Solangi rules out any change or extension in election date

ISLAMABAD, : Caretaker Minister for Information, Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Solangi on Wednesday ruled out any change, amendment or extension in the polls date announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

“No extension, amendment or change in the election date given by the Election Commission is on the agenda,” Murtaza Solangi said while addressing a news conference along with the health and IT (information technology) ministers after a meeting of the Federal Cabinet.

 

 

The cabinet meeting was presided over by Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar.

The information minister said, “So far, no such incident has occurred which leads to the postponement of the elections.”

Sharing the decisions of the Federal Cabinet, he said the forum had rejected the “unilateral verdict” of the Indian Supreme Court regarding the illegal annexation of Jammu and Kashmir by India as an illegal decision.

“Jammu and Kashmir is not an internal issue of India rather an international dispute that has been an unresolved agenda at the UN Security Council for over seven decades,” he said, adding the so-called decision of the Indian SC would not have any impact on the Kashmir issue.

Solangi said the Federal Cabinet called upon on the international community to strongly condemn the illegal Indian move that usurped the rights of Kashmiris.

He said that the Indian Supreme Court committed a flagrant violation of India’s international commitments and obligations by unilaterally dismissing the petitions against its illegal action of August 5, 2019.

“We believed that the so-called decision will give boost to our efforts for the legitimate solution of the Kashmir issue,” the minister said while quoting the prime minister as saying.

He said the Kashmir issue should be decided according to the resolutions of the United Nations and as per the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

The minister said Pakistan would continue to extend political, diplomatic and moral support to the people of Kashmir.

At the outset, the cabinet strongly condemned the D I Khan terrorist attack and prayed Allah Almighty to rest the souls of martyrs in eternal peace and grant courage to the bereaved families to bear the loss with fortitude.

Paying tributes to the martyrs, PM Kakar stated that they were pride of the nation and vowed that the war against terrorism would continue till complete elimination of the scourge.

Minister Solangi said that the cabinet made it clear that such cowardly acts of terrorism could not deter the determination of the Pakistani nation.

While giving details of the cabinet decisions, he said that it gave approval to the Memorandum of Understanding on mutual political exchanges between the Republic of Gambia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan in the context of Pakistan’s “Engage Africa” policy.

The minister said that the cabinet approved the immediate termination of contract of the managing director of the National Telecommunication Corporation (NTC) for misuse of the authority and directed for disciplinary action against him.

It also gave its consent that Mian Mohammad Shafiq, Chief Executive Engineer, would assume the charge as NTC’s acting managing director till the appointment of new managing director, he added.

The cabinet, he said, also approved changes in the rules and regulations to facilitate the Afghan nationals residing in Pakistan, who neither have any legal proof of entry nor processing fee, and want to leave for a third country.

According to the new rules and regulations, Solangi said, the Afghan nationals, who have to evacuate to a third country and do not have any legal documents or processing fees, would be fined $400 for overstaying in Pakistan instead of $ 800.

The deadline for stay of such Afghan nationals in Pakistan had also been extended from December 31, 2023 to February 29, 2024, he said, adding the fine, after the due date, would be imposed at the rate of $100 per month with a maximum limit of $800.

He said the measures were aimed at encouraging the Afghans residing illegally in Pakistan to obtain legal documents or finalize evacuation agreements as soon as possible in a third country.

Solangi said the cabinet also approved the first “National Space Policy”, under which international companies would be allowed to provide services to customers through Low Orbit Communication Satellite in Pakistan.

He said the policy would not only attract foreign investment but also save valuable foreign exchange.

Under the policy, not only a “Space Regulatory Regime” was being implemented in Pakistan in line with modern international requirements, but funds for research and development had also been arranged in SPARCO, the minister added.

Solangi said that the prime minister appreciated the efforts of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom, SPARCO, Ministry of Defence and related institutions to formulate Pakistan’s first space policy.

He said on the recommendation of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, the cabinet approved the immediate return of the Managing Director of the Korangi Fisheries Harbour Authority to his parent institution and also ordered an investigation into the mismanagement in the institution.

It also gave its approval that Director General Operations Port Qasim Authority, Rear Admiral Shahid Ahmed, should look after the affairs of the above Authority till the appointment of new managing director.

On the recommendation of the Ministry of Health, Solangi said, the cabinet approved the decision to forward the cases of Dow Dental College Karachi, Narowal Medical College, Liaquat Institute of Medical Health Sciences Thatta and Khairpur Meris Medical College to the Pakistan Medical and Dental College for initial approval.

The minister said the cabinet approved the decisions made in the meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) on November 23, except the one regarding the increase in the prices of medicines.

The cabinet also issued directives to review the entire system of drugs pricing and regulations to find a comprehensive solution to the problem in the future.

The minister quoted the prime minister as saying that the government wanted the pharma industry to develop, but the interest of the people would come first in terms of prices and quality of medicines.

He said the forum directed the Ministry of Health to give a briefing in the next meeting about amendments in the existing drug policy, which included a detailed review of the regulatory and administrative issues of Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP).

The cabinet also approved the decisions taken in the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Legislative Cases (CCLC) on December 6.
These decisions included the establishment of National Cybercrime Investigation Agency for the prevention, prosecution and adjudication of cybercrimes, as well as a Telecom Tribunal.

The gave it approval for the decisions taken in the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCoE) on November 22, Solangi added.

Replying to the questions of media persons, Murtaza Solangi said so far no court or constitutional body of Pakistan had declared the current caretaker government illegal.

The Federal Cabinet reviewed the incidents of terrorism in detail, he said, adding that the Ministry of Interior was releasing the data related to the return of illegal immigrants to their homeland.

He said that about 450,000 people had gone back to their native country, the majority of them returned voluntarily.

He said that the government had taken strict notice of the Dera Ismail Khan incident. The prime minister himself went to Dera Ismail Khan as “we are taking this matter seriously”.

“We will go to any extent to protect the people of Pakistan from terrorism,” Murtaza Solangi assured the media.

Regarding Maulana Fazlur Rehman, he said the interior minister had explained that he received threats and it was responsibility of the caretaker setup to provide security to him.

“Kashmir is an international dispute that India itself took to the United Nations Security Council. There are several UNSC resolutions on the Occupied Kashmir,” Solangi said while responding to another query.

To another question, he said that the Palestinian people had been fighting for their right to self-determination for the last 75 years.