Says ministers to visit Gwadar to sort out fishermen\u2019s issue | cabinet directs for finalising air travel agreements with Central Asian countries
\n ISLAMABAD
\nInformation Minister Fawad Chaudhry has warned of a looming gas crisis in the country, saying the resources have been depleting by 9 percent every year for the last two years and \u201cPakistan will have no gas in years to come.\u201d
\nThe minister was briefing the media about the decisions taken during the meeting of the federal cabinet, which met with Prime Minister Imran Khan in the chair on Tuesday.
\nHe said that gas is available to only 22 percent of people living in cities while the burden is being borne by 78 percent of people in other parts of the country who use LPG, coal and other means. \u201cPeople getting gas at cheaper rates in big cities should change their habits\u2026 this trend will not continue for long,\u201d he maintained.
\nDespite the gas shortage, he claimed, the issue of fertilizer was resolved in the best possible way and history\u2019s biggest production of urea \u2013 33 million metric tonnes \u2013 is a record in the PTI\u2019s tenure. He added that the urea prices have fallen by 10 percent, insisting that there is no shortage of urea in the country at present.
\nHe said the cabinet decided that to ensure supply of urea fertilizer for Rabi crop in the country, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited will supply gas to urea plants by January 2022; gas supply to Pak Arab and Fatima Fertilizer Plants will be ensured; and the process of importing additional 50,000 tonnes of urea should be completed expeditiously.
\nThe cabinet was also informed that the price of urea per sack in Pakistan is about Rs1,864 while in other countries it was being sold at Rs10,000 per sack.<\/p>\n
He said that Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar and Minister for Defence Production Zubaida Jalal will visit Gwadar to sort out the issue of fishermen protesting there. He said the prime minister has already taken notice of the matter and directed for stern action in this regard. He said that a Rs700 billion development package has been announced by the federal government for southern Balochistan. <\/p>\n
About electronic voting machines (EVMs), Fawad said the Ministry of Science and Technology is ready to provide EVMs to the Election Commission of Pakistan. He said all political parties should play their positive role on the issue of electronic voting machines. He said the Election Commission of Pakistan should now issue tenders for EVMs.<\/p>\n
He said the cabinet was given a detailed briefing on the schedule regarding delivery and use of EVMs at all polling stations in the country and training of staff. The cabinet expressed its firm resolve to hold the next elections through EVMs after the implementation of laws regarding electronic voting machines and voting rights to overseas Pakistanis.<\/p>\n
The information minister said that on the basis of humanitarian grounds, the cabinet decided that the process of obtaining Pakistani visas for Afghans has been further eased and after this decision, the security clearance required for obtaining a visa has been reduced from 30 days to 15 days.<\/p>\n
The meeting also decided to further facilitate the registration process of international NGOs working for the welfare and assistance of the Afghan people. Facility for Afghans immigrating to other countries through Pakistan has been extended for another 60 days. Fawad said, adding the facility includes travel by land and air routes.<\/p>\n
He said that Finance Adviser Shaukat Tarin presented a comparative review of the prices of essential commodities to the cabinet, saying the weekly inflation rate has come down by 0.07%. The cabinet approved an amendment to the bilateral air route between Pakistan and Tajikistan, saying the decision will reduce both air distance and travel costs. The cabinet also allowed Kazakh Air Company (SCAT) to operate in Pakistan to start air travel between Pakistan and Kazakhstan, noting that decision will enable direct air travel between the two countries and help boost bilateral trade.<\/p>\n
To promote trade between Pakistan and Central Asian countries, the cabinet directed the Aviation Division to start work on finalising air travel agreements with all Central Asian countries. It also approved an amendment to the air travel agreement between Pakistan and Iraq. The decision will increase the number of commercial flights between Pakistan and Iraq.<\/p>\n
He said the cabinet approved extension of period for exchange of old Pakistani 10, 50, 100 and 1,000 currency notes till December 31, 2022. He said the OGRA\u2019s annual report for the year 2019-20 was presented to the cabinet. The report carries recommendations regarding the performance of Pakistan\u2019s petroleum industry, production, supply and demand and improvement of the petroleum industry.<\/p>\n
The cabinet was informed that at present there is a 27-days stock of petrol and diesel; 75 exploration licenses generated revenue of Rs29 billion; safety standards for LPG cylinders are being improved and a public awareness campaign is underway.<\/p>\n
The information minister said that Special Assistant on Health Dr Faisal Sultan gave a briefing on preventive measures regarding the new coronavirus variant, Omicron. The cabinet emphasised the need to increase vaccinations, maintaining social distance and wearing masks. The cabinet was informed that, at present, twenty million people in Pakistan have not been vaccinated with a second dose of vaccine.<\/p>\n
Fawad said that the cabinet mulled over the Sugar Sector Reforms Committee\u2019s report and decided that a \u201cpublic debate\u201d would be held for three weeks for taking input from different stakeholders on sugar sector reforms, including the proposal that the sector should be deregulated and the government should only keep an eye on the crushing season. TLTP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Says ministers to visit Gwadar to sort out fishermen\u2019s issue | cabinet directs for finalising air travel agreements with Central Asian countries ISLAMABAD Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has warned of a looming gas crisis in the country, saying the resources have been depleting by 9 percent every year for the last two years and \u201cPakistan […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":230227,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[261,213,20],"class_list":{"0":"post-232853","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news","8":"tag-fawad-chaudhry","9":"tag-gas","10":"tag-pakistan"},"yoast_head":"\n