA approved for privatization as all legacy liabilities parked
On 10 October, Interim Privatization Minister Fawad Hasan Fawad announced that the government had finalized its plans to privatize the loss-incurring Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). Fawad gave the status on the biggest loss-making State-owned enterprise. He announced that PIA would be privatized and would be a “clean entity” as it would be free from its “legacy loans.” The aviation company’s legacy liabilities will be for the time being halted with a holding company and their core assets like their aircraft, their landing rights and others will be sold. He said: “We have a choice either to privatize the loss-making entities or not to run them due to lack of fiscal space.” Fawad also stated that they are holding on from Privatizing Pakistan Steel Mills and DISCOs owing to complications. While the privatization plans for PIA have been approved no deadline has been issued and the Interim Government plans to send an investment proposal rather than make a call with advertisements. (Shahbaz Rana, “A debt-free PIA to go under the hammer,” The Express Tribune, 11 October 2023)
ECONOMY
Pakistan State Oil suffers due to non-payment by major power producers
On 11 October, The Express Tribune reported that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) failure to pay Pakistan State Oil (PSO) has incurred a debt of PKR 26 billion that has trapped PSO in circular debt. PSO is struggling to function as an oil provider, where the commercial entity is unable to bear the customers on the credit wing due to delayed payments piled by SNGPL and PIA. Liquified Natural Gas providers also face circular debt as the public gas utilities have not paid their due. Other companies owe PSOs like Gencos PKR 150 billion, Hubco PKR 28.4 billion and Kapco PKR 5 billion. (“Circular debt continues to plague PSO, ”The Express Tribune, 11 October 2023)
Growth rate projects up to 2.5 per cent in FY24
On 11 October, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast Pakistan's GDP growth rate at 2.5 per cent for 2024, up from a negative 0.5 per cent in 2023. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) forecasted Pakistan's GDP growth rate at 1.9 per cent for the years 2023–2024 compared to the World Bank's projection of 1.7 per cent. In its most recent study, "World Economic Outlook 2023, Navigating Global Divergences," the fund predicted that the inflation rate for 2024 will be 23.6 per cent, down from 29.2 per cent in 2023. However, the analysis forecasts consumer prices to increase by 17.5 per cent by the end of the forecast period in 2024, compared to 29.4 per cent in 2023. In comparison to negative 0.7 per cent in 2023, the current account balance is predicted to be negative 1.8 cent in 2024. According to the Fund, Pakistan's unemployment rate will drop from 8.5 per cent in 2023 to 8 per cent in 2024. The Fund predicted that Pakistan's general government's net lending/borrowing would be minus 7.6 per cent in 2024 compared to negative 8.1 per cent in 2023. (Tahir Amin, “IMF projects 2.5pc growth rate for Pakistan in FY24,” The Business Recorder, 11 October 2023)
SECURITY
COAS Munir and PM Kakar received a security update in Quetta
On 9 October, according to state-run Radio Pakistan, the Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir and Interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar were briefed on a variety of topics during their visit to Quetta, including law enforcement operations, anti-smuggling initiatives, anti-narcotics operations in Balochistan, and security for foreign nationals working on both CPEC and non-CPEC private projects. The attendees were also given information on the return of undocumented foreigners, methods for controlling foreign exchange, and the development of projects within the SIFC (Special Investment Facilitation Council) in Balochistan. The COAS highlighted during the meeting that the army would provide full support in working with law enforcement organizations and other government departments to enact actions against a variety of "illegal activities" to completely prevent the theft of resources and the financial losses that the nation suffered as a result of those activities. Balochistan's socioeconomic growth is crucial to the province's peace and prosperity, according to PM Kakar, who also added that federal initiatives carried out by the SIFC should have a favourable effect on each province and assist residents. (“COAS Munir, PM Kakar briefed on security matters in Quetta,” Dawn, 10 October 2023)
PAKISTAN ELECTIONS 2023
PR Exclusive Update 17
ECP is reserving judgment on Imran's defence claims and election symbol
On 10 October, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) deferred judgment on whether or not petitions demanding Imran Khan's ouster as PTI leader and objecting to the use of the letter "bat" as the party emblem for future elections are maintainable. The cases were considered by a five-person bench at the ECP court under the direction of Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja. Khalid Mehmood Khan's attorney made the case that the PTI chairman had been found guilty in the Toshakhana case and cited the Supreme Court's ruling that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was ineligible to serve as party president after being found guilty in the Panama Papers case.
A member of the ECP from Sindh, Nisar Ahmad Durrani inquired as to what the Elections Act says on this matter. The attorney said that while the Political Parties Act forbade convicted individuals from holding party offices, the Elections Act did not contain a similar clause. The lawyer said that Mr Khan would be reinstated as the party leader when the ECP questioned what may happen if Mr Khan's appeal against the conviction was accepted by the high court. Separately, the ECP withheld its decision on whether a plea to ban the PTI from using the "bat" as its election symbol could be maintained. The chief election commissioner said that the PTI had previously received the bat symbol; however, Aun Chaudhry, counsel for the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party, stood before the bench and argued that the PTI should not receive the sign. (Iftikhar A. Khan, “ECP reserves verdicts on pleas against Imran, PTI poll symbol,” Dawn, 10 October 2023)
SOCIETY
Pakistan to improve healthcare sector says health minister on WHO forum
On 10 October, Federal Minister for Health Dr Nadeem Jan stated that the Pakistani government is strengthening the nation's healthcare sector through the implementation of its reform plan. He said this while addressing the attendees of the 70th Regional Committee meeting of the World Health Organization (WHO), which was held in Cairo. According to Jan, Pakistan became the first nation in the world to adopt disease control priorities (DCP), in addition to developing an essential package of health services at the national and provincial levels, to achieve universal health coverage by providing access to quality essential health services without financial hardship.
The minister briefed the audience that a cross-programmatic efficiency analysis had been performed in Pakistan to evaluate the assistance provided by Global Health Initiatives (GHI), including the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria. In addition to increasing employment opportunities in primary healthcare facilities, the minister announced that the government has chosen to raise the number of community-based women's health workers from 89,000 to 135,000 over five years. He said that for the immunization of people travelling between the two nations as well as those living in bordering areas and settlements, close coordination with the Afghanistan Polio Programme was still being maintained. (Ikram Junaidi, “Efforts on to strengthen health system, minister tells WHO forum,” Dawn, 11 October 2023)
|
“This is the beauty of sports, Sports see no boundaries. You can hear voice of Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians together in unison chanting Pakistan jeetega. What a beautiful example of coexistence and supporting the team which played well today”
– Dr Nimo Yadav
“India to build 509 composite border outposts (BOPs) along India-Pakistan & India-Bangladesh borders to deter infiltrators and hostile elements from engaging in activities such as intrusion, encroachment & border violations.”
– Anshul Saxena
“Pakistan requests entire UNHRC to stand for one minute to honour the victims of Israel’s “illegal foreign occupation and aggression” in Gaza, Palestine. Says Israel is “breeding violence” & Palestine has a right to self determination.”
– Syed Zeeshan Haider
|
|
|
|
Arif Azad, ‘Migration crisis’
Dawn, 11 October 2023
"Meanwhile, Pakistan has received successive waves of refugees from neighbouring Afghanistan since the 1970s. Yet due to Pakistan’s not signing the Geneva Convention on the status of refugees, the country’s refugee and asylum policies have not been framed. Despite its long engagement with Afghan refugees, Pakistan has lived in denial insofar as the historical presence of Afghan refugees is concerned, and now wants them to leave the country."
Editorial, ‘Polluted air’
Dawn, 11 October 2023
"When smog sets in, governments simply focus on band-aid solutions such as ordering school closures on particularly pollution-heavy days to reduce traffic emissions. Lahore’s air quality and smog problem are deeply interconnected with poor urban planning and other urban issues, ranging from poor solid waste management and unplanned urban sprawl to vehicular emissions and the near absence of mass public transportation."
Editorial, ‘Labour market inequality’
Dawn, 11 October 2023
"Pakistan, like many other nations, grapples with pronounced gender inequalities, not just in wages but also in workforce participation. Ms Goldin’s work resonates profoundly, urging us to understand the roots of these discrepancies to chart a more inclusive path forward. The need for flexible working environments, tailored to accommodate the unique challenges faced by women, is more pressing than ever."
Dr Raashid Wali Janjua, ‘Afghan Gordian Knot’
The Express Tribune, 11 October 2023
"There have been clear signs during recent engagements between the governments that IAG leaders do not consider TTP militants as Mujahids and there is a dominant majority of cabinet members that wishes to address the international concerns about the strictures imposed upon the female education and jobs. There is also a realisation amongst the IAG leadership that the TTP militants on Afghan soil are not ideological warriors but a farraginous blend of petty criminals united in crime. This realisation bodes well for the future counterterrorism cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan."
Muhammad Wajahat Sultan, ‘New social contract in the changing world’
The Express Tribune, 11 October 2023
"Yuval Noah said in his book, Homo Deus, writes that nations can become extraneous due to their ineptitude to acclimate to the digital world, AI and rapidly growing technologies. As Pakistani residents, our absence of involvement in areas like AI and quantum learning in the 5th Industrial Revolution sets us at hazard of being left behind. To stay relevant globally and adjust to reversing power dynamics, people should support new digital rights, and the state should safeguard these rights to welcome the technological transition."
|
|
|
“For the ‘civilised world,’ the oppressed do not have the right to stand up against colonisation.,”
-An opinion in Dawn, “Israel’s new war”
|
|
|
