Reversal of all controversial moves, reduced loadshedding in Punjab demanded

*APCNGA announces hunger strike against anti-CNG policies*

*Govt punishing 180 ml masses to promote petrol, liquid gases*

*Officials harassing CNG operators, fake cases being registered*

*Reversal of all controversial moves, reduced loadshedding in Punjab

demanded*

*Dated March 06*

The All Pakistan CNG Association (APCNGA) on Wednesday flayed anti-CNG policies of the government and announced to opt for hunger strike in protest from March 12.

We will protest anti-CNG policies of the government, unjust gas distribution, 5-day gas loadshedding for CNG sector in Punjab and continuous discrimination by authorities, said Ghiyas Abdullah Paracha, Chairman Supreme Council APCNGA.

Speaking to a press conference here, he said that all the concerned departments have been harassing CNG operators while false cases are being registered against CNG owners to discourage APCNGA.

Ghiyas Abdullah Paracha said that all the concerned authorities have been directed to continue annoy CNG operators continuously after March 16 when assembles will be dissolved.

He informed that concerned top officials have been warned of dire consequences if they showed any reluctance in penalising CNG sector which is total disregarded of the law and very unfortunate.

Five-day gas loadshedding in Punjab is unacceptable as it amounts to punishing 80 million masses living in that province, Paracha added.

The leaders of the CNG sector said that some top government functionaries, hand in glove with petrol and liquid gas mafia, have laid siege to the CNG sector aiming its annihilation which cannot be allowed under any

circumstances.

Government has been using energy crisis to reap dividends by promoting influential energy mafia which is worst kind of exploitation masses have ever suffered in history of Pakistan, he added.

Paracha said that never in the history of this country such hardship was created for the public to ensure personal prosperity.

Similarly, he added, never before such pervasive corruption has been recorded in the petroleum ministry which has shaken the foundations of the country leaving it to the mercy of plotters and international lenders.

Ghiyas Paracha demanded reversal of all the anti-CNG moves, abandoning projects which are to benefit few and reduce gas loadshedding duration in Punjab.

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Int'l Conference on Promoting Safety of Journalists

*MEDIA INVITATION*

An international conference is planned in Islamabad, Pakistan on March 6-7, 2013 to highlight and raise awareness about a new UN Action Plan Against Impunity in five pilot countries, including Pakistan, with the objectives of building the country’s capacity to deal with safety of journalists and impunity issues.

The UN Plan of Action is expected to be rolled out in the coming weeks, as elsewhere, in Pakistan, and is aimed at lending international support for action against impunity, including strengthening efforts led by both

governments and the media sector and facilitating greater multi-stakeholder collaboration.  

The conference also will aim to link up media defence groups from Pakistan with their key international level counterparts to facilitate networking on solutions and ideas as well as inflow of international support, advocacy expertise and technical assistance for Pakistan’s media.  

The international conference seeks to bring together all key stakeholders from within Pakistan and key international media defence groups to discuss ways of combating the violence against media and journalists in the country and what best lessons from the world Pakistan can partly adopt.

The international conference is being supported by UNESCO with a number of other partners  including National and International Media development group.

Attending the conference will be a variety of Pakistani representative associations of media sector such as APNS, PBA, CPNE, PNAC and PFUJ and media support groups and, among others; the civil society representatives and mainstream political parties. Attending from outside Pakistan will be UN delegates as well as several international media support groups.

You are invited to attend the session on 7th March 2013, starting 9:30 am It's scheduled  to be in Kohinoor Hall, Marriot Hotel, Islamabad. Pakistan.

For more information please contact:

Phyza Jameel : p.jameel@unesco.org, Cell: 0321-4771462

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NAB asked to discourage trend of misusing aid, donations

*Disorder in charity endangers future of students *

*NAB asked to discourage trend of misusing aid, donations*

*[March 06]*

The Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) on Wednesday said chaos in a well-known charity has put future of hundreds of students at stake.

Mismanagement and malpractices in a trust has raised concerns among parents of around fifteen hundred students getting education in the schools run by the trust, it said.

The health projects initiated by the trust are also being ignored owing to struggle in the charity, parents of the students told Abdullah Tariq, SVP, Pakistan Economy Watch.

The Chairman of Al Marifah Trust, Dr Sajjad ur Rehman has removed Managing Trustee and other two trustees. He also terminated administrator and other employees of the trust on charges of fraudulent activities, the parents told PEW.

The Chairman has also initiated legal proceedings against the trustees and the administrator, they added.

The trust has been running WISE schools and colleges where thousands of students are studying where the attention of administration has been diverted to politics.

Parents said that they are deeply concerned by reports of malpractices and misdirection which is damaging studies hence future of their children.

They called upon the concerned authorities to take note of the situation and order an external audit to ascertain as to who benefitted from donations worth millions of rupees attracted by the trust from unsuspecting donors.

NAB should discourage involvement of NGOs in the improper and dishonest use of funds with little to deliver, Abdullah Tariq demanded.

--

0332-9220750

Abdullah Tariq,

SVP, Pakistan Economy Watch.

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Banks asked to support small businesses

*Banks asked to support small businesses *

*Islamabad: March 03*

Chairman of the Apna Microfinance Bank Limited (AMBL) Mian Shahid on Sunday said that Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) will be given preference in provision of credit.

He said that he will try best to ensure the uninterrupted flow of finances to the critical SME sector without which economy cannot be revived.

Talking to female entrepreneurs, he said that the role of microfinance banks remains crucial to ensure unobstructed flow of financial resources to the SME sector which is engine of economic growth for country.

Shahid said that the current level of finance and access of SMEs to banking services remains unsatisfactory which calls for serious initiatives.

SME sector represents over 90 per cent of all enterprises, employs some 75 per cent of the non-agricultural workforce and contributes 30 per cent to the GDP, he said, adding that it plays important role in poverty alleviation, and equitable resource distribution.

SMEs’ growth potential for employment, income generation, and poverty reduction remains mostly untapped in Pakistan. Only 2.5 million people are recorded as active borrowers of microfinance which is discouraging, he said.

-- 

*Imran Amin*

PRO, UIG

Cell: 0323-5579080

Address: 212 Clifton Centre, Clifton, Karachi.

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Pakistan best suited as manufacturing hub for energy solutions

*Int’l co vows to address energy scarcity by employing latest technology*

*Sun's energy crucial for our survival, current and future prosperity*

*Those hindering our access to energy are enemies: business community*

*Pakistan best suited as manufacturing hub for energy solutions*

Dated: March 03

Islamabad:

An international energy solutions company based in Europe is gearing up to help the local business community by offering latest and low cost energy solutions in Pakistan.

Saeed Zuberi CEO of Tameer Energy, a group company of Tameer Foundation said on his visit to Pakistan that his company intends to introduce state-of-the-art technology developed by NASA engineers.

“The technology has not been employed anywhere in the world which I wants to introduce in collaboration with Planetary Power Incorp., a US-based company working on cutting-edge technology in the energy sector,” he said.

Saeed Zuberi, who was accompanied by Angus Jackson OBE, Director Planetary Power, visited the FPCCI Capital Office on the invitation of Tariq Sayeed, VP CACCI, where they told the business community that more solar energy reaches the earth's surface in two hours than the total energy consumed by humans in an entire year.

VP FPCCI Mirza Abdul Rehman, President ICCI Zafar Bakhtawari, Presidents and office bearers of other chambers including Raja Zaheer, Ch. Pervez Waraich, Malik Zubair Ahmed, Shahid ur Rehman, Munawar Mughal, Tariq Mehmood, Malik Sohail, Chairman Media and Diplomatic Affairs FPCCI and others were also present on the occasion. Tameer Energy was further represented by AVP Imran Ahmed and CTO Syed Fahim.

Saeed Zuberi, French national of Pakistani origin, has worked intensively in the social and infrastructure sectors of Pakistan. Among other projects, Tameer Foundation is credited with its reconstruction efforts after the floods of 2010 and 2011.

Zuberi said that with the right technology solar energy is easy to capture and use; our ability to harness the sun's energy is crucial for our civilization's survival as well as current and future prosperity.

“Our hybrid technology is highly dependable which can cut electricity and maintenance costs by 50 per cent while it can be monitored and controlled through satellite, landline or a mobile phone,” he explained.

The ultra-modern diesel and solar powered electricity generation units can be installed in villages with no access to national power grid and small businesses which are easily upgradeable, he added.

He informed that he had a detailed meeting with energy officials of the federal and provincial governments whose response was encouraging.

Speaking on the occasion, Angus Jackson OBE said that we would like to use Pakistan as a production hub for his company’s units workable with any fuel and at any altitude, which will not only help masses overcome energy issues but would also initiate exports to regional markets.

“Pakistan is best suited for such operations as what we see in media about this country in west is contrary to the situation,” said Jackson.

Speaking at the occasion, Mirza Abdul Rehman said that Pakistan is becoming a failed state due to energy scarcity.

Zafar Bakhtawari said that construction of Kalabagh dam could have addressed the issue which was put on the backburner while pace of development on the other mega projects is unsatisfactory.

He said that anyone who can help us address energy issue will be our friend and hero while those pushing country to darkness could never be our friends as they contribute to the sufferings of communities and commerce.

Malik Sohail and others said that we want power with unmatched efficiency without the compromises associated with traditional renewables, they demanded.

We welcome the initiative to bridge gap between renewable energy and fossil fuel powered power plants and assured all out cooperation to the visiting experts, said Sohail.

*--*

*Malik Sohail Hussain *

Chairman FPCCI Standing Committee on Media, PR and Diplomatic Affairs,

Special Advisor to Islamabad Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Cell 03215155500  and  03335155300. FPCCI +92-51-2251891-3. Fax +92-51-251894

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Banks should unleash SMEs potential to lift economy

*Banks should help unleash SMEs potential to lift economy: Mian Shahid*

*SME being ignored by banks, institutions: Farida Rashid*

*Pakistan must study successful foreign SME models*

* *

*Islamabad: March 01*

Chairman of the Apna Microfinance Bank Limited (AMBL) Mian Shahid on Friday said that Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) will be given preference in provision of credit.

He said that he will try best to ensure the uninterrupted flow of finances to the critical SME sector without which economy cannot be revived.

Mian Shahid said this while talking to a delegation of female entrepreneurs led by Farida Rashid, President Islamabad Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IWCCI).

He said that the role of microfinance banks remains crucial to ensure unobstructed flow of financial resources to the SME sector which is engine of economic growth for country.

Shahid who was recently elected Chairman of the AMBL admitted that the current level of finance and access of SMEs to banking services remains unsatisfactory which calls for serious initiatives.

SME sector represents over 90 per cent of all enterprises, employs some 75 per cent of the non-agricultural workforce and contributes 30 per cent to the GDP, he said, adding that it plays important role in poverty alleviation, and equitable resource distribution.

Speaking at the occasion, Farida Rashid said that SMEs’ growth potential for employment, income generation, and poverty reduction remains mostly untapped in Pakistan. Only 2.5 million people are recorded as active borrowers of microfinance which is discouraging, she said.

Questioning policies which are hindering growth of SMEs, she said that there is a serious need for the small and medium banks to study successful microfinance banks in other countries in a bid to come up with effective and implementable ideas.

Farida Rashid said that authorities must take on the challenge of developing SME by providing an enabling environment, business development services and facilitate their growth agendas.

Apart from access to credit and productivity, the other areas hindering business development include labour, taxation, environment and energy, she observed.

The IWCCI president called upon the government and central bank to take steps to unleashing the potential of the SME sector with a focus on improved competitiveness.

*--*

*Farida Rashid,*

President, IWCCI

(Islamabad Women's Chamber of Commerce & Industry)

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SROs a source of favouritism, tax theft

*SROs great source of discrimination, tax fraud

*SRO culture biggest hurdle in improved tax collection*

*Disallowing FBR to issue SROs to boost economy*

*March 01*

The Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) on Friday said SRO culture has remained one of the biggest hurdles in ensuring national development by widening the tax net.

SROs are the foremost source of corruption, discrimination, budget subversion and national disgrace, it said.

FBR has become a factory producing SROs (Statutory Regulatory Orders) to favour influential which undermines capability of the government to spend on welfare and development, said Dr. Murtaza Mughal, President PEW.

Pakistan will never be able to break the begging bowl until the SRO culture is totally eliminated, he added.

He said that the infamous instrument called SRO has frequently been employed to provide exemptions worth billions to politically connected business tycoons while it puts unnecessary burden on taxpayers which amounts to punishing them for honesty.

Dr. Murtaza Mughal said that the tax authorities have been using powers of the Parliament by issuing SROs while the politicians have seldom challenged the violation.

The SRO culture has kept Pakistan’s tax- to-GDP ratio one of the lowest in the world putting brakes on positive initiatives, he said.

Taxation system has developed serious flaws due to special focus of the authorities on issuing SRO with no end in sight, he observed.

Dr. Murtaza Mughal said issuance of 4500 SROs and tax exemption to the tune of Rs 650 billion is tip of the iceberg. Those benefitted from this culture should be taken to the task, he added.

Matters relating to tax exemptions, change in duties etc. should be debated by lawmakers who are not beneficiaries of unjust tax breaks and exemptions, he said.

An amendment in the law disallowing FBR to issue SROs can increase tax collection to boost shabby economy.

He asked to independent think-tanks and superior courts to review in detail the negative impact of misuse SROs which is hurting the society in general and specifically hitting poor.

--

Dr. Murtaza Mughal

Cell:  0321-5157671

President Pakistan Economy Watch

www.pakistaneconomywatch.com

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