ISLAMABAD: Polling for 11 National Assembly and 24 provincial assembly seats has kicked off across the country and will continue till 5 p.m. without any break, setting up a major contest between candidates of two rival political parties — Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
According to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), more than 9.2 million registered voters will use their right to vote.
A total of 7,489 polling stations have been set up and more than 28,000 Pakistan army and Rangers troops deployed to deal with any trouble.
A total of 372 candidates are contesting the 35 seats; the 11 National Assembly seats comprise nine in Punjab and one each in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The 24 provincial assembly slots include 11 provincial assembly seats in Punjab, nine in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and two each in Sindh and Balochistan provinces respectively.
The PTI, along with its allies, enjoys a majority in the National Assembly with 176 politicians against the opposition parties including the PML-N, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and others which hold 154 seats in a 342-member House.
Political analysts say it is important for the PTI to win at least seven National Assembly seats out of the 12 in the by-elections to maintain its comfortable majority in the House. They say the ruling party’s dependence on its coalition partners, especially Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), will end to implement its reforms agenda as promised to voters.
Out of 12 vacant seats in the National Assembly, elections are being held on 11 seats and a by-election on a seat vacated by President Dr. Arif Alvi will be held on Oct. 21. Of the remaining 10 seats, seven were won by the PTI and two by its coalition partner, the PML-Q. Only one of the seats previously belonged to the PML-N.
Of the six seats won by the PTI but which are now up for grabs, four were won by Prime Minister Imran Khan alone, and one each by Tahir Sadiq and Ghulam Sarwar. Both PML-Q seats were won by Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, who relinquished them to become Speaker of the Punjab Assembly.
The PML-N seat was won by Hamza Shehbaz Sharif, who relinquished it to keep his seat in the Punjab Assembly. He is currently the opposition leader in that house.
In an effort to give the PTI-led incumbent government a difficult time, the PPP and PML-N earlier this month announced that they would field joint candidates in the by-elections. But later, no party withdrew its candidates.
“We are going to win nine seats in the National Assembly out of 11 in the by-elections,” Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry told Arab News. “PTI will retain not only its six relinquished seats but also win three more seats in the National Assembly along with its allies, especially the PML-Q.”
On the other hand, the PML-N may struggle to win at least three National Assembly seats -– two in Lahore and one in Faisalabad. The PML-N leader and ex-premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is standing against the PTI’s Ghulam Mohiuddin Dewan, a relatively unknown candidate, and former Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique against the PTI’s business tycoon Humayun Akhtar Khan.
“We are giving a tough time to the PTI and hopefully will win a majority of the seats, provided no rigging takes place,” the PML-N’s secretary information Senator Mushahidullah Khan told Arab News.
Likewise, both the PTI and PML-N are doing their best to win maximum seats in the Punjab Assembly, where the PTI enjoys a small majority. A total of 11 seats of Punjab Assembly are up for grabs in the by-elections.
The PTI along with its ally, the PML-Q, enjoys the support of 186 lawmakers against the opposition’s 170 members, while two members are independent in the House.
Tahir Malik, an academic and political analyst, said that the ruling PTI would continue to have a majority in both the National and Punjab Assemblies along with its coalition partners irrespective of the by-polls’ results.
“The opposition parties can give a tough time to the PTI only in two cases — if all its coalition partners in the center and Punjab quit its support or a major dissident group emerges within it,” he told Arab News.
Malik said the PTI was expected to win a majority in the National Assembly and provincial assemblies’ seats in the by-polls as people generally tend to vote for the candidates of the ruling party.
“The PTI is currently in a strong position in the center, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces and faces no challenge,” he said. “It may face fissures within the party and lose public support after two to three years in the government.”
By-polls 2018: PTI, PML-N lock horns to bag maximum seats
By-polls 2018: PTI, PML-N lock horns to bag maximum seats
- Around 28,000 troops of army and Rangers will guard the polling stations as more than 9.2 million voters cast votes
- Political analysts say PTI enjoys an edge in current by-polls
PM Sharif says Saudi business delegation’s visit to benefit Pakistan’s economic future
- The prime minister says the Saudi minister leading the delegation described it as ‘a new era’ for Pakistan
- Pakistan is seeking foreign investment to navigate a path to economic recovery as it seeks another IMF bailout
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed confidence on Tuesday the Saudi business delegation’s visit to Pakistan would prove beneficial for his country while applauding his cabinet ministers for playing a constructive role in their dealings with the visiting investors.
The delegation, which comprised representatives of 30-35 Saudi companies, was led by the kingdom’s Saudi Assistant Minister of Investment Ibrahim Al-Mubarak and arrived in Pakistan on Sunday.
Its members held several business-to-business meetings to explore investment opportunities in various economic sectors of the country.
The prime minister said in the opening remarks of the cabinet meeting the delegation was satisfied with its engagements in Pakistan before returning to the kingdom. He particularly mentioned the head of the delegation, saying he praised the performance of Pakistani ministers.
“He said, ‘We are very satisfied and happily returning.’ And he said, ‘I will report that we have seen a new era in Pakistan.’ In this, the commerce minister has a very big role, as does the ministers of petroleum and finance,” the PM told the cabinet meeting.
“It augurs very well for our future,” he added.
The kingdom’s business delegation’s visit to Islamabad followed Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan’s visit to Islamabad last month, when he was briefed by the authorities on various avenues to invest in the country.
Pakistan is trying to navigate a path to economic recovery by securing an International Monetary Fund bailout.
It also needs foreign investment to help fight a chronic balance of payments crisis.
Pakistan expecting investment in port infrastructure by global shipping giant Maersk — minister
- AP Moller-Maersk has a market share of around 20 percent in Pakistan’s containerized import-export activities
- Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh says there is a lot of interest in Pakistan’s port as a global hub for transshipment
KARACHI: Pakistan is expecting investment from a Denmark-based global shipping giant, AP Moller–Maersk (Maersk), in its port terminal and infrastructure, the Pakistani maritime affairs minister said on Tuesday, amid growing global interest in Pakistani ports.
The statement comes more than a week after Maersk Chief Executive Officer Keith Svendsen’s visit to Pakistan, where he met top officials to explore opportunities in Pakistan’s maritime sector.
Maritime Affairs Minister Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh told Arab News the Danish shipping firm was interested in investing in a terminal and port as well as allied infrastructure, including connecting bridges.
“We had very good discussions with them and they had shown eagerness and told us that they will submit proposal in a few days,” he said. “They want to take a terminal. There is some area where there is depth in the sea, where big ships can be anchored.”
Maersk has grown into a leading provider of logistics and supply-chain services across Pakistan. It has around 20 percent market share in Pakistan’s containerized import-export activities, according to Pakistan’s information ministry.
In January, the Danish shipping firm announced new smart logistics and warehouse facilities in China, Norway and Pakistan.
“With a vast network of warehousing and depot facilities across the country, including our flagship logistics hub in Port Qasim, Karachi — a sprawling 27-acre complex encompassing over 650,000 square feet of warehouse space — we ensure unparalleled support to Pakistani exporters and importers,” the shipping company said in a written response to Arab News.
“In total, Maersk now operates over a 1.5 million square feet footprint across 7 cities in Pakistan.”
Sheikh said many companies were interested in investing in the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) despite a limited space available there.
“We have limited space available in KPT and many, including foreign, companies are taking interest in it, particularly in the deep-water areas where water depth is high and we have the location,” he said.
“The point is that there is a lot of interest in Pakistan’s port right now because they are seeing this as a global hub for transshipment and they will also run the feeder vessels in the Gulf from here.”
To a question about a visiting Saudi delegation, the maritime affairs minister said “there are many breakthroughs” during the visit. “They are looking for areas of mutual interest which both sides can benefit from,” he added.
The South Asian nation has already signed an agreement with Abu Dhabi (AD) Ports Group which is investing about $395 million for the development of a container and cargo terminal under a government-to-government (G2G) agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan.
FBI’s fallen Pakistani agent Kamran Faridi says returning to Pakistan will be ‘dangerous’
- Faridi was recently released from a Florida prison on the condition he would deport himself to Pakistan permanently
- Faridi ran off to Sweden and then to the US in the 1990s after falling out with the law over his links with criminal gangs
KARACHI: Kamran Faridi, a fallen undercover FBI agent from Karachi who was recently released from a Florida prison on the condition he would surrender his American nationality and deport himself to Pakistan permanently, said on Tuesday it would be “dangerous” for him to return to his home country from where he had escaped a life of crime nearly 30 years ago.
Faridi, 60, worked as an informant and agent for the FBI for nearly 15 years and was the architect of the plan to entrap Karachi businessman Jabir Motiwala, arrested by Scotland Yard in London in 2018 on the request of the United States. After years working for the FBI, he was sentenced to 84 months in jail on Dec. 9, 2022, after he refused to testify against Motiwala.
“It will compromise my well-being, it’s going to be difficult,” Faridi told Arab News in a phone interview from Florida, speaking about the prospect of returning to Karachi after nearly 30 years. “It’s going to be dangerous but what choices do I have?”
Faridi, who lives in the US with his American wife, said the judge had reduced one year from his prison sentence on account of a recent law where a first offender gets a two-point sentence reduction.
Good conduct in prison and a verbal agreement with American authorities that he would surrender his nationality and return to Pakistan before August this year further reduced his sentence, Faridi said. Another stipulation of the agreement was that he would not appeal the court’s decision.
VETERAN SPY
Faridi worked for the FBI from 1995 till 2020 and helped the American agency nab several targets associated with transnational terrorist organizations. However, a 25-year relationship with the American agency turned sour in 2020 after Faridi said he refused to testify against Motiwala, allegedly a high-ranking member of the Indian organized crime syndicate D-Company.
Motiwala was arrested in London in August 2018 for conspiring to launder money into the United States and using force to extort funds. Faridi, who played a pivotal role in his arrest, said he later refused to testify against Motiwala after he realized the businessperson had been framed on bogus charges.
Faridi said his FBI colleagues had informed him that FBI was involved in a joint operation with India’s spy agency the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) to establish a link between Motiwala, the D-Company and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) military spy agency.
Faridi was arrested in London in 2020 after FBI agents intercepted his conversations with Motiwala’s lawyers, revealing his intent to testify in Motiwala’s favor. He was apprehended at the London Heathrow Airport while attempting to enter the UK, intending to testify against the FBI’s actions regarding Motiwala.
Charged with being a threat to his former FBI colleagues, Faridi was swiftly extradited back to the US and jailed.
“It’s a very complex case, the FBI wants to punish me for not testifying against D-Company,” Faridi said.
FROM KARACHI TO ATLANTA
Faridi was a member of the Karachi-based Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) party and subsequently of its rival, the Peoples Student Federation (PSF), in the 1990s. Both groups were widely known to be involved in criminal activities like kidnappings and armed robberies, which Faridi also became linked to. He later went on the run and escaped to Sweden, where he sought asylum almost three decades ago. He was later arrested by authorities after getting into fights with local gangs there, but broke out of prison and managed to escape to the US, where he ran a gas station in Atlanta.
It was there that he came into contact with the Atlanta Police Department after he complained to them about “corrupt” police officers whom Farid said were harassing him. Thus began his work as an informant with Atlanta police, who later introduced him to the FBI. Impressed with his proficiency in the Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi, and Spanish languages, the FBI decided to recruit him as an informant and agent.
“So that’s how I got introduced to FBI and they introduced me to the Drug Enforcement Authority, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and after 9/11 the Central Intelligence Agency, MI6, French intelligence and many others,” Faridi said.
Faridi said he had paid a “hefty” price for refusing to testify against Motiwala but would now return to Karachi with his wife.
“I was a gangster but I am neither a criminal nor a gangster now,” he said. “I am returning to my city as a normal man.”
Pakistan army says March suicide bombing that killed five Chinese planned in Afghanistan
- Spokesperson says spike in militant attacks in recent months linked to groups operating from Afghanistan
- Taliban government in Kabul denies it allows anti-Pakistan militants to operate from sanctuaries in Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD: Director General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj-Gen Ahmed Sharif repeated Islamabad’s accusations that militants were launching attacks on Pakistan from Afghanistan and said a recent attack in which five Chinese nationals were killed was also planned in the neighboring country.
A suicide bomber rammed a vehicle into a convoy of Chinese engineers working on a hydropower project at Dasu in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killing five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver on Mar. 26.
The assault was the third major attack in little over a week on China’s interests in the South Asian nation, where Beijing has invested more than $65 billion in infrastructure projects as part of its wider Belt and Road initiative. It came amid a recent surge in militant violence in the country that the government — without providing evidence — has said mostly involved Afghans. The Taliban government in Kabul denies it allows anti-Pakistan militants to operate from its soil.
“The attack [against the Chinese engineers] was planned in Afghanistan,” the spokesperson of the Pakistan army said at a press conference.
“The explosives-laden vehicle used in the attack was also prepared in Afghanistan and sent to Pakistan. The attacker was also an Afghan national. When the network [that carried out the attack] was exposed, its central characters like Adil Shahbaz, Zahid Qureshi, Nazir Hussain and another one of their companions were arrested.”
However, the DG ISPR said the government was working to strengthen the security of Chinese workers and make it “fool-proof,” saying the attacks on Chinese workers were aimed at undermining Pakistan’s economic interests and its strategic relations with longtime ally Beijing.
Sharif said Pakistan had taken up the issue of militant violence with Afghan authorities, who were unhelpful.
“There is solid evidence of TTP terrorists using Afghan soil to launch attacks in Pakistan,” he added.
The Taliban say Pakistan’s security issues are an internal challenge.
The Mar. 26 bombing followed a Mar. 20 attack on a strategic port used by China in the southwestern province of Balochistan, where Beijing has poured billions of dollars into infrastructure projects, and a Mar. 25 assault on a naval air base, also in the southwest. Both attacks were claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the most prominent of several separatist groups in Balochistan.
Dasu, the site of a major dam, has been attacked in the past, with a bus blast in 2021 killing 13 people, nine Chinese among them, although no group claimed responsibility, like the Mar. 26 bombing.
Pakistan is home to twin insurgencies, one mounted by religiously-motivated militants like the TTP that Islamabad says operate from Afghanistan, and the other by ethnic separatists who seek secession, blaming the government’s inequitable division of natural resources in southwestern Balochistan province.
Pakistan mulls pension reforms as government moves to curtail expenditure ahead of IMF talks
- Muhammad Aurangzeb says IMF delegation to visit Pakistan this month to discuss size, duration of next loan program
- In March this year, media widely reported the finance ministry had shared a pension reform program with the IMF
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government said on Tuesday it was vital to reform the country’s pension system, including by raising the retirement age, to mitigate expenditure as Islamabad aims to save the system billions of dollars per year, with a committee formed to propose recommendations.
The belt tightening moves come as Islamabad — which is facing a balance of payment crisis — is in talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to secure a new long-term bailout deal. In the past, Pakistan has faced the challenges of revenue generation and government expenditure and struggled with high levels of debt, a large fiscal deficit and an ongoing need for structural reforms to improve its fiscal sustainability.
Under the last $3 billion bailout, Pakistan implemented several IMF-mandated reforms, such as budget adjustments, increasing interest rates, and higher energy prices. Among expected reforms under a new program are strengthening public finances through gradual fiscal consolidation, broadening the existing tax base and improving tax administration, and debt sustainability, all while protecting the vulnerable.
An IMF mission is expected in Pakistan in the next ten days to discuss a new loan program that the finance minister has said would be “larger and longer.”
“Age is just a number,” Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said at a press conference in Islamabad, calling for reforms in the pension system and saying pension payments were a “huge liability.”
“Sixty is the new 40. In the [private sector] institution I left before coming here [as finance minister], we raised the retirement age from 60 to 65. These are your most productive years when you have maximum experience.”
He recognized that changes to the service structure could not be carried out overnight but said Pakistan would need to move in this direction to control the pension costs.
Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar said pension reforms would be held across the board, for which legislation was required.
“A large chunk of yearly revenue is utilized on paying retirement benefits and pensions,” Tarar said at the press conference with Aurangzeb. “Legislation is required for this as civil servants, armed forces, judicial organs, and executive organs are included.”
The law minister said a committee had been formed under the chair of the finance minister to propose recommendations pertaining to pension reforms.
In March this year, Pakistan’s media widely reported that the finance ministry had shared a pension reform program with the IMF to contain growing pension liabilities, with the consolidated federal and provincial pension expenditure projected to increase by over 20 percent from Rs1.252 trillion last year to Rs1.513tn this year.
The reforms scheme shared with the lender reportedly seeks to cut the annual federal pension expense on existing employees by changing the formula for pension calculation, slashing the commutation rate, discouraging early retirement through the imposition of a penalty, restricting the list of beneficiaries of the deceased employees, and ending the current practice of multiple pensions.
In a 2021 report, the State Bank of Pakistan said the federal pension expenditure was increasingly becoming unsustainable:
“When we look at the federal pension bill, there has been a significant rise. Pension bill has increased at a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of almost 14pc during 2012-23.”
According to the bank, overall pension spending as a percentage of total budgeted expenditure for FY20 exceeded the federal and provincial health and education spending and was almost half the level of consolidated development expenditures.
The World Bank in 2020 warned that salary and pension costs in Pakistan would persistently grow and crowd out other public expenditures in the coming years.
