FEDERAL CABINET MEETS Islamabad, September 20, 2013 A meeting of the Federal Cabinet was held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif at the Prime Minister’s Office here today. The Cabinet discussed the overall law and order situation prevailing in the country with special emphasis on Karachi. The Prime Minister said that it is the responsibility of the Government to provide security of life and property to all citizens of the country. He said that the situation in Karachi calls for strict measures in order to restore peace in the commercial hub of Pakistan. He observed that the ongoing Karachi operation has brought good results and common man has expressed satisfaction over the improvement of law and order situation. The Cabinet considered and accorded its approval to the Anti-Terrorism (Third Amendment) Bill, 2013. The draft amendment bill includes recommendations of the Cabinet Committee formed on September 04, 2013 meeting of the Federal Cabinet at Karachi. The Committee was headed by Mr. Zahid Hamid, Federal Minister for Science & Technology and comprised Kh. Zaheer Ahmed, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, Prosecutor General, Sindh and Senator Farogh Naseem. The draft bill provides for law enforcing agencies the powers of preventive detention up to three months for any person concerned in any offence under the Anti-Terrorism Act relating to security or defence of Pakistan, public order relating to target killing, kidnapping for ransom and extortion. The draft amendment also provides for protection of witnesses, judges and prosecutors. The measures also include; using screens to shield witnesses, judges and prosecutors from public view; trial in jail premises or through video link; investigation and trial in another province and ensuring no access to mobile phones for prisoners in jail. The proposed bill further includes measures for expeditious disposal of cases and to avoid unnecessary delays in the courts. The meeting recommended to include in the proposed bill that Rangers after prior warning as considered necessary against persons committing a terrorist or scheduled offence would be authorized to shoot or order to shoot before they are fired upon as provided under the existing law. The Cabinet considered and gave its approval to co-financing of Neelum – Jhelum Hydropower Project (NJHP); negotiations of additional loan agreement of Saudi Riyal (SR) 375,000,000 (US$ 100 million). The loan will reduce the funding gap of US $375 million for the under construction project which will generate 969MW for injection into the National Grid. The terms of the loan are soft as there is only 2% annual charge and the maturity of the loan is 20 years including a grace period of 5 years. The Cabinet considered the Islamabad Capital Territory Local Government Act 2013 and formed a Committee headed by Interior Minister Ch. Nisar Ali to further deliberate on the issue. The other members of the Committee are Khawaja Zaheer Ahmed Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, Cabinet Secretary and Interior Secretary. The Committee will present its report to the Cabinet. The Cabinet considered and gave its approval in principle to the Prime Minister’s Programme for the Youth which will provide incentives in the field of business and education to the youth. The Cabinet considered and gave its ex-post facto approval, to start negotiations and signing of Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) between Department of Plant Protection, Ministry of National Food Security and Research, Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Indonesian Agricultural Quarantine Agency, Ministry of Agriculture, Indonesia in the application of plant quarantine and phytosanitary measures. The signing of mutual agreement will provide an opportunity for export of fresh fruits from Pakistan to Indonesia. The export of Pakistani fresh fruits will not only accrue significant economic returns but will also provide a platform for attaining access to Indonesian market for our fruits including citrus, grapefruit, apple, pear and apricot. The Cabinet considered and gave its approval for signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland for enhancing cooperation and coordination in the field of narcotics control. The proposed MoU will provide for cooperation between the two countries to prevent increased threat of illicit trafficking of narcotics and a framework to apprehend precursors which requires international cooperation. The MoU further provides for cooperation between operational law enforcement agencies through mutual assistance. The Cabinet considered and gave its approval for signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Government of Turkmenistan and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on defence cooperation. The MoU aims to strengthen mutual confidence and security. It will expand cooperation between the Ministries of Defence of the two counties. The MoU will further confirm the assistance in promoting and joining the defence abilities through mutual cooperation. The Cabinet considered and gave its approval for renegotiating Pakistan–Switzerland Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement (DTA). The existing Pakistan-Switzerland DTA will be re-negotiated and upgraded in line with the latest trends in all important areas of international cooperation.
Posted on: Fri, 20 Sep 2013 16:48:31 +0000
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