News

ISLAMABAD: 

A lack of vision on the part of Pakistan’s authorities is the biggest hindrance to educational reforms in the country, according to Institute of Social and Policy Sciences (I-SAPS) Executive Director Dr Salman Humayun. He was speaking at a workshop on Education Reforms: Interpreting Data and Budget on Monday at a local hotel.

Commenting on the alarming state of education in Pakistan, Humayun said a meager Rs400 billion was being invested every fiscal year, with 95 per cent of funding coming from public coffers. Of this, 4.2 per cent were international donor grants.

Humayun said the authorities were displaying no urgency to address the issue, confirming that only two provinces had thus far enforced Article 25-A, which dictates that the state is responsible for ensuring all children aged five to 16 years receive their education.

He added that the country spent 34 per cent of development assistance funds on higher education, 41 per cent on primary education and a paltry 1.8 per cent on secondary education.

According to the Annual Status of Education Report 2012, the drop-out rate for students aged 14 to 16 in Punjab’s schools was 18.5 per cent, while corresponding figures for Sindh, AJK, K-P and G-B and Fata were 19.7, 9.1, 11, 6.8 and 11.2 per cent respectively.

The statistics clearly indicated that poor spending on secondary education was directly proportional to the worryingly high drop-out rates of students of this age-group across the country.

“In the Musharraf era, Rs55 billion were allocated for education but only Rs9 billion were released,” said  Consumer Rights Commission of Pakistan Programme Co-ordinator Rabia Shabbir.

Humayun took on the Danish School System, initiated by previous government of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in Punjab. “We can debate multiple policy options for it as they could have upgraded 660 schools from primary to middle,” he added. The lavish scheme cost Rs16,400 per student per month while student of the government cost only Rs 1,600 per month (national average), ED I-SAPS observed.

Later, Riawana Shabbir, research fellow at I-SAPS also talked on budget tracking and its significance and techniques.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21st, 2013.

ISLAMABAD: 

The head of the caretaker administration on Monday fended off suggestions that a spate of postings and transfers ordered by Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso was anything else but aboveboard.

Shafqat Jalil, a spokesman for the Prime Minister House, decried the ‘wrong, malicious and misleading’ impression in the media about postings and transfers ordered by the caretaker government, insisting that “all postings and transfers” were made after “due diligence, examination and deliberations in consultation with the Establishment Division”.

The rebuttal came within hours of a warning by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz to the caretaker government that it should not cross its mandate by making undue transfers and postings in important departments.

On Monday, Khawaja Muham­mad Asif, a PML-N leader, approached the Supreme Court to challenge the recent postings and transfers by the caretaker government. In his petition, Asif appealed to the apex court to declare unlawful all the transfers and postings made by Khoso. He pointed out names of the heads of National Highway Authority, NEPRA, Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited, SSGPL, Pakistan Minerals Development Corporation, National Fertilizer, OGDCL, State Life Corporation, PTDC, Pakistan Software Export Board, FIA, and heads of different departments of PTA as they were transferred without the mandate of the government

However, the spokesman for the PM House said that no new appointments had been made against the removal of managing directors or chief executive officers. He said that acting rights had been given to the next senior most official in every corporation till the new government appoints new heads. He added that all appointments were made purely on merit. Regarding Khoso’s sons, the spokesman said they had been posted in Sindh instead of Balochistan due to security concerns.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21st, 2013.

ISLAMABAD: 

Caretaker Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso has given a two year extension to Major General Mohammad Arif Raja – who was serving as Additional Secretary-I in the Ministry of Defence – despite his retirement. 

The Additional Secretary-I (AS-I) is the most important position in the defence ministry after Secretary Defence. The AS-I deals with all military organisations and also handles the affairs of lands owned by the military, Civil Aviation Authority and Pakistan International Airlines. The AS-II and AS-III are taken from Air Force
and Navy, respectively, though by law.

Though AS-I, AS-II and AS-III are civilian posts, they have traditionally been occupied by men in the military.

The sources said Major General Arif would stand retired from the armed forces, and would be keeping his current post despite doffing the uniform.

The extension to General Arif Raja has been given at a time when the caretaker government is coming under pressure for making abrupt transfers and postings, a move viewed by many as transgressing its mandate. Its actions have been challenged by the law ministry and the PML-N.

Narida Farhan, the public relations officer of the Ministry of Defence, confirmed that two-year extension was given to Major General Arif Raja from May 14. She maintained that all the prerequisites were met before seeking extension.

However, press Secretary to the prime minister, Shafqat Jalil, said General Arif Raja’s extension was not in the knowledge of the PM House.

The leading newspapers on Monday quoted the interim Law Minister Ahmer Bilal Soofi as giving warning to the caretaker set-up against overstepping its mandate by making undue transfers and postings in important government departments.

While talking to The Express Tribune, the Law Minister Soofi said the PM has the right to make appointments and give extensions but these decisions should not be controversial.

On Monday, Khawaja Asif of PML-N challenged the caretaker government’s transfers and postings in the Supreme Court. The apex court has already issued a contempt of court notice to caretaker PM Khoso on a petition filed by Shafqat Nagmi, a Grade-22 officer. 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21st, 2013.

NOWSHERA: 

The road to peace in K-P, it seems, runs through Akora Khattak’s Darul Uloom Haqqania. On Monday, that’s where Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s nominated chief minister for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pervaiz Khattak, met Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-S chief Maulana Samiul Haq to discuss planned peace talks with the Taliban. 

A 35-member Jirga, comprising senior PTI and JUI-S leaders, held talks for over two and a half hours on Monday on the issue of negotiations with the Taliban. Acknowledging Darul Uloom Haqqania and Samiul Haq’s role regarding the proposed peace efforts; Khattak reiterated his party’s stance on the war on terror and drone attacks in the tribal areas.

“The new K-P Assembly will pass its first resolution against drone attacks in the tribal belt and for distancing the country from its alliance with the US in the war on terror,” Khattak said.

Samiul Haq assured the chief minister-elect of his complete support for efforts to establish peace and stability in the region by launching talks with the Taliban.

“Peace cannot be established or terrorism eradicated by using guns and bullets,” the JUI-S chief said. “The jirga has great value in Pashtun tradition, and all security-related issues could be solved through it.

He also advised the incoming provincial government to focus on the root causes of terrorism and to devise national policies in the best interest of the country. “It is our religious responsibility to assist the government in its efforts towards establishing peace in the country.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21st, 2013.

QUETTA: 

The women’s wing of Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) took out a rally and staged a protest demonstration outside Quetta Press Club on Monday against the alleged rigging in the polls and tampering with the results.

It was for the first time in recent political history that such a large number of Baloch women came out on the streets, challenging the legitimacy of the elections.

Addressing the protesters, BNP-M women’s wing central secretary Jamila Baloch along with Sania Baloch, Rashida Baloch, Zaibun Nisa, Musrat Baloch, Asima Baloch, Zeenat Baloch and others said that the Baloch nation had acquired the capability to resist exploitation and therefore, the Baloch women had taken to the roads against the “poll fraud”.

They said that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had promised to conduct free and fair elections in Balochistan but the 65 years old exploitative establishment snatched the right of expression of the Baloch people and through a well-thought-out conspiracy, altered the results of the polls to make BNP-M unsuccessful in the elections.

They appreciated the stand of Sardar Akhter Mengal, saying he was making efforts to bring peace and prosperity in Balochistan and end all atrocities.

They said in order to insult the mandate of the masses, a pro-establishment ethnic party was declared successful even in Baloch-dominated constituencies with the aim of snatching the right of representation of the Baloch people, adding that BNP-M will not allow politics to be played in the name of Afghan refugees.

They said that the purpose of protest was not to acquire power or to enter assemblies but it was to tell the world how the Baloch people were deceived in the name of elections.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21st, 2013.

ISLAMABAD: 

Pakistan’s anti-polio campaign received a fresh blow when Caretaker Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso dismissed the national coordinator for the Prime Minister’s Polio Cell Dr Altaf Bosan.

According to a notification issued by the Prime Minister Secretariat a copy of which was made available to The Express Tribune, Bosan has been repatriated to the National Health Institute (NIH), his parent department, with immediate effect. Bosan had been working in the polio cell since its establishment in 2011.

Reacting to the news, acting representative of World Health Organisation (WHO) Dr Nima Saeed Abid said, “Dr Boson has been removed during a time when the Pakistan polio eradication programme is passing through a transitional period. However, his appointment is a government decision. We were satisfied by his overall performance.”

According to sources, international donors raised concerns over the sudden removal of Dr Boson and expressed fear that it may hamper the continuity of the national polio eradication programme. These fears, expressed during internal discussions, reflected the fact that the polio eradication campaign is at a ‘make or break stage’ and any delay could hamper the overall efforts made under the programme thus far.

An official working closely with the polio cell, on condition of anonymity, said that it was not the caretaker government’s mandate to transfer officials as their primary role was to conduct free and fair elections.

The official added that no one has been appointed in place of Bosan, due to which the cell is unable to continue performing its routine operations. The polio cell was established with the financial assistance of international donors. Every year the cell undertakes polio eradication activities across the country. The prime objective of this cell is to liaise with international donors and monitor the polio campaign.

According to the official, the removal of the head of the cell will dent efforts in the fight against polio, which is one of the major challenges currently facing the country.

“At present all the eyes are set on Pakistan as it remains one of only three countries in the world where polio still exists, therefore such decisions by the government give a negative impression to the world and show a lack of seriousness in fulfilling our international obligations to eradicate polio,” said the official.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21st, 2013.

KARACHI: 

Pakistan Tehreek-e Insaf (PTI) ended up with all spoils of a partial re-run of the May 11 polls in 43 polling stations of NA 250 Karachi, picking up both a National Assembly seat and two provincial assembly seats.

In an oft-debated and much-discussed rematch, PTI’s Arif Alvi secured the seat with 77,659 votes while Khushbakht Shujaat of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) came in second with 30,365 votes, according to the unofficial results.

NA-250 gained notoriety on May 11, when reports of discrepancies and mismanagement on the part of the election commission resulted in long queues and disheartened voters. Almost all political parties, including MQM, PTI, PPP and JI, reacted sharply to images of distraught voters by lodging different complaints against each other.

After conceding their inability to manage elections on NA-250, in a transparent and timely manner, the election commission had announced to hold re-polling on 43 affected polling stations on May 19.

However, the MQM had rejected the announcement by calling for re-polling at all polling stations of the constituency, while PTI and JI had made calls for re-polling in all constituencies of the city.

Amidst the allegations and counter allegations, the PPP, MQM and Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen boycotted the re-polling, providing the PTI with a clear lead on Sunday.

It may be mentioned here that after re-polling on Sunday the returning officer and district returning officer, along with presiding officers of the constituency, combined the results of the re-polls with the results of May 11 and submitted the final consolidated figures to the commission.

In light of previous accounts and given the deteriorating security situation in the city, strict security measures were in place on Sunday. In addition, foolproof mechanism to ensure polling on time was also ensured. However, the election commission reported a low turnout on the polling day, with only 38% average voter turnout, compared to an average voter turnout of nearly 60% on May 11.

The results for both provincial assembly seats PS 113 and PS 112 followed the trend set by Alvi on NA 250, with PTI candidates winning both the seats with a healthy victory margin. On PS 113, PTI candidate Samar Ali Khan secured 38,247 votes against Saleem Zia of PML-N, who bagged 11,753 votes. Similarly, PTI’s Khurram Sher Zaman bagged 33,560 votes compared to his contender Hafiz Muhammad Sohail of the MQM, who came in second with 22,973 votes.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21st, 2013.

LAHORE: 

President Asif Ali Zardari said on Monday that local and international conspirators have spoiled Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) chances of winning more than 40 seats in the National Assembly.

The president, also announced that he has formed a committee to determine the reasons behind the party’s electoral drubbing.

“International forces are not happy with the PPP’s policies in the region,” President Zardari said, adding that PPP’s resolve to strengthen its relations with neighbouring countries has infuriated them.

“They have spoiled the party’s chances of winning 40 to 45 seats in the National Assembly which we could have easily won.”

He said he also formed a committee to probe reasons behind the party’s defeat and alleged news of rigging in the elections.

The committee would finalise its report about the future strategy of the party and suggest what its policy for revival in Punjab should be.

The president said his office had kept him from carrying out election campaigns effectively; however, soon he and his three children would be seen on the field for the promotion of their party.

“PPP is the party of the federation and no one can let it become a regional party,” he said.

In the near future, Bilawal will play his due role in Punjab and would lead the province.

Later, Zardari while talking to various party delegations discussed local government polls and vowed to end hatred between provinces.

Phone call to Sharif

Zardari telephoned Nawaz Sharif and felicitated him on the victory in elections, a press release stated. The president also telephoned JUI-F’s Maulana Fazlur Rahman, and ANP President Asfandyar Wali.

Spokesperson to the President, Senator Farhatullah Babar said that the president felicitated leaders on their participation in the elections, having paved the way for the first democratic transition in the country.

“Elections, followed by smooth transfer of power in the coming days will be remembered as a watershed event in our political evolution and a triumph of the democratic ethos of the people and the political parties,” the spokesperson quoted the president as saying.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21st, 2013.

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian stock markets struggled to post gains Tuesday as investors waited for the U.S. Federal Reserve to telegraph what it plans to do next with its economic stimulus program.

KARACHI: 

There was nothing obviously unusual about 10-year-old Ali Hassan. He wore worn-out slippers, jogging trousers and a simple T-shirt. But in reality, this boy was far from ordinary. He was the last remaining passenger on the plane. And this minor had travelled from Islamabad to Quetta without a ticket, a boarding pass or a guardian.

This story of a young boy who managed to cross multiple security checks at Islamabad International Airport and hoodwink Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) crew to find a seat on a flight to Balochistan’s capital has raised serious concerns about the safety of airports.

On the evening of May 9, PIA crew found Hassan sitting alone in the aircraft, which had just landed in Quetta.

“He didn’t have a ticket, boarding pass or parents accompanying and he kept coming up with different stories. He is a very shrewd boy,” said a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) official who is linked with the case. “The way he managed to get on the aircraft leaves a big question mark about the performance of the Airport Security Force (ASF).”

According to the CCTV footage from Islamabad airport, Hassan walked to the ASF counters alone. One after another, he casually passed through all the security checks, the official said.

“When he reached the Boeing 737’s gate, the PIA crew asked him about his ticket. He said it was with his parents who were sitting somewhere inside. Our staff checked the name on the list and it was there. Apparently another boy named Ali Hassan was also on the flight,” said a PIA official.

At the Quetta airport, he was handed over to CAA officials and sent back to Islamabad on a PIA flight the next day. He was handed over to SHO Airport Police Station Malik Rafaqat but the boy has been missing since then.

“I can’t say anything on the matter right now. Just give me a day and I will come up with details,” said Rafaqat, insisting he was in Lahore on an official engagement. He didn’t say where the boy was.

A reliable source in CAA said Hassan was shifted to SOS Children’s Village, a social welfare organization that takes care of orphaned and abandoned children. But there the trail grows cold.

“We don’t have any boy by that name,” said SOS Rawalpindi’s Director Fatima. “As a matter of fact police has not shifted anyone to our facility in the past two months.”

PIA’s Quetta station officer and managers of Quetta and Islamabad airports refused to comment on the story. Islamabad’s ASF officials were also unable for comments.

A PIA spokesperson said that the fault lies with ASF, which didn’t stop the boy at the entry gate. “We accept that there might have been some oversight on our part. But it was clearly the responsibility of security officials to stop him from approaching the plane.”

Officials say the boy could have been used to see if someone can bypass the security checks.  “Anyone could be behind this. They could be smugglers or terrorists. We don’t know yet,” said another airport official.

This is not the first time that poor security checks at airports have come under the spotlight. In 2011, a stowaway fell to death in Lahore from an aircraft. The investigations into that case were never completed. More recently, Shahrukh Jatoi, the main accused in the Shahzeb murder case, also breezed through airport security when leaving Karachi for Dubai. He was on the Exit Control List at the time.

The recent incident has again forced the Ministry of Defence to constitute a high level committee led by Additional Secretary Muhammad Iftikhar Mir for the investigation. The enquiry is supposed to be completed in two weeks.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21st, 2013.

LAHORE: 

Humayun Akhtar Khan, former federal minister and secretary general of the PML-Likeminded, visited Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan at his bed in Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital on Monday.

Humayun Khan wished Imran Khan a speedy recovery and the two discussed the current political situation and the post-election scenario, said an official statement regarding the meeting.

The meeting signals a likely shift in direction for the PML-Likeminded, as Humayun Khan had previously opposed the faction’s joining with the PTI and had sought to move it closer to the PML-Nawaz.

The PML-N denied the former federal minister a ticket for the general elections from Faisalabad and Lahore. While the PTI had sought to make him its candidate at NA-125, he chose to sit out the polls. The PML-N also refused a party ticket to Likeminded Chairman Hamid Nasir Chattha from Wazirabad.

PTI and PML-N officials said that Humayun Khan joining the PTI might cause trouble for the PML-N. Having Humayun Khan on its side would help the PTI build greater inroads in Lahore, where it already has the support of former district nazim Mian Amir Mehmood and his allies Abdul Aleem Khan and Mian Aslam Iqbal.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21st, 2013.

LAHORE: 

Days after his faction of the Pakistan Muslim League swept to victory in the parliamentary  polls, Nawaz Sharif told newly elected lawmakers on Monday that there was no other option except to negotiate with the Taliban in the interest of peace.

Alluding to the outlawed group’s peace overtures before the election, Nawaz said the Taliban invitation for dialogue should be taken seriously.

Speaking about the strategy evolved by his party vis-a-vis the Taliban, Nawaz said, “The bullet is not a solution”.

“We want to use each and every option; every issue has to be brought on the [negotiating] table for a solution.”

Pakistan, according to Nawaz, has no other option apart from engaging the Taliban in talks.

The PML-N leader made these remarks at Alhamra Hall while addressing newly elected MPs from among his party, including independent candidates who have thrown their weight behind the PML-N and given it a simple majority in the lower house.

Apart from the Taliban threat, Nawaz also spoke about the country’s economic situation and indicated the steps his government intended to take to spur its early revival.

Six MPs elected from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas Nazir Khan Wazir, Bilalur Rehman, Shah G Gul, Dr G G Jamal, Sajid Turi, Bismillah Haji have joined the PML-N.

Nawaz also did some number crunching, counting the human and material cost of delaying the dialogue process with the Taliban. “We have lost around 40,000 lives, wasted billions of dollars and ruined our economy as a result,” said Nawaz. “Why can’t we start dialogue with the Taliban and make our country peaceful?”

On the economy

An atmosphere of peace will revive the economy and end the energy crisis, Nawaz said, adding that the nation will be able to observe a change within the first 100 days as the country gets on the “right track.”

He acknowledged that it was difficult to decide as to which economic problem should be addressed first: the return of loans worth Rs16,000 billion, an end to the circular debt or new development projects for the country. Making a decision was all the more challenging as the previous government led by the PPP had left the national kitty empty. He said that he was in close consultation with Senator Ishaq Dar on how the PML-N could solve the conundrum.

Dar has been asked to find a way out of a circular debt worth of Rs500 billion in order to give temporary relief to the public from load-shedding. There would be a one-time payment in this regard, he said. Through effective management, the PML-N leader said his party would try to rid the nation of the energy crisis.

Nawaz said he intended to reduce government expenditure by up to 30 per cent. “I do not want to set deadlines — but we will try to complete in months those tasks that take years.”

Provincial set-ups

In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Nawaz said he could have played the role of a spoiler yet he chose to adhere to the constitution and allow the PTI to form its government.

In Sindh, he said that the centre would provide support to the PPP-MQM coalition and help it curb violence, improve law and order and revive the economy. However, he warned that he would not tolerate any killings in Karachi.

In Balochistan, Nawaz said his party was ready to form a coalition government. In this regard, the party has already approached some of its coalition parties in the province.

Commenting on the structure of the centre, Nawaz said that his party had won 124 National Assembly seats and thanks to the inclusion of many independent candidates the PML-N now enjoyed a simple majority.

He added that if any party had reservations in working with the PML-N, the winning party will address on its own the country’s challenges. He said his meeting with Imran Khan was to seek his support and share his views on forging a common agenda for the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21st, 2013.

ISLAMABAD: 

Despite having voted in the elections — dealing severe blows to many a party and politician while giving a fresh mandate to others — the people of Pakistan remain quite literally powerless.

During the scorching days of summer, they are forced to sweat it out, whether at home, in offices or even in emergency wards. This is the reality of Pakistan’s prolonged — and worst ever — power crisis.

At the moment, Punjab receives around 68 per cent of total power generation, while the remaining is being distributed among the other provinces. As of this Monday, total power generation was 9,000 megawatts (MW) against a demand of 16,000MW. That means a shortfall of 7,000 MW, and a power crisis of unparalleled proportions.

The shortfall is resulting in frequent power outages across the country. For instance, urban centres of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are made to go without electricity for up to 12 hours a day. The situation in rural areas is worse where consumers are subjected to up to 20 hours of load-shedding.

The situation in Punjab is not good either. On Monday, Sialkot district and its adjoining areas spent 22 hours without electricity. The Gujranwala Electric Power Supply Company, which is responsible for supplying electricity to the region, blamed Wapda for the power outages.

A vicious circle

Power plants require gas and furnace oil to operate. The main oil supplier: Pakistan State Oil (PSO) has no money to inject and has defaulted at least ten times to international fuel suppliers in 2012 due to a liquidity crunch.

The previous government left behind a circular debt of over Rs500 billion, leading to a shortage of fuel which in turn caused a 7,000MW shortfall, causing unbearable levels of load-shedding.

The main fault lies with the power sector, which is unable to collect bills from many consumers but is forced to continue supply to defaulters due to political pressures.

According to sources, during the ongoing financial year 2012-13, Pakistan State Oil (PSO) was paid Rs369 billion for fuel supply, of which Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) gave only Rs50 billion. The shortfall was paid by the finance ministry.

The water and power ministry had asked the finance ministry to arrange Rs105 billion to provide fuel for power plants for April to June 2013. Instead, the finance ministry released Rs30 billion in April and Rs10 billion in May, against the requirement of Rs35 billion. This led to a shortage of furnace oil for power generation.

The gas gangs

Thanks to a gas shortage, power plants mainly rely on furnace oil, and when that supply is cut off, power shortages take place. “At present, the government needs to inject Rs55 billion every month into the power sector to pay for fuel to operate plants at full capacity,” officials said, adding that many power plants had been deprived of gas due to the powerful compressed natural gas (CNG)and fertiliser industry lobbies.

Lobbying by CNG and fertiliser sectors resulted in more than 600 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) being diverted from the power plants to those sectors, resulting in a jump in the cost of electricity production.

The gas being diverted is from the power plants owned by state-owned power generation companies. These companies need about 735 mmcfd to run their plants, but during the 2011 the maximum amount they have received on any given day has been 300 mmcfd.

These power plants were forced to shift to furnace oil, the prices of which have jumped 72% over the past few years. This policy has also affected the power plants capable of producing about 3,000MW, or over one-quarter of the country’s power supply.

“The gap between the notified power price and the cost of production has gone up by 40%. At present, the government is charging Rs8.87 per unit from consumers against the average power price of Rs11.90 per unit,” said an official of the water and power ministry.

And it’s not getting any better

With the elections over and done with, the water and power ministry says fuel supply has been reduced from 19,000 metric tons/day to 10,000 tons. Gas supply has also declined to 75 mmcfd to four power plants with a 8,000MW generation capacity, which were previously supplied 150 mmcfd. They’re the lucky ones, comparatively.

An official of the power ministry said the power plants with a 4,000MW capacity were shut down due to fuel shortages, and that Hubco and Kapco were not operating on full capacity.

A PSO official said the liquidity crunch had choked their Letters of Credit to the extent that they did not have enough furnace oil to pump into the power sector.

The ministry of petroleum had warned the finance and water and power ministries to arrange funds in a letter sent on May 10. But these two ministries did not arrange the money and the power crisis worsened.

Mismanagement adds to miseries

Financial constraints aren’t the only reason for the crisis.

The interference of the federal government, which forced oil and gas companies to continue supplies despite the default of the power sector, has been a major reason behind the collapse of energy companies.

Petroleum ministry officials said that oil and gas firms were supplying fuel to the power sector, along with other clients, in violation of supply agreements.

Also, there are ad hoc heads supervising power firms who have contributed to their inefficiency. At present, ad hoc arrangements had been made to operate Pepco, NTDC and other power distribution companies.

The former government also empowered gas utilities to manage load shedding on their own. Previously, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) and cabinet used to approve the gas load management plan but now gas companies are reportedly involved in giving gas through commissions, and therefore no gas was being provided to power plants. This is a gross violation of the ECC, which had placed power sector on second priority after domestic consumers.

Under a short term plan, government should divert gas from inefficient captive power plants to Independent Power Plants (IPPs). This would help to generate 5,000MW power which would not only be cheaper, but will also result in continued power supply.

The gas supplied to CNG firms could also be diverted to operate those power plants which were shut down due to a shortage of gas. It’s now time for our economic managers to start burning the midnight oil so that the rest of the country can keep its lights on.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21st, 2013.

ISLAMABAD: 

The Taliban had vowed to sabotage the parliamentary elections because they believe Western democracy is un-Islamic. However, they failed to disrupt the elections which saw an unprecedented turnout.

Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said on Monday that the May 11 elections amply demonstrate that “as a nation we can withstand any challenge”.

“In these elections, the people of Pakistan courageously withstood the threat of terrorism and defied the unfounded dictates of an insignificant and misguided minority,” Gen Kayani said while addressing a day-long conference at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi on Monday.

The conference titled ‘Saving Lives by Jointly Defeating IEDs’ was attended by experts from several countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Turkey.

The army chief also proposed a regional military forum to counter the threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which have inflicted heavy casualties on US-led foreign forces fighting a Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan.

The proposed counter-IED forum could go a long way in eliminating the threat posed by homemade bombs, if supported by the international community, he added.

Speaking at the event, experts from the US and Britain acknowledged Pakistan for taking concrete steps in recent months, towards stopping the smuggling of calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN), one of the main ingredients used in IEDs.

US officials claim that about 80% of the IEDs used in Afghanistan have homemade explosives as the main charge, and more than 80% of these are derived from CAN fertiliser produced in Pakistan.

However, Gen Kayani dispelled the impression that CAN smuggling was the sole stumbling block in eliminating the threat of homemade bombs.

“Production of CAN has come under national and international focus, to the extent of creating a perception that controlling CAN alone can remove the menace of IEDs. Our arguments against this singular perception were taken as unwillingness to act against IEDs,” he added.

However, CAN is only one of the precursors of IEDs, dozens of other are readily available. Moreover, Pakistan is not the only country producing CAN, other regional countries also produce CAN which has a higher degree of nitrogen content than what Pakistani CAN possesses, he said.

The army chief further said that ammonium nitrate, produced in certain regional countries, has 34% to 35% nitrogen content as opposed to 26% contained in what is produced in Pakistan. There is evidence that as Pakistan tightened the control on sale and distribution of CAN, terrorists simply switched to other precursors, like potassium chlorate, not produced in Pakistan, he argued.

Therefore, he said that the underlying complexity of the issue “forces us to adopt a multinational and holistic government approach.”

The army chief told the conference that contrary to prevalent perceptions, Pakistan had come a long way in fighting the IEDs threat during the past three years. “Pakistan has taken significant policy initiatives to counter IEDs. The Pakistan Army, aware of the seriousness of the threat, is leading the drive to create a pragmatic, cost-effective and efficient counter-IED strategy,” he said.

This strategy, he added, aims at creating awareness, assisting in legislation and adopting best practices from across the world to suitably equip and effectively train our forces. He added that the policy was meant to develop a proactive rather than reactive response to the threat at the national level.

Speaking on the occasion, the Deputy Director for Operations/Intelligence Integration, Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organisation USA, Brig Gen Roberts P Walters Jr concurred with Gen Kayani and praised Pakistani efforts to reinforce its border to curb fertiliser smuggling into Afghanistan. Walters praised Pakistani efforts to reinforce its border to curb fertiliser smuggling into Afghanistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21st, 2013.