ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said on Sunday it was “fully functional” as a section of local media reported about the resignation of its secretary, Omar Hamid Khan, on medical grounds.
The reports about Khan’s resignation raised concerns about the conduct of general elections, scheduled to be held on February 8, in the South Asian country.
The elections were originally due to be held in November, but they were delayed to February due to fresh demarcation of constituencies under a new census.
“The Election Commission of Pakistan secretary is an intelligent and hardworking officer and he is doing the commission’s work really well,” the ECP said, adding Khan had been on “medical rest” before as well and he would discharge his duties soon if his health allowed.
“The election commission is fully functional and there is no hindrance in way of its duty.”
The ECP said its offices were working even on holidays and in the absence of Khan, both special secretaries of the commission were running the affairs in an efficient manner.
The development comes days after Pakistan’s Senate approved a resolution to further delay the elections. However, a lawmaker belonging to Pakistan’s rightwing Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) party on Saturday submitted another resolution seeking the upcoming general elections to be held as per the schedule on Feb. 8.
Pakistan is currently being run by a caretaker government under interim Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar that is meant to oversee a general election.
Caretakers are usually limited to overseeing elections, but Kakar’s set-up is the most empowered in Pakistan’s history thanks to a recent legislation that allows it to make policy decisions on economic matters.
The legislation was aimed at keeping on track the conditions for a $3 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout secured in June.
Political analysts fear that a prolonged period without an elected government would allow the military, which has ruled Pakistan for over three decades since independence in 1947, to consolidate its control.
Pakistan election body says it is ‘fully functional’ amid reports of secretary’s resignation
https://arab.news/r9j28
Pakistan election body says it is ‘fully functional’ amid reports of secretary’s resignation
- The reports about Omar Hamid Khan’s resignation raised concerns about the conduct of general election, scheduled for Feb. 8
- The Election Commission of Pakistan says ‘there is no hindrance in way of its duty’ and its offices are working even on holidays
Pakistan’s transportation strike could cause economic losses of $1 billion, warn analysts
- Traders, textile mill owners say strike has cost $60 million per day in exports, port demurrages, detention charges
- Analysts warn 10-day strike could threaten economic stability by deepening inflation, widening current account deficit
KARACHI: Pakistan’s ongoing transportation strike has the potential to cause economic losses of up to $1 billion and threaten macroeconomic stability in the country, a leading economist warned this week.
Transport unions have been protesting against stricter enforcement of axle-load limits — legal caps on how much weight trucks can carry — as well as increases in toll taxes and what they describe as heavy-handed policing on highways and motorways.
The strike, which began on Dec. 8, is now in its tenth day. It has slowed the flow of goods between ports, industrial centers and markets, raising concerns over supply chains in an economy heavily reliant on road transport for domestic trade and exports. Trucking is the backbone of Pakistan’s logistics system, moving food, fuel, raw materials and manufactured goods.
“We are expecting a tremendous impact of the ongoing transportation strike,” Ahsan Mehanti, CEO of Arif Habib Commodities, told Arab News on Tuesday.
“I believe that the major impact could be to the tune of $1 billion. And the reason behind that is primarily Karachi being a business hub will be most impacted with the ongoing strike.”
While a section of the transporters, the All Pakistan Goods Transport Association (APGTA) called off the strike after successful talks with the Punjab government on Friday, the rest of the transporters have vowed to continue the disruption.
Manufacturers and exporters from the textile industry, which earns Pakistan the highest amount in exports, have estimated their daily losses at more than $60 million.
Kamran Arshad, chairman of the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA), said these losses were on account of disruption to exports as well as demurrage and detention charges that affected traders are bound to pay at local ports.
“I have estimated disruption to as much as $60 million ($540 million for nine-day losses) worth of exports and demurrage and detention charges of up to $300 per container per day stuck at ports,” Arshad said.
Arshad lamented that the textile industry was facing a critical situation as raw materials and essential inputs were stuck at ports and not reaching factories. On the other hand, finished export consignments were also unable to reach ports, he said.
“Containers are stuck at mills, ports and depots and inventories are building up,” the APTMA chief said. “And backlogs are growing by the day.”
Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) Patron-in-Chief Khurram Mukhtar calculated Pakistan’s monthly average textile exports at $1.5 billion.
“An eight-day transport shutdown alone has already caused approximately $400 million in export losses, with severe supply chain disruptions on top,” Mukhtar said.
’BIG HIT’ TO EXPORTS
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has tasked his government to ensure sustained economic growth through an export-driven economy. However, Pakistan’s exports have shown far from promising results, falling by 15 percent to $2.4 billion in November, according to data by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
From the July-November period of this fiscal year, the country’s exports declined by six percent to $12.8 billion, while imports surged by 13 percent to $28.3 billion. This widened the trade deficit by 37 percent to $15.5 billion.
Arshad said other than financial losses, the trade industry was suffering from “serious reputational damage” when it came to international buyers due to the strike’s disruptions.
“Missed delivery schedules result in cancelations and loss of future orders,” he told Arab News. “And once a buyer is lost, it is extremely difficult to regain their confidence.”
Rehan Hanif, president of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), agreed.
“Our exports are already in trouble forcing us to run after dollars, so the exports are going to take a big hit,” Hanif explained.
He urged the government to engage transporters and address their “genuine” demands immediately.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Finance Adviser Khurram Schehzad did not respond to queries sent by Arab News till the filing of this report.
Hanif said the prolonged strike had created a huge backlog of cargos at local ports.
“They would have no space for more containers if this strike persisted for a couple of more days,” he said. “Pakistan’s daily losses from the strike are running in billions of rupees.”
POSSIBLE INFLATION SPIKE
However, Karachi Port Trust spokesperson Shariq Amin Farooqui rejected Hanif’s claims, saying that cargo “is coming and leaving” the country’s largest port smoothly.
Pakistan’s inflation rose by 6.1 percent in November and is expected to fall in the SBP’s target range of 5 to 7 percent this financial year, which is ending in June.
Pakistan’s current account balance reported a $112 million deficit in October from an $83 million surplus in September, according to the central bank.
Mehanti warned the strike could pose dangers to Pakistan’s hard-earned macroeconomic stability.
“Inflation will be higher, and the current account deficit will be higher due to challenging economic situation,” he said.
