LAHORE: The Hindu community in Pakistan has decorated the main hall of the National Assembly with a forty feet high and sixty feet wide national flag on Tuesday — a day when the parliament held its joint session to discuss the situation in Kashmir.
The unique flag was presented by Pakistan Hindu council headed by Ramesh Kumar Wankwani who is also a member of the National Assembly.
“The flag has been gifted by Pakistan Hindu Council and has been made by using white and green balloons. As many as 60,000 deflated balloons have been used to develop the flag,” ministry of information and broadcast tweeted.
“It is the first time in the history of any country that such a huge flag has been prepared and displayed in any legislature. It is the biggest of its kind in the world and all set to register a record in the Guinness Book of World Records. The Guinness team will present certificate on Friday,” Wankwani told Arab News.
Asad Qaisar, speaker of the National Assembly, termed it a good sign of minority community’s love for the country.
Wankwani said that the Hindu community living in Pakistan assisted the founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and opted to live in this country. “Political figures like Jogarnath Mandal and SP Singh were companions of Jinnah in his struggle,” he said.
“This flag is a gift and a testimony of love of the Hindu community for Pakistan,” Wankwani said.
Pakistan Hindu council gifts world’s biggest flag to National Assembly, makes world record
Pakistan Hindu council gifts world’s biggest flag to National Assembly, makes world record
- The flag was displayed in the main hall during a joint session of the Parliament on Tuesday
- It is a gesture of Hindu community’s love for Pakistan, says Hindu lawmaker
Pakistan approves $713 million to ease power sector’s cash flow constraints
- Finance minister chairs Economic Coordination Committee meeting to approve grants, review economic situation
- Pakistan is grappling with a ballooning “circular debt,” or unpaid bills and subsidies, that has choked its power sector
KARACHI: Pakistan’s top economic body this week approved a grant of $713 million to ease the power sector’s cash flow constraints, the Finance Division said in a statement, as Islamabad looks to reform its priority sectors.
The development took place as Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb chaired a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) to approve grants for various projects and review the overall economic situation of the country.
“[ECC approved] another Technical Supplementary Grant amounting to Rs200 billion ($713 million) under the head of Government of Pakistan investment in DISCOs’ equity to address cash flow constraints in the power sector,” the Finance Division said on Thursday.
DISCOs, which handle billing, recoveries and grid maintenance, have long suffered from corruption and political interference.
Pakistan has attempted to privatize its loss-making state-owned enterprises to raise funds and reform them as envisaged under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program secured last year.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government plans to privatize three DISCOs, the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO), Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO) and Gujranwala Electric Power Company (GEPCO) in the months ahead.
The Pakistani government, which owns or controls much of the power infrastructure, is grappling with a ballooning “circular debt,” or unpaid bills and subsidies, that has choked the power sector and weighed on the economy.
The liquidity crunch has disrupted supply, discouraged investment and added to fiscal pressure, making it a key focus under Pakistan’s IMF program.
The ECC also approved, on the interior ministry’s proposal, a provision of Rs 4.775 billion [$17.19 million] as payment to 945 families of “missing persons” as identified by the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances.
“The disbursement will be made under the supervision of the Commission in accordance with approved procedures,” it added.
Taking stock of the economic situation, the ECC noted that cumulative inflation for the period July–November averaged 5 percent, which it said was “significantly lower” than the 7.9 percent figure recorded during the corresponding period of the previous year.
It attributed this improvement to prudent fiscal management, effective price stabilization measures and close market monitoring by the government.
