ISLAMABAD/LAHORE – The PPP-led government suffered another setback as it plunged to another crisis Tuesday when JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman announced Tuesday that his party had decided to quit the coalition government.
The latest twist in the countryÂ’s politics came after Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani earlier in the day sacked Minister for Religious Affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi and Minister for Science and Technology Azam Swati from their offices. It is worth mentioning that Swati was one of the three JUI-FÂ’s ministers who were inducted in the cabinet.
As soon a high-level meeting of JUI-F made the decision, the remaining two ministers also sent their resignations to the prime minister.
They include Federal Minister Housing and Works Minister Rehmat Ullah Kakar and Federal Minister for Tourism Atta-ur-Rehman.
After the announcement, President Zardari and Premier Gilani telephoned Fazlur Rehman but he refused to talk. When asked about the contact by the Presidency, Fazl while talking to media said, “Please avoid such critical questions.”
He said the governmentÂ’s one-sided decision compelled them to quit the coalition government, adding that they were not taken into confidence over issue.
The JUI-F chief said he had responded positively to the reconciliation policy of the PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari, adding that he asked the president to implement the agreement reached with the JUI-F which had joined the government on the basis of the deal.
He said the party had written many letters to Prime Minister Gilani to take action against the people involved in the Haj scandal but the government did not take any action. Instead, it dismissed their minister Azam Swati who stood firm against the huge corruption in Haj operations, he added.
When asked about the blasphemy law, he ridiculed Punjab Governor Salmaan TaseerÂ’s statements about amending the law and expressed his anger over the private bill moved by PPP MNA Sherry Rehman for this purpose.
In response to a question, he asked the PPP government to revoke the notification of SwatiÂ’s removal and issue a formal apology.
About the future plan of action and RGST Bill which would soon be tabled in the Lower House of the Parliament, Fazl said the JUI-F would oppose the bill and would not bail out the govt from the possible embarrassment during the voting.
Later, as a reconciliatory move, President ZardariÂ’s spokesman Dr Qayyum Soomro reached FazlÂ’s residence for convincing him to withdraw his decision.
Meanwhile, talking to media after a religious ceremony at Kala Shah Kaku near Lahore, Kazmi said a particular group was conspiring against him after his appointment as the federal minister for Religious Affairs. They wanted to grab the ministry, he added.
Talking about his removal, Kazmi said the decision had been taken although there was no solid proof against him but he had no complaint over the move.
“I am simple man and not involved in any corruption,” he said.
He said fabricated stories were being spread just for targeting him.
When asked why he did not resign despite constant pressure, Kazmi replied he wanted to stand up against the conspirators and there was no reason to do so in the absence of concrete evidence.
He reminded the reporters that no accused could be termed criminal till the charges were proved in the court.
On the reports of freezing his bank accounts, Kazmi he had no wealth; therefore, the decision, if taken, would not affect him.
In an exclusive telephonic conversation with Nawa-i-Waqt from Zurich, Azam Swati described his removal as an honour, saying he was the lone minister in Pakistan who had ever been sacked over pointing out corruption.
He said he was grateful to Maulana Fazlur Rehman and other party elders for deciding to quit the govt after his expulsion from the cabinet. He also thanked the people and media for, what he called naming, him as the ‘honest minister’.
“This day will always be remembered as an important milestone in the country’s history,” he remarked, adding that it had inculcated a new feeling in the nation.
It was a JUI-F minister who exposed corruption prevailing in the government, he said.
Swati said the incumbent govt never paid attention to science and technology, as the budget of Higher Education Commission (HEC) was slashed while that of BISP, which he termed as bogus, was increased from Rs30 billion to Rs90 billion. He had walked out of the cabinet meeting when it was approved, Swati added.
The JUI-F senator said he would stay in Zurich at his daughterÂ’s house and also land in Dubai for some days.
It is pertinent to recall that Swati runs a departmental store chain and oil companies in the US where he had stayed till late 1990s but later opted to return to Pakistan.
Talking to media, Federal Minister for Information Qamar Zaman Kaira said obviously there were some differences between the two allies but the matter would soon be resolved amicably.
Though the PMÂ’s House statement about the sacking of the two ministers did not mention any reasons but they have been fired over the controversy about the corruption in the Haj operations. Kazmi is facing serious allegations of corruption in Haj levelled against him by Swati and others. It resulted in media war as both the ministers did not follow the premierÂ’s advice to avoid issuing statements, thus aggravating the differences between the two cabinet fellows.
Prime Minister Gilani has given the additional charge of Religious Affairs to Syed Khursheed Shah, Minister of Labour and Manpower Minister of Education Sardar Assef Ahmed will look after the Ministry of Science and Technology.
The premier has also appointed Makhdoom Shahbuddin as Minister for Defence Production, who will continue to hold his portfolio of the Health Ministry. The slot was vacant after the resignation by former minister Abdul Qayyum Jatoi.
Meanwhile, Secretary Ministry of Religious Affairs Agha Sarwar Raza
Qazalbash has been directed to report to the Establishment Division, while Secretary Overseas Pakistanis Division Saeed Khan has replaced Qazalbash.
Posts Tagged ‘bill’
JUI-F quits coalition
Bill & Giuliana Rancic Talk Show?
Are Bill and Giuliana Rancic the next Regis and Kathie Lee? Tinseltown informants say the endearing couple are developing a talk show based out of Bill’s homebase in The Windy City that would see both Rancics featured as hosts. E! News correspondent Giuliana’s even considering abandoning her tony gig in Los Angeles to get to [...]
Dr. Drew Bill O’Reilly Weigh In On Miley Cyrus Salvia Scandal
If Miley Cyrus ever feels like purging her soul on the next season of VH1′s Celebrity Rehab, Dr. Drew’s got a cot with her name on it. Now that Miles has replaced Lindsay Lohan as Hollywood’s newest high-profile eff-up, celebrity drug counselor and addiction specialist Dr. Drew is sharing his two cents on how the [...]
Dawes, Deer Tick & Delta Spirit Vocalists Start New Group
TOUR DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY; SELF-TITLED ALBUM OUT MARCH 1
Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes,
Deer Tick‘s John McCauley,
and Matthew Vasquez of Delta
Spirit have come together to create their new group Middle Brother.
The trio have
announced
that their self-titled debut album will be released March 1 on Partisan Records. Tour dates are being planned for the
spring, although nothing has been confirmed yet. The band will perform at a benefit for the Invisible Children
charity on On December 20 at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. Below is a clip of the band performing ‘Daydreaming.’
Track Listing:
1. Daydreaming
2. Blue Eyes
3. Thanks For Nothing
4. Middle Brother
5. Theater
6. Portland
7. Wilderness
8. Me Me Me
9. Someday
10. Blood and Guts
11. Mom and Dad
12. Million Dollar Bill
Middle Brother
Tour Dates
::
Middle Brother News
::
Middle Brother
Concert
Reviews
Carla Bruni to visit Safdarjung Hospital to see anti-natal, HIV care procedure
France’s First Lady Carla Bruni will visit the Safdarjung Hospital and the New Delhi-based Naz Foundation Trust, an NGO working on HIV/AIDS and sexual health on Monday. Most people around the world know Bruni as an Italian-born French songwriter, singer and former model, but few know that she is also the brand ambassador for the [...]
Hungarian protest against media bill
Several Hungarian newspapers published blank front pages or cartoons yesterday in protest at a bill which they say would restrict media freedom.
The legislation now being debated in parliament would allow the official media watchdog to impose heavy fines on privately run publications.
Bill Frisell & Vinicius Cantuária: Lagrimas Mexicanas Out 1/25/11
DUO WILL TOUR IN 2011
| Lagrimas Mexicanas |
Bill Frisell and Vinicius Cantuária‘s new album,
Lagrimas Mexicanas,
epitomizes
a union of extraordinary musicians. Frisell’s and Cantuária’s own music have clearly distinctive origins, but with
complimentary styles. Through the blending of emotive rhythms and harmonies, and the melding of classic and
experimental sounds, the two artists have found an easy home with one another. Lagrimas Mexicanas is
scheduled for release on January 25, 2011 via Entertainment One Music.
TOUR DATES
February 16 &17 San Francisco, CA Yoshi’s
February 19 New York, NY Le Poisson Rouge
February 22 Minneapolis, MN Cedar Cultural Center
*More to be announced soon.
Cooperation is the means to development: Nitish Kumar
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has called upon all parties, including the opposition to cooperate in the development of the state. Talking to reporters here on Tuesday, Kumar said: “”All of us together, whether we are in ruling side or opposition, we will work for Bihar and will take Bihar on the speedy path of [...]
PML-Q’s boycott bails out govt
ISLAMABAD – There was a rumpus in the Upper House of the Parliament on Friday when Chairman Senate, Farooq H Naek, declared the passage of the recommendations by the Senate to the National Assembly on the controversial General Sales Tax (GST) Bill.
Hullabaloo was not yet over when the Chairman announced to prorogue the House.
The Upper House passed the recommendations on the General Sales Tax (GST) Bill and Finance (Amendment) Bill (RGST) amid opposition from JUI-F and MQM, the ruling coalition partners, and PML-N and Jamaaat-e-Islami, the opposition parties.
Former Finance Minister Ishaq Dar of PML-N and Prof Khurshid Ahmed of JI wanted Chairman Senate Farooq H Naek to hold voting on the GST Bill, 2010, usually known as the Reformed General Sales Tax (RGST) Bill. But the Chair announced to prorogue the house while turning a deaf ear to the advice of the two senior Parliamentarians and what they called a bid to bulldoze the parliamentary norms of the Upper House. The Chairman read the prorogation order without taking into consideration that the Finance Minister had to deliver a concluding debate on the issue amid voices of Ishaq Dar that his party would walk out of the House if voting was not conducted.
Instead of holding the counting on the RGST, the Chairman only asked the members that those who were in favour of the recommendations might say ‘yes’ and those who were against the recommendations might say ‘no’ amid the slogans of “No RGST, No RGST” by the MQM and JUI-F.
PML-Q staged a token walkout of the House for not allowing them to move some fresh proposals forward on the RGST in the House before the Senate passed the recommendations on both the bills to be sent to the National Assembly for further proceedings.
The House was hit another constitutional controversy with the start of its proceedings on Friday when Wasim Sajjad, Leader of the Opposition, on the point of order requested the chair to relax the rules while using his discretionary powers for allowing him to move some fresh proposals on the RGST Bill in the House. The fresh proposals given by the Opposition Leader with consent of JUI-F and ANP, coalition partners of the Government, stated that the House recommended to the National Assembly that it would not pass the RGST.
Many legislators both from the treasury as well as opposition benches were of the view that the recommendations of the Senate Standing Committee were not final and the chair should accommodate fresh proposals while using his discretionary powers. Kalsoom Perveen accused some of the parties of adopting double standard, saying that they had supported the recommendations in the Senate Committee and now they were asking for fresh recommendations. Dr Babar Awan and Mian Raza Rabbani gave their constitutional opinions before the Chairman gave a ruling on the issue. Rabbani while quoting the prescribed rules 95, 96 and 97 said that as the recommendation that Wasim Sajjad wanted to move was negative in nature, so it could not be taken into consideration under the rules. Babar Awan said that according to Rule 119 &120, a private member who wished to move a resolution (or motion or fresh proposal) should give 7 daysÂ’ notice prior to this. Wasim Sajjad asked the Chairman to issue directives under Article-77, as the rules did not provide any regulations for this purpose in the Article 73.
The Chairman Senate assured the members that he would resolve the issue by giving his ruling before laying the report of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance containing proposals for making recommendations on the GST Bill and Finance (Amendment) Bill.
But, Senator Ahmed Ali first presented the report after many requests from the chair as he was hesitating to present it and then Farooq H Naek gave his ruling. Zafar Ali Shah also said that the Chairman was becoming partial as he was continuously using some words in favour of the treasury benches and the chair had to expunge these words on ZafarÂ’s request.
The Chairman Senate in his ruling said that the point raised by Wasim Sajjad violated the rules, as the time to give any proposals regarding the bill had lapsed. “The GST Bill was laid down on November 12, 2010 before the House for recommendations and the Chairman Senate at that time with the sense of the House decided that any proposal for making recommendations to NA may be given to the Senate Secretariat within two days”, he added. He said as the time had lapsed so no member would be allowed to submit fresh proposals at this stage.
Minister of Ports and Shipping, Babar Ghauri, wanted that the issue should be resolved in accordance with the sense of the House, as his party also wanted to submit fresh recommendations on agriculture tax. JUI-F was also in favour of submitting the fresh proposals.
Sabir Baloch while pointing towards Ghauri said that the Minister was a part of the Government and was speaking against it, he should first resign and then speak. Wasim Sajjad was of the view that the views of his party in the form of fresh proposals should be accommodated, as it had become a majority view because the ruling parties were also supporting it.
Flood tax, RGST pass first hurdle
ISLAMABAD – To the utter surprise of all, the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs on Tuesday unanimously passed the drafts of Reformed General Sales Tax (RGST) Bill and Flood Surcharge Bill with all diehard opponents – both in ruling alliance and Opposition – keeping complete mum except making a few recommendations to be incorporated in the aforementioned drafts.
The Committee met under the chair of Senator Islamuddin Shaikh. The Committee Chairman Senator Ahmed Ali, an MQM MNA and a strong opponent of RGST, was not present in the two-day meeting. The Committee did not face any hurdle in the passage of the drafts of these bills, as neither opposition party nor the coalition partners opposed them.
The Committee members suggested giving tax exemptions to all food items whether they were packed/ canned or open commodities. Similarly they demanded that the Government should also exempt all types of locally produced medicines and stationary items including books from taxes.
Talking about Flood Surcharge Bill, the Senators suggested that minimum level for this tax should be enhanced to Rs 0.5 million instead of Rs 0.3 million. These recommendations would be presented in the Upper House of the Parliament in the next couple of days, which would then refer them to the Lower House.
The Committee approved increase in Special Excise Duty from one to two per cent.
Earlier talking in the meeting, Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh said, “We have no other option but to introduce RGST in the country for revenue generation.” He was of the view that prices of those items would go up which were still exempted from the taxes, while prices of some commodities would come down, as the GST percentage would be reduced to 15 percent from 17 per cent in RGST, he added.
“It will not have even a least effect if we do not get the tranche from International Monetary Fund (IMF), however by not bringing RGST, we will give negative message to the international community,” he said. He further said that military as well as political governments failed to start structural reforms in the economy in the last 20 to 30 years.
He said, “We have to generate our own resources in order to get rid of IMF. If we do not introduce RGST and power losses, how would we make our budget?” He said, “I am ready to discus the Government’s expenditures in this Committee whenever it wants. The Committee members then can tell me from where we have to cut the expenditures. However it would not be in billions which we expect to generate through reforms in our taxation system,” the Minister added.
Talking about the National Finance Commission Award and the 18th Amendment, Shaikh said, “We have transferred the resources from the Centre to the provinces, which is a great achievement. However, the Centre has suffered a lot in the first year, as our fiscal deficit surged to 5.2 per cent from the targeted four per cent.”
The Secretary Finance informed the Committee that Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) would only collect tax on service sector when provinces would authorise it by making change in their laws. He was of the view that provincial governments would also table their drafts at the end of this month. “We held more than 50 meeting with provinces for creating consultations on RGST,” he added. He further informed that three provinces were ready to authorise FBR for collecting GST on services in their laws and only Sindh wanted to collect it at its own.
Earlier Senator Safdar Abbasi of Pakistan PeopleÂ’s Party said that there were a lot of constraints in the Bill and it could be challenged in the courts, therefore the Government should withdraw it from the Parliament and new improved bill should be tabled.
Senator Ishaq Dar of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) said that the Government tabled the Bill in a rush as they were facing pressure from donors to table it in the Parliament before Pakistan Development Forum. He said there was no need for the provincial assemblies to pass any resolution for RGST. He said the Government should consider its all aspects otherwise strikes could start in the country due to passage of RGST.
Later MQM presented its resolution seeking not approval of RGST from the Committee and imposition of tax on agriculture sector, besides taking measures to control corruption.
Online adds: The Committee also approved amendment of not implementing flood surcharge on those individuals earning less than Rs 500,000.
The MQM also tabled its dissention note on the opposition of this bill which stated that the govt instead of RGST could earn billions by imposing tax on agriculture sector.
All the four provinces would begin the process of legislation regarding RGST (reformed general sales tax) on November 27-28, as all the four provinces have consensus regarding the issue.
Senator Ishaq Dar said that Nawaz Sharif had addressed all the concerns and reservations in his letter addressed to the Government, whose reaction had been equally positive.
Debating the issue, Senators Safdar Abbasi and Professor Khurshid Ahmad stressed on withdrawing the proposed Bill from the Parliament.
Telework for Federal Employees Gets Big Push
A bill aimed at driving down federal office rental and commuting costs, giving more flexibility to government workers, and cutting pollution emissions has passed the Houses of Congress. If signed into law, remote worker and mobile technologies are poised to see a boom. – If
you’ve ever driven in or around the horrendous traffic of Washington D.C., then we’ve got some
good news for you.
A
bill that has been in the works since 2009 and would allow more federal workers
to work from home is on the desk of President Obama. Known as the quot;telework quot;
bill, th…
Bill Nye “The Science Guy†Collapses On Stage During College Lecture
Bill Nye — perhaps best remembered to we “Children of the ’90s” as television’s “Bill Nye: The Science Guy” — collapsed onstage during an appearance at the University of Southern California (USC) on Tuesday. Perhaps even odder than the collapse itself was the audience’s reaction (or lack thereof) to it. Nye, 54, apparently fainted in [...]
We Won! Bill to Retroactively Immunize Mortgage Fraud Defeated
A friend on the Hill just wrote me the following:HR 3808 Veto UpheldHR 3808 went down.Most Democrats voted to uphold Obama’s veto. Nearly all Republicans voted to override Obama’s veto.I’m somewhat surprised at the roll call, I hadn’t expected…
“We are closely monitoring corruption in Pakistanâ€: Holbrooke
The US has its reservations over the growing corruption in Pakistan and is monitoring it closely, the US Special Ambassador for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke has said. “We are closely monitoring corruption in Pakistan”, The Nation quoted Holbrooke, as saying in an exclusive chat with a TV channel. He said that the United States [...]
Bill Clinton “The Hangover 2″ Cameo
From Mel to Bill! Former President Bill Clinton has joined Liam Neeson and Paul Giamatti as the latest A-lister to nab a cameo role in the upcoming sequel to The Hangover, PEOPLE reports. The film is currently in production in Bangkok. Clinton — who will be playing himself in the feature — filmed his brief [...]
Clinton and I are buddies, says George W. Bush
It seems that despite political differences, Former US Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush share a good relationship. In an interview with George W. Bush and his brother, Jeb on CNN, host Candy Crowley, had a little fun with the Bush-Clinton relationship, reports the Politico. “Your father, 41, has said that he looks at [...]
Opp, allies up in arms as RGST tabled in NA
ISLAMABAD – After its failure in passing NRO, the PPP-led federal government, Friday, suffered another moral setback when its coalition partners in the National Assembly not only opposed the Reformed General Sales Tax (RGST) Bill, 2010, but also termed it a final nail in the coffin of Pak economy.
Whereas the opposition parties, PML-N and PML-Q, protested against the RGST during the Lower House proceedings, members of the MQM and ANP that are coalition parties in federal as well as provincial governments of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also chanted slogans against the imposition of any new tax.
Minister for Labour and Manpower Khurshid Shah, however, approached the ANP legislators presumably to convince them but all in vain.
They, including Bushra Rehman, remained firm to their stand. It was the second time when PPP seemed alone in the House and the Finance Minister Hafeez Shiekh had to lay the RGST bill 2010 and flood surcharges, in an environment charged with protest on the last day of the 26th session of the Lower House.
“The bill will reform the sales tax regime by introducing and implementing a broad-based tax on sale and purchase of goods in all areas of Pakistan and services in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) on an integrated basis with taxes on sales and purchases of services, specified by the provinces so as to form a broad-based and integrated tax regime on consumption in Pakistan” Hafeez Shiekh said while introducing the RGST Bill 2010.
“We oppose the RGST. Actually, it is an indirect tax that will be imposed on the production of all things. If it gets through, it will be a final nail in the already sinking economy of the country,”, Dr Farooq Sattar the senior leader of MQM commented. It is VAT in the guise of RGST, Sattar added.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani who was in the House at the time had to come forward to calm down the situation as he had been asking opposition and his coalition partners to sit down and let the finance minister introduce the bill and they could later oppose it at the concerned standing committee.
PM Gilani brushed aside the impression that the bill was being introduced without taking opposition and coalition parties on board and said that the House had been discussing it for the last six months.
“It is discussed in Cabinet which approved it while in the recent meeting of the Council of Common Interest, all the four chief ministers gave go-ahead to the federal government for imposing RGST”, he said. The Prime Minister said that the country needed Rs160 billion for reconstruction and rehabilitation process after natural disaster while after 7th NFC Award the resources were shifted to provinces, which had refused the federal government to contribute in the rehabilitation process.
“We, the federal government, accepted it. We will not go for any undemocratic move. The bill will be introduced according to the order of the day, however, it’s up to the House whether it accepts it or not”, the Prime Minister said.
Responding to the Leader of the Opposition Ch Nisar Ali Khan regarding the incident that took place with Law Minister at Constitution Avenue where allegedly some army officials aimed guns at the minister, Prime Minster said that he himself contacted Law Minister who expressed ignorance of any such incident occurred with him.
“When the Law Minister himself was not accepting it then what kind of report you are seeking. Why you want from us to condemn this institution,” Prime Minister said while addressing the Opposition Leader. Earlier, Ch Nisar Ali whereas not only demanded the report of the incident but also cautioned the Government that it would have to throw 145 members out of the House for the passage of the RGST bill. Later, Dr Farooq Sattar rejected the claim of Prime Minister and said that RGST and conditionality of IMF packages had never been discussed in the Cabinet. “I and Babar Ghori attended a number of Cabinet meetings and during these meetings, RGST and IMF package never came under discussion”, Sattar said. He said RGST would be implemented on every single commodity and would directly put a burden on the people. We are shedding crocodile tears…a tsunami of price-hike is in the offing,” he said. Farooq Sattar offered to generate Rs1,000 billion from the countryÂ’s economy and the budget. He demanded imposition of agriculture land tax besides reforms in FBR, PIA, Steel Mill, PEPCO, land and WAPDA to generate Rs160 billion.”
New taxes to trigger tsunami of price hike
ISLAMABAD – The Federal Cabinet on Wednesday accorded approval to the flood tax and Reformed General Sales Tax (RGST) Bill and to be presented in the current session of the National Assembly. However, many economic analysts believe that it would trigger a tsunami of price hike and inflation in the country.
“The bill will be tabled in the current session of National Assembly,” said Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh while addressing a press conference here. He was flanked by Minister for Information Qamar Zaman Kaira and Minister for Interior Rehman Malik. To a question, Hafeez said that a salient feature of the Reformed-General Sales Tax (R-GST) is that there will be a uniform sales tax rate of 15 per cent instead of the rates ranging from 17 to 26 per cent.
He said that the measures are designed to broaden the tax base by bringing the exempted sectors in the tax net and charging all income groups at a rate of 10 per cent of their payable liability.
Explaining about the bill, the Minister said that after the approval the RGST would be implemented from January 2011 and may fetch in Rs30 billion in the remaining six months of the current fiscal year.
He further said that the Cabinet also approved the flood surcharge to be imposed for six months from January 2011 on the persons having income more than Rs 30,0000.
He said that a person earning Rs 25,000 per month will pay additional Rs 30 per month tax and a company earning Rs 10 billion annually will pay additional Rs 170 million in six months.
He said that the government has decided to levy one-time flood surcharge at the rate of 10 per cent of the payable tax on all income groups that will generate Rs28 billion in six months.
He further said that the incumbent government also doubled the rate of Federal Excise Duty on all non-essential and luxury imports.
Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira dispelled the impression that the bill was being passed by the Parliament without evolving a consensus among the provinces.
He was of the view that the introduction of the bill would help the country in putting its economy on the path of self-reliance by broadening the tax base.
He said that the cabinet also discussed the issue of availability of sugar in the country. The stocks of 350,000 metric tons of sugar available with TCP will be sent in the open market.
It was also discussed to move against millers and wholesalers allegedly hoarding sugar in anticipation to earn more profits, he added.
Rehman Malik said that his agencies would now be on a hunt for hoarders and millers in the provinces would be pushed for starting the crushing operations.
It would not be out of place to mention here that MQM ministers expressed reservations on the bill.
Agencies add: The IMF has linked PakistanÂ’s next tranche of aid to the approval of the RGST bill in the federal and provincial assemblies before November 13.
The IMF insists that it will not accept a “piecemeal approach” or anything except a universal RGST regime.
Earlier this month, Pakistan assured international donors that five bills will be presented in federal and provincial assemblies in their current sessions to seek approval for the tax.
The plan to get the bill passed, though, has been slowed down by provincesÂ’ refusal to budge from their stated positions regarding revenues collected from import, export and ports related services.
Punjab wants revenues to be allocated on the basis of origin of services while Sindh argues that revenues should be authorised to the province where it is collected.




Las Tortugas V by Chad Smith
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