Tue, 21-Oct-2025

Watch Live

logo-black

Download App

اردو

federal cabinet

Govt forms inter-ministerial committee for reform in FBR

by
FBR

ISLAMABAD: The caretaker federal cabinet has constituted an inter-ministerial committee for reforms in the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

The inter-ministerial committee formed for reforms in FBR will be chaired by the caretaker finance minister.

Ministers of Privatization, Foreign Affairs, Commerce, Energy, Law and Justice and IT will also join the committee while the committee will submit its recommendations on the proposals in the next meeting of the federal cabinet.

The caretaker prime minister Anwar ul Haq Kakar and all cabinet members have endorsed the FBR reform proposals.

The caretaker prime minister said that the caretaker government will complete the reform agenda in FBR.

It should be noted that there is strong resistance to FBR reforms and its digitization process from the top leadership of FBR.

A group of officers belonging to FBR’s Inland Revenue Services and Customs Group appeared before the Election Commission of Pakistan before the Cabinet meeting to strongly oppose the interim government’s approval of the summary on the matter.

Officers opposing the FBR reforms said that they believe the caretaker government does not have the power to make major changes in the FBR.

[embedpost slug=”federal-cabinet-rejects-plan-to-collect-rs-600b-from-power-division”]

Read more

Federal cabinet rejects plan to collect Rs 600b from power division

by
Federal cabinet

ISLAMABAD:  The federal cabinet has rejected the plan to collect Rs 600 billion per year from Power Division.

A meeting of the Federal Cabinet was held under the chairmanship of the Caretaker Prime Minister Anwar ul Haq in which the recommendation not to issue and renew identity cards and passports of electricity defaulters was rejected.

Apart from this, the recommendation to prevent defaulters from going abroad and not opening bank accounts has also been rejected.

In the meeting, the federal cabinet rejected the plan of power division to collect Rs 600 billion annually and said that the plan of power division is like throwing dust in the eyes.

According to the sources, the caretaker prime minister expressed concern over the plan and directed the Power Division to present a comprehensive plan with clear targets.

Cabinet members said that the armed forces and bureaucrats have more important work to do than the power sector, setting up a performance management unit would lead to legal and political difficulties.

[embedpost slug=”pm-reaffirms-unwavering-commitment-to-cpec-success”]

Read more

Govt constitutes five-member cabinet committee to probe May 09 incidents  

by
cabinet committee

ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet has constituted a five-member Cabinet Committee to examine the events leading up to the May 09, 2023 incidents, analyze causes and determine responsibility for these incidents.

According to notification issued by the Cabinet Secretariat, the Minister for Law and Justice will be Convener of the Committee while the members include Minister for Interior, Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Minister for Human Rights and any co-opted member to address any issue emanating during the proceedings of the Committee.

The Terms of Reference (ToRs) of the Committee are to examine the events leading up to the incidents of May 09, 2023, with a view to ascertain the identity and role of mastermind, planners, facilitators and executors and to analyze the causes and determine the responsibility for these events.

The other ToRs include evaluating their immediate and long-term implications; suggesting preventive measures to ensure that such a breach of national security is not repeated and recommend measures to strengthen the existing legal regime to deter such recurrences.

[embedpost slug=”atc-issues-bailable-arrest-warrant-of-abid-sher-ali”]

Read more

Interim setup removes high courts from privatization decisions

by
Interim setup removes high courts

Islamabad: The caretaker government has implemented the decision to end the role of high courts in privatization matters. The supervisory federal cabinet has approved the establishment of the Privatization Appellate Tribunal, and the notification for the establishment of the Privatization Appellate Tribunal has also been approved. The news sources said that the Federal Cabinet has … Read more

Lt Gen Munir Afsar appointed as new Chairman of NADRA

by
NADRA
  • Federal cabinet approved 3 names for chairman of NADRA.
  • Selection committee shortlisted names of best candidate for chairman.
  • Federal Cabinet approved appointment of Lt Gen Munir Afsar.

ISLAMABAD: Lieutenant General Munir Afsar has been appointed as the Chairman National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA).

The Federal Cabinet has approved the appointment of Lieutenant General Muhammad Munir Afsar as Chairman of NADRA.

According to the statement, the federal cabinet approved three names for the chairman of NADRA on the summary of the Ministry of Interior. The selection committee shortlisted the names of three best candidates for the chairman of NADRA.

It has been said in the statement that the cabinet after detailed consideration approved Lt. Gen Munir Afsar as the new chairman of NADRA.

After the approval of the Federal Cabinet, a notification was issued for the appointment of Lieutenant General Muhammad Munir Afsar as Chairman of NADRA.

The Federal Ministry of Interior has issued a notification for the appointment of the new Chairman of NADRA.

According to the notification, the appointment of Lieutenant General Muhammad Munir Afsar as Chairman of NADRA will take place immediately.

Lt Gen Munir Afsar, MS in Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing, was awarded the President’s Award for his thesis on rapid geospatial data generation.

Lt Gen Munir Afsar did his MS in National Resource Strategy from NDU Washington and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Remote Sensing at NUST Islamabad.

Lt Gen Munir Afsar has done several research publications to his credit related to various aspects of IT and GIS, he was DG Command, Control, and Communication as Major General.

[embedpost slug=”saudi-sme-authority-to-help-pakistani-it-companies-to-scale-businesses-in-kingdom”]

Read more

Federal cabinet approves inclusion of names of 17 people in ECL

by
ECL
  • Caretaker Interior Minister chaired sub committee meeting.
  • Different types of cases related to ECL were reviewed in meeting.
  • The recommendations of  sub-committee will be sent to cabinet.

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Cabinet Sub-Committee on Exit Control List (ECL) has approved the inclusion of the names of 17 people in ECL.

A meeting of the Sub-Committee on Exit Control List of the Federal Cabinet was held in which the caretaker Interior Minister Sarfaraz Bugti, Minister of Communications and Railways Shahid Ashraf Tarar, and other officials of the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Law and other institutions participated in the meeting. During a meeting, different types of cases related to ECL were reviewed.

The committee approved the inclusion of 17 names in the ECL, which were sent by various departments and agencies.

According to the sources, approval was given to put the names of Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan’s wife friend Farhat Shahzai (Farah Gogi), and her husband Ahsan Jameel Gujjar in the ECL.

In the meeting, it was also recommended to remove seven different types of cases from ECL, out of the appeals presented for revision, it was recommended to remove the names of five people from ECL.

[embedpost slug=”railway-police-arrest-robber-in-lahore”]

Read more

Caretaker Govt decides to handover DISCOs to provinces

by
DISCOs
  • Centre decided to end uniform tariff of electricity in country.
  • HESCO and SEPCO companies under ownership of Sindh.
  • Quetta Electric Company will be given to Balochistan.

ISLAMABAD: The caretaker federal government has decided to abolish the current system of sale, distribution, and tariff of electricity.

It has been approved to send the summary of ownership of power distribution companies(DISCOs) to the provinces to the federal cabinet.

According to the document, the federal government has decided to end the uniform tariff of electricity across the country, and transfer the responsibility of electricity rates and subsidies to the provinces.

The document states that it was decided to give Hyderabad and Sukkur Electric Supply Company under the ownership of Sindh while Quetta Electric Company will be given under the ownership of Balochistan.

It is stated in the document that the ownership of Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, and Multan Electric Supply has been decided to be given to Punjab, while the ownership of Islamabad Electric Supply Company will be jointly owned by Punjab and the Federation.

According to the document, it was decided to give Peshawar and Tribal Area Electric Supply Company the ownership of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

[embedpost slug=”fbr-condemned-for-slapping-tax-on-immovable-property”]

Read more

PM sets up relief fund for quake-hit Turkiye, appeals Pakistanis to donate generously

by
Shehbaz relief fund for quake-hit Turkiye

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday established a relief fund to help earthquake-hit people of Turkiye, appealing to people of Pakistan particularly the businessmen and philanthropists to donate to the fund generously. The decision was taken in the meeting of the federal cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif which expressed condolence over the … Read more

LHC issues written decision of Toshakhana case

by
LHC issues
  • Justice Asim Hafeez issued the written decision of last hearing.
  • Court ordered the head of the Toshakhana to submit an affidavit.
  • Lahore High Court adjourned further hearing of the case till Feb 7.

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court(LHC) on Tuesday issued the written decision of the last hearing of the Toshakhana case.

Justice Asim Hafeez issued the written decision of the previous hearing of the Toshakhana case and ordered the head of the Toshakhana to submit an affidavit.

Justice Asim Hafeez said in a written decision that the head of Toshakhana should submit an affidavit stating why it is necessary to keep the details of the cases secret.

The court gave a written ruling that the court will decide in chambers whether the claim is in accordance with the law or not. After looking at the record, the court will decide whether it can be kept confidential or not.

The Lahore High Court adjourned further hearing of the case till February 7.

On the other hand, the federal government has decided to make all the records of Toshakhana public. A federal cabinet meeting was held today under the supervision of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in which the 4-point agenda was considered.

[embedpost slug=”toshakhana-case-imran-challenges-ecps-proceedings-in-lhc”]

Read more

Energy conservation plan: Markets to close by 8:30pm, halls by 10pm

by

The Federal Cabinet approved the energy conservation plan Markets and halls to close by 8:30 pm and 10 pm Energy-saving plan will be implemented across country ISLAMABAD: The Federal Cabinet approved the energy conservation plan and has decided to close the markets and marriage halls at 8:30 pm and 10 pm respectively. According to the … Read more

Federal cabinet reduces prices of medicines

by
Federal cabinet
  • Federal cabinet has approved fixing the prices of 54 new medicines.
  • Abdul Qadir Patel gave a briefing on the prices of medicines to PM.
  • Prices of drugs used in blood pressure, eye and cancer will be reduced.

ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet has approved fixing the prices of 54 new medicines, including reducing the prices of 20 medicines.

The federal cabinet meeting was held on Tuesday under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, during which Federal Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel gave a briefing on the prices of medicines.

During the meeting, the Ministry of Health recommended a reduction in the prices of 20 medicines in the cabinet, in the summary of which a 30 percent reduction in the prices of most medicines was recommended.

On this occasion, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that for the welfare of the people, an uninterrupted supply of quality medicines should be ensured and the prices of essential medicines should be further reduced and measures should be taken for public relief.

Later, the federal cabinet approved the reduction in the prices of 20 medicines under which the prices of medicines used in blood pressure, cancer, and eye diseases will be decreased.

Apart from this, it has also been approved to fix the prices of 54 new medicines and these new medicines will be used in cancer and various diseases.

[embedpost slug=”12-fresh-covid-19-cases-reported-in-24-hours-across-pakistan-nih”]

Read more

Committee formed to reduce electricity consumption in govt offices

by

PM orders to form committee to reduce electricity use in govt offices Federal cabinet discussed the Energy Saving Plan PM said the nation needs to adopt energy austerity measures ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed to set up a committee to work on reducing electricity consumption in government offices by 30 percent. The committee will … Read more

Cabinet’s energy conservation to provide relief to common man: PM

by
Cabinet’s energy
  • He said energy conservation plan will provide relief to the common man.
  • PM in a tweet said the coalition government was diversifying the energy mix.
  • Shehbaz Sharif said energy plan will be approved after taking provinces on board.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the energy conservation plan of the federal cabinet would provide relief to the common man and save precious foreign exchange.

The prime minister in a tweet said the coalition government was diversifying the energy mix by pivoting to renewables, which he termed as key to energy security.

“The idea is to gradually but surely increase our dependence on indigenous resources,” he said.

He mentioned that the federal cabinet had given serious consideration to an energy conservation plan. The plan will be approved after taking provinces on board, he added.

“Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures,” he said. “Its effective implementation will save precious resources and help address energy crisis”.

On other hand, PM Shehbaz Sharif launched a plan of action named ‘Resilient, Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Framework’ (4RF), which will be carried out in the flood-affected areas of the country.

The copy of the 4RF report was presented to the prime minister by Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives (MoPD&SI) here in a meeting.

Ahsan Iqbal apprised the prime minister that the document was based on the loss and damage estimated in the Post Disaster Needs Assessment report, which was launched in late October this year.

The 4RF document contained short- medium- and long-term climate resilient strategy.The prime minister appreciated the efforts of the Ministry of Planning Development & Special Initiatives, Development Partners, line ministries, National Disaster Management Authority, and the provincial governments for adopting a whole of Pakistan and inclusive approach in bringing out this important framework.

He congratulated the Minister and his team for their hard work.

 

[embedpost slug=”pm-condemns-bannu-attack-vows-to-crush-terrorism”]

Read more

Cabinet agrees to provide wheat seeds to flood-hit farmers

by

Cabinet decided to ensure provision of seeds to farmers for next wheat crop Cabinet agreed to install advance meters on power transformers to reduce losses A committee was formed for recommendations on reducing line losses ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday decided to ensure the provision of seeds to … Read more

PM appoints eight more special assistants to federal cabinet

by
special assistants

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has appointed eight more special assistants to the federal cabinet. The prime minister has appointed PPP leaders Raza Rabbani, Irshad Ahmed Khan and Faisal Karim Kundi to the federal cabinet. Iftikhar Ahmed Khan, Mahesh Kumar Malani, Sardar Salim Haider, Tasneem Ahmed Qureshi, and Muhammad Ali Shah Bacha have been appointed to … Read more

Government accepts higher dealer margin on MS, HSD

by
Government accepts higher dealer margin
  • The government has approved raising the dealers’ margin on motor spirit and high-speed diesel.
  • The current margins were set in place in December 2021.
  • Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) requested an immediate modification.

The federal cabinet on Saturday approved raising the dealers’ margin on the motor spirit (MS) and high-speed diesel (HSD) to Rs. 7 per litre.

According to sources, the Ministry of Petroleum approved the rise in dealers’ commissions on the sale of petroleum products by disseminating a summary.

On Thursday, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) set the dealers’ profit margin for MS and HSD at Rs. 7.00 per litre.

The Petroleum Division provided a summary of the changes made to dealers’ and OMCs’ margins for petroleum products.

According to the information provided, the current margins were set in place in December 2021, and the Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association has requested an immediate modification of those margins in light of inflation, wage increases for tariff employees, and increases in energy costs.

The suggestion to set the dealer margin at Rs. 7 per litre was adopted by the committee following the debate.

According to the Petroleum Division’s suggestion, and in accordance with the agreement with the dealers, the rise in the projected dealer margins might be taken into account in the next selling price as of August 1, 2022.

PPDA eventually agreed to margins of Rs. 7 per litre for both MS and HSD, though only after protracted talks, and only on the condition that the revised margins would take effect in August 2022.

 

 

[embedpost slug=”ecc-approves-withdrawal-of-sales-tax-on-subsidy-granted-to-distribution-companies/”]

Read more

Government to sell UAE $2 billion stake in 5 energy companies

by
Government to sell energy stakes
  • The Federal Cabinet has approved the sale of shares in OGDCL and two other oil and gas businesses to close a funding gap.
  • The government also intends to sell the Balloki Power Plant and Haveli Bahadur Shah Power Plant to the UAE on a G2G basis.
  • National Assembly (NA) session is now underway and an ordinance cannot be issued during that time.

According to sources, the Federal Cabinet has given the go-ahead to sell its holdings in five energy companies to the UAE for $2 billion on a government-to-government (G2G) basis.

Oil & Gas Development Company (OGDCL), Balloki Power Plant, Haveli Bahadur Shah Power Plant, and two further oil and gas enterprises are among these businesses.

According to sources, the Federal Cabinet approved the sale of shares in OGDCL and two other oil and gas businesses today in order to close a funding gap.

There was some debate over whether the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had requested that the nation fill the deficit; however, Miftah Ismail has stated that the IMF never made such a request.

The funds were only being set up by the government to cover its external financing need.

According to sources, the government also intends to sell the Balloki Power Plant and the Haveli Bahadur Shah Power Plant to the UAE on a G2G basis in addition to the shares.

At a news briefing in Islamabad, Miftah Ismail had already disclosed the sale of both plants, but he had kept the identity of the buyer a secret. Similar to yesterday, Miftah mentioned the government’s plans to sell both plants during a lecture today without disclosing the plants’ worth or the nation’s name.

According to sources, the total capital required to build both plants would be $2 billion when business shares are sold.

It should be emphasized that the government has not yet released an ordinance in this matter because the National Assembly (NA) session is now underway and an ordinance cannot be issued during that time.

However, according to insiders, the ordinance won’t likely be passed until after the NA session is over.

It is anticipated that the G2G ordinance may be exempt from five separate regulations. This comprises the laws governing the stock market, privatization, the Companies Act, the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA), and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP).

 

[embedpost slug=”dutch-companies-keen-to-invest-in-solid-waste-energy-in-pakistan/”]

Read more

Setback for PTI as MQM-P quits federal cabinet

by
Setback for PTI as MQM-P quits federal cabinet

ISLAMABAD: In a major development, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), a key ally of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the Centre, resigned from Prime Minister Imran Khan’s federal cabinet on Wednesday after reaching an agreement with the joint opposition on the no-confidence motion. Syed Aminul Haque, the federal cabinet’s minister of information and telecommunications, confirmed … Read more

KSE-100 opens bullish today

by
KSE-100

KARACHI: The Pakistan bourse opened on a bullish note as the KSE-100 index witnessed an increase of 290.00 points, or 0.66 per cent, in the first hour of trading on Thursday. The local equity market started the day on a dull note on Wednesday, as the Federal Cabinet again delayed the approval of the refinery … Read more

Unisame facilitates govt on SME Policy 2021

by
Unisame

KARACHI: The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (Unisame) has facilitated Prime Minister Imran Khan and the Federal Cabinet on the announcement of the SME Policy 2021, a statement said. Unisame president Zulfikar Thaver thanked the prime minister and the Federal Minister for Industries and Production, Khusro Bakhtiar especially, on the announcement of the SME … Read more

Pakistan warns India to refrain from sabotaging regional peace

by

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday has warned India to refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of Afghanistan to sabotage regional peace. Briefing the media about the decisions taken by the Federal Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, Information Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said that the cabinet also urged the international community to take notice … Read more

PM Imran Khan to discuss 17-point agenda in federal cabinet meeting

by
Imran Khan

Prime Minister Imran Khan has called for the federal cabinet meeting on Tuesday to discuss a 17-point agenda. The federal cabinet meeting will be held at PM House at 12:00 to review the country’s political and economic situation. In the meeting, it will be discussed to the federal cabinet regarding the Afghanistan situation besides explaining … Read more

Cabinet approves Rs800/maund raise in cotton support price

by
Imran Khan on cotton

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Cabinet on Tuesday approved an increase of Rs800/maund in the cotton support price, besides giving a go-ahead to the Kamyab Jawan Program (KJP) through which loans will be extended to over four million households to start their own businesses. During a media briefing after the meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, … Read more

Murabaha: UAE banks raise $350 million for Pakistan

by
Pakistan UAE

DUBAI: The Ajman Bank and the Commercial Bank of Dubai have raised $350 million (Dh1.28 billion) in Murabaha syndicated financing for the government of Pakistan, Khaleej Times reported on Wednesday. The two UAE banks acted as mandated lead arrangers and book-runners for the facility on behalf of Pakistan’s Ministry of Finance. The Shariah-compliant Ajman Bank also acted … Read more

Federal cabinet grants three-day holiday on Eid-ul-Adha

by
eid ul adha

The federal cabinet on Tuesday has approved three days of holidays on account of Eid-ul-Adha, starting from Tuesday, July 20 and ending on Thursday, July 22. The statement was made after the conference of the federal cabinet where several important verdicts were given. Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry informed the media about the coronavirus … Read more

LHC Orders Strict Action Against Those Responsible For Fuel Crisis

by
LHC Orders Strict Action Against Those Responsible For Fuel Crisis

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday ordered strict actions against those responsible for the fuel crisis back in June 2020. Chief Justice Lahore High Court (LHC) Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan announced the decision on Azhar Siddique’s petition. “Government should take stern action against those who have been found guilty for fuel crisis last year.” … Read more

Federal cabinet to fix retail price of coronavirus vaccines

by
Federal Cabinet

Prime Minister Imran Khan will chair the meeting of the Federal Cabinet today in Islamabad in order to discuss 12-point agenda that also includes the prices of COVID-19 vaccines. According to the details, the meeting will approve the implementation of Mandatory Service Act for the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) employees. The cabinet will also be … Read more

Petrol Crisis 2020: Govt Approves Criminal Proceedings Against Those Responsible

by
Petrol Crisis 2020: Govt Approves Criminal Proceedings Against Those Responsible

The government has approved criminal proceedings against the Petroleum Division, OGRA officials, board officers and oil marketing companies. According to sources, the federal government has taken a major decision on the petrol crisis report of the cabinet committee and approved criminal proceedings against the Petroleum Division, OGRA officials, board officers and oil marketing companies have … Read more

Menu

Latest

Entertainment

Lifestyle