Infrastructure Development in Pakistan

[Sulman Badshah]

Pakistan Railways: China to inject $3.5b into infrastructure development

Only Chinese companies would participate in the bidding for contracts for all civil and engineering work and would earn a profit of up to 20% to 25% on their investments. PHOTO: ONLINE

LAHORE:
A 23-member delegation of Chinese technical experts, led by Meng Wenli, Chief Engineer Alignment, will come on a trip to Pakistan at the weekend to pick the areas for an investment of $3.5 billion and complete the rehabilitation and replacement of tracks from Karachi to Peshawar.

The delegation, comprising representatives of China Railway Eeyuan Engineering Group Company, would arrive on October 25 and undertake a comprehensive study of a 1,400-km rail track with the technical support of the National Engineering Services of Pakistan (Nespak) and the Pakistan Railways Consultancy and Advisory Service, said an official.

The survey will also cover 2,340 bridges and 11 tunnels from Karachi to Peshawar via Hyderabad, Bahawalpur, Multan, Sahiwal, Lahore, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Jhelum, Rawalpindi and Attock.

Initially, the visit was scheduled for May this year, but was delayed and rescheduled for the last week of October. The team will prepare a report and submit it in February next year to the governments of China and Pakistan for further deliberation and reaching agreements.

China has expressed interest in pouring about $3.5 billion into infrastructure development for the railways. The areas where the money will be injected include replacement of rail tracks over 375 km, deep screening of ballast over 1,260 km, conversion of un-manned level-crossing into underpasses at 50 places, conversion of manned level-crossing into flyovers at 250 places, realignment of 40 big curves, strengthening of 500 bridges and doubling a 438km track at various places between Shahdara and Peshawar.

“This investment is, in fact, a loan being given by China at a concessionary interest rate of 1.5% under the Pakistan-China Economic Corridor,” the official said. “It will be released by the Export-Import Bank of China after receiving sovereign guarantees from the Pakistan government.”

The average speed passenger trains could run on this rail track is in the range of 85 to 105 km per hour, but they do not accelerate above 95 km per hour.

“After the replacement of tracks, the trains will run at the maximum speed of 120 km per hour for the next 15 to 20 years,” the official said.

According to the official, the Pakistan Railways complies with the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules, but in this particular case it will not be necessary to follow the rules as an agreement is being signed between the governments of Pakistan and China.

Only Chinese companies would participate in the bidding for contracts for all civil and engineering work. They would earn a profit of up to 20% to 25% on their investments and the Pakistan government would return the loan with interest payments to the financing bank, the official added.

“The management of Pakistan Railways was also asking China to undertake a project of electric traction over 1,400 km between Karachi and Lahore, but it refused,” said another official.

Stronger ties: Russia, Pakistan to boost energy cooperation

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Morgulov Igor Vladimirovich and Pakistan’s Additional Secretary Europe Nadeem Riyaz led their respective sides in discussions that focused on a review of political, economic, parliamentary and cultural relations. DESIGN: ESSA MALIK

ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan and Russia concluded their second round of strategic dialogue with a commitment to undertake concrete steps to enhance cooperation in energy.

According to a statement issued by the foreign ministry, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Morgulov Igor Vladimirovich and Pakistan’s Additional Secretary Europe Nadeem Riyaz led their respective sides in discussions that focused on a review of political, economic, parliamentary and cultural relations.

Possibilities were also explored for enhancing cooperation in various sectors including energy.

The statement said that discussions provided an excellent opportunity for a comprehensive exchange on entire range of bilateral issues as well as the regional situation.

“Both sides shared their resolve to undertake concrete steps to enhance their cooperation, especially in the economic sphere to strengthen the existing cordial relations,” it said.

During the meeting it was also agreed that the next round of Strategic Dialogue will be held in Moscow at a mutually convenient date.

The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister also called on Sartaj Aziz, Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs, Syed Tariq Fatemi, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs and Aizaz A. Chaudhry, Foreign Secretary.

They discussed bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest.

Islamabad and Moscow remained bitter enemies in the 1980s when Pakistan along with other western countries backed the so-called holy warriors or mujahideen fighting Soviet troops in Afghanistan.

However, in recent years the two countries have made attempts to move beyond the cold-war era and develop a new partnership.

The foreign policy guidelines approved by the parliament in 2011 in the wake of US secret raid to kill Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad had laid special emphasis on improving ties with Russia.

Since then the two countries regularly exchange visits of their civil and military officials as part of efforts to open a ‘new chapter’ in their otherwise troubled ties.

First-ever production bonus for Balochistan

SC observed that despite Balochistan’s high share of natural resources, only a small amount was spent on social welfare in the province. STOCK IMAGE

ISLAMABAD: Thanks to the Supreme Court, Balochistan will for the first time receive $500,000 as a ‘production bonus’ from a gas producing company in the next few days.

“The Balochistan government will receive half a million dollars from the [Quetta-based] Mari Gas Company very soon,” Director Petroleum Concessions (DGPC) for the Ministry of Petroleum Nasreen Javed told the top court on Wednesday.

Other provincial governments are already receiving such ‘production bonuses’ from oil exploration and production (E&P) companies for social welfare, according to Deputy Director of the Energy Department Abdul Qudoos Khan. Balochistan, however, had been deprived of the amount in the past, he told The Express Tribune.

The Justice Jawwad S Khawaja-led three-judge bench, which heard the suo motu case on Wednesday, expressed satisfaction at the development and observed that despite Balochistan’s high share of natural resources, only a small amount was spent on social welfare in the province.

The suo motu notice was taken up on a plea by Tando Adam Tehsil Bar Association President Abdul Hakeem Khoso who pointed out that oil and gas companies were polluting the environment of Sanghar district without doing much to provide infrastructure, jobs and gas to region’s residents.

Meanwhile, the bench directed the Punjab Information Technology Board to consult relevant authorities from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and develop a management information system (MIS) to monitor spending by E&P companies on social and infrastructure development.

The directive was issued after the K-P Oil and Gas Company Limited (KPOGCL) told the court that it had developed an MIS which displayed “all yearly and accumulative details of various funds received and spent on various projects in K-P on account of production bonuses, social welfare obligations and royalties.”

The court, in its December 27, 2013 judgment, had directed the DGPC and provincial government to ensure that social welfare obligations of E&P companies were monitored.

Gas revolution taking place in Pakistan

Islamabad - The Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) on Thursday said energy mix of Pakistan is being transformed in Pakistan which will have a positive impact on every sector of the economy.
The recently-introduced LNG policy is radically distinctive which will help balance energy mix, reduce dependence on oil and transform lives of millions of people while reducing inflation, oil import bill and pollution, it said. Availability of LNG is set to grow but may not rise as fast as millions of consumers including operators of CNG stations would hope, said Dr. Murtaza Mughal, President PEW.
He said that LNG offers a clean as well as reliable alternative to coal, costly petrol, it is answer to the shortages of natural gas and its advantages as a transportation fuel are stronger than ever. Eleven countries were importing LNG in 2010 with almost zero share in transportation but today 27 nations are importing it while 42 countries would be importing it by 2020 to run industry, cars, trucks, trains and ships due to strong incentive of the price gap, he added.
Mughal said that at present, about 80 percent of the world’s demand for transportation fuels are met by petrol but share of natural gas in the global energy mix edged up to 23 percent.

Pakistani companies exhibit products in Paris to boost exports

ISLAMABAD - Twenty Three major companies of the country are showcasing their food products including rice and spices in Paris in a bid to boost their exports.
Pakistani rice and other food stuff including spices and dry fruit are at exhibition in Paris arranged under auspices of SIAL Fair which is a forum for exhibition of food stuff from all over the world, said a message received here from Paris.
Many visitors have shown their interest in the products of the exhibition which is held twice a year. Pakistani rice because of its quality and variety was of special attention for the visitors. Fourteen Pakistani companies are exhibiting rice in their private capacity.
The ambassador of Pakistan to Paris, Ghalib Iqbal visited Pakistani stalls to meet the exhibitors. He impressed upon the exhibitors to present their products in such a way that their scope of business expands from ethnic market to the international buyers. He assured them full cooperation on behalf of the embassy in order to facilitate them.
In total, 6425 exhibitors from 105 countries are participating in this fair.

 

[Sulman Badshah]

Pakistan bags first prize at the One Young World summit this year





This year, at the fifth One Young World summit in Dublin, Pakistan won the first prize at the Rwanga Social Startup Competition.Representing Pakistan, Khizr Imran Tajammul, shared his vision to research and manufacture affordable energy solutions for low income communities. His idea is to use the potential of solar energy in Pakistan and to make solar energy solutions more accessible to the lowest common denominator.Among an array of potential utilities and products, he feels that solar water heating has great potential and that ‘greenhouse technology’ as opposed to evacuation tubes (used in most conventional solar water heaters) can prove more efficient and affordable and therefore have the immense potential to rapidly spread across Pakistan.


Jaan Pakistan, is the name of the organization Khizr has co-founded with his friends to launch this initiative. Jaan Pakistan has thus far received USD 20,000/- in prize money and is planning to venture into prototype development at the end of this year. Jaan Pakistan is also collaborating with international manufacturers and technology giants to fine tune the design for their first product – the solar water heater.


More about One Young World
One Young World was founded in 2009 by David Jones, Kate Robertson and Founding Corporate Partner: Havas. One Young World is a UK-based not-for-profit that gathers together the brightest young people from around the world, empowering them to make lasting connections to create positive change.

This year the conference was attended by a series of established global leaders such as Kofi Annan, Mary Robinson, Sir Bob Geldof, Professor Muhammad Yunus, Paul Polman, Doug Richard, Jimmy Wales, Former Latin American Presidents, Sol Campbell, Dame Ellen MacArthur, Martin Pollock, Hans Reitz, Professor Meghan ‘O Sullivan and Meghan Markle.

THREE PAKISTANI AUTHORS MAKE THE CUT

Tapu Javeri for the Lahore Literary Festival

DSC PRIZE SHORT-LIST TO BE UNVEILED NOV. 27.
Three novels by Pakistani authors have made the long-list for the 2015 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature.

Keki N. Daruwalla, Indian writer and jury chair for the prize, unveiled the long-list of 10 books in New Delhi on Monday. The books on the long-list are (by author, in alphabetical order):

The Mirror of Beauty by Shamsur Rahman Faruqi
Noontide Toll by Romesh Gunesekera
The Prisoner by Omar Shahid Hamid
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
The Gypsy Goddess by Meena Kandasamy
The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
Mad Girl’s Love Song by Rukmini Bhaya Nair
A God in Every Stone by Kamila Shamsie
Helium by Jaspreet Singh
The Scatter Here is Too Great by Bilal Tanweer

“As expected, the variety is considerable,” said Daruwalla. “Obviously, there was a tremendous mix here of themes, landscapes, styles, issues—both political and personal. The narratives ranged from 18th- and 19th-century history to the Naxalite era in West Bengal, tribal rebellions to feudal atrocities … the novel(s) had to be situated in South Asia, that being one of the main requirements of the prize.”

“Now in its fifth year, the DSC Prize has been rewarding the best writing about the South Asian region and bringing it to a global audience,” said Manhad Narula, member of the DSC Prize Steering Committee. “I feel each of the books on the long-list is a must-read.”

The long-list selection, from a pool of 75 submissions, was made by a five-member jury comprising Daruwalla; literary critic and former Granta editor John Freeman; Maithree Wickramasinghe, who teaches at the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, and at the University of Sussex; Michael Worton, professor emeritus at the University College London who has written on modern literature and art; and Razi Ahmed, the founding chairman of the annual Lahore Literary Festival (LLF).

The short-list of five to six books will be announced on Nov. 27 in London. The winner of 2015 DSC Prize will be named on Jan. 22 at next year’s Zee Jaipur Literature Festival and will also receive $50,000.

Pakistan’s H. M. Naqvi won the inaugural DSC Prize in 2011 for his debut novel, Home Boy. Other winners of the annual prize are: Shehan Karunatilaka for Chinaman, Jeet Thayil for Narcopolis, and Cyrus Mistry for Chronicle of a Corpse Bearer.

 

[Sulman Badshah]

France to initiate 100 MW Solar Project in Pakistan


Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has said Government of Pakistan is making improvement in Energy Sector.
While talking to a high-level delegation of prominent French company Total and Sun Power Corporation which met him here , Chief Minister said that the Punjab government has provided highly conducive environment for investment in the energy sector.
The French Power Corporation expressed interest in setting up a 100MW solar project in Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park.
The Chief Minister explained to the delegation how the energy shortage was hitting at the economic development of the country in addition to affecting education, health, agriculture and other sectors. He said that solution to energy problem at the earliest is essential for rapid development of the country and promotion of economic and trade activities, therefore, government is making serious efforts in this regard. He said that Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park spread over a vast area of 1000 acres in Bahawalpur district, is in the final stages of completion. He welcomed the interest shown by the French company in setting up a 100 mw solar power project. Shahbaz Sharif said that speed and transparency in the implementation of development projects is the hallmark of Punjab government. He assured that all out facilities will be provided to the French companies. Chief Executive Office of Total, Marc Soissong said that his company is deeply interested in establishing a 100 megawatts project at Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park and it will be completed on fast track basis in accordance with the vision of Chief Minister.

 

[ghazi52]

work in full swing
PROJECT OF CLIFTON ....FLYOVER & Ramp

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[Sulman Badshah]

Pakistan signs MoU for establishment of AIIB as a founding member

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister of Finance and Revenue Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Friday signed the Memorandum (MoU) Understanding for establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in Beijing as one of the 21 Prospective Founding Member countries.
The signing of the MoU signifies that the parties have jointly decided to establishing AIIB that would accelerate the negotiation process of the Articles of Agreement (AoA) for the bank, says a message received here from Beijing on Friday.
Following the signing ceremony Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said that it was a historic and auspicious occasion for Pakistan to be a pioneer and prospective founding member of the much-needed infrastructure investment bank, that would be instrumental, though complementary to other banks in addressing the pressing infrastrucure needs and development deficits of the region and beyond.
“The AIIB is a landmark decision and will provide financing support to developing countries in Asia for infrastructure development in order to promote regional connectivity. Pakistan has been supporting the initiative right from the initial announcement. We believe that the bank will be an important platform to convert the abundant savings available in the region into investment to help regional economies achieve sustainable and rapid development thereby contributing to the world economy”, Dar remarked.
Dar who is currently visiting China said that in our region the “appetite for infrastructure is much greater than other regions and it is lagging behind,” and the creation of the bank would be very helpful in reducing poverty, increasing GDP, per capita income and overall economic growth and socio-economic prosperity of the region.
“The region will have greater opportunity to focus on attending to the infrastructural deficits,” he added.
He said that it was imperative, given the dynamics and imperatives of growth in the region, to have a bank to augment and complement their services at hand through other similar banking and financial institutions.
He said AIIB would work closely with World Bank, Asian Development Bank and other multilateral and bilateral development institutions in a complementary way to promote regional cooperation and partnership in addressing the development challenges.
He said it was a great win-win initiative of Chinese leadership that received broad support not just from Pakistan but many other countries.
Since the beginning of the year, China had led extensive consultations with other regional and non regional countries on establishment of AIIB, he said adding that after several rounds of multilateral consultations, regional Prospective Founding Members had reached consensus on key elements of AIIB as reflected in the MoU. In October 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang announced the initiative of establishing AIIB during their respective visits to South East Asia,he added.
He said the historic signing would bode well for development and would reap many benefits.
This, he said would translate into further enhancing of bilateral and economic ties between Pakistan and China.
He said Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) had opened branches in Pakistan, several energy and communications infrastructure projects including China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects were underway between the two countries and an institution like AIIB can play a pivotal role in materaializing these initiatives.
With headquarters in Beijing, AIIB will be an intergovernmental regional development institution and would operate following the model and principle of multilateral development banks, focusing on supporting the infrastructure development in Asian region.
The authorized capital of AIIB will be $100 billion and initial subscribed capital will be $50 billion.
The initial paid up capital will be $10 billion. AIIB will draw upon the best practices of the existing MDBs in setting up its governance structure.
The establishment process of AIIB is open and inclusive, and other interested countries are welcome to join the process.
It is expected that the Articles of Agreement (AoA) will be finalized after rounds of negotiations and likely to be signed in mid 2015 and AIIB will be formally established to start operation by the end of 2015.
The 21 Prospective Members include: Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
Indonesia would be the 22nd Member and has not been able to obtain necessary government approvals for MoU owing to elections in the country.
It will join AIIB as the prospective founding member after completion of necessary formalities.

Rs250bn spent on smoking in FY14

Pakistanis burnt their Rs250 billion to ashes through smoking of over 64bn cigarettes in the financial year FY14. -- File photo
KARACHI: Pakistanis burnt their Rs250 billion to ashes through smoking of over 64bn cigarettes in the financial year FY14, disclosed a State Bank report recently issued.

The State Bank’s Statistical Bulletin reports that Pakistanis smoked 64.48bn cigarettes in the year FY-14.

Despite the rising cost of cigarettes, manufacturers have succeeded in maintaining and keeping up with the demand.

The average price of cigarette is considered Rs4 (conservative estimate) and the total price of 64.48bn cigarettes comes to an estimated Rs258bn.

The most popular brand Gold Leaf is available at Rs100 per pack of 20 cigarettes or Rs5 per cigarette.

The minimum price of cigarettes available in the market is Rs50 per pack of 20 cigarettes or Rs2.5 per cigarette.

Costly imported cigarettes are also available in the market which can go up to Rs150 plus per pack.

Though there is no research available as to how much the low income group contributes to the huge figure of 64.48bn cigarettes, however there is no doubt that the group is actively consuming cigarettes manufactured in the country.

It is believed that about 110 million Pakistanis cannot afford two meals and face low to moderate food insecurity. However, this large population is also responsible for the huge turnover in the cigarette industry.

If calculated on per day basis, 177 million cigarettes per day were consumed in FY-14.

Though the figure shared by the SBP bulletin is based on recorded/official sales, billions of smuggled, fake and unbranded cigarettes are produced and sold in the country.

Cigarettes dealers said branded cigarettes are smuggled from Pakistan to regional countries due to better taste of tobacco produced in Pakistan.

Cancerous deaths

In Pakistan, tobacco and cigarette smoking is said to be responsible for 90 per cent of lung cancer cases. Over 100,000 people, including women and children become victim to lung cancer annually while many more are left disfigured and with life-long illnesses including heart disease and hypertension.

In this scenario, the government and health authorities have failed to curtail the number of smokers in the country which continues to increase with each passing day.

Though the Prohibition of Smoking in Enclosed Places and Protection of Non-smokers Health Ordinance 2002 is there, its implementation remains a hard task for the health agencies.

Easing power crisis: 2,500MW to be added to grid by Feb 2015, says PM

Premier Nawaz gave approval for making the consignment available to Kot Addu power plant which will generate 1,200MW, as well as four other private power plants – Orient, Saif, Saphire and Halmore – which will collectively produce 800MW of electricity. PHOTO: REUTERS

ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday directed the ministries of petroleum and natural resources, water and power and finance division to ensure that additional electricity of 2,400 to 2,500MW comes to the system by February 2015, both in the case of LNG and new on-site generation.

He said line losses and theft of electricity should be controlled at all costs and serious steps be taken against theft of gas, irrespective of official status of the persons involved. He issued these instructions while chairing a joint ministerial meeting of the energy sector held at the Prime Minister House. Attendees included cabinet ministers Khwaja Asif, Chaudhry Nisar, Parvaiz Rashid, Ahsan Iqbal, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Khawaja Saad Rafique.

The prime minister was briefed about the status of LNG import and its availability for the power sector. He was informed that first consignment will reach Pakistan by February 2015 and to be available to the power sector.

Premier Nawaz gave approval for making the consignment available to Kot Addu power plant which will generate 1,200MW, as well as four other private power plants – Orient, Saif, Saphire and Halmore – which will collectively produce 800MW of electricity. The consignment will also be provided to Jamshoro power plant for producing 400 to 500MW.

Work on other projects, including Fast Track LNG terminal, SSGC LNG terminal, Gwadar Nawabshah LNG terminal and pipeline, Private LNG terminals, GEI, PGPL and Bahria to import 2bcfd LNG, enough to generate up to 15,000MW, will be expedited.

The prime minister was also informed that there are opportunities for producing affordable power from mobile mounted on-site power plants through 26 gas fields in the country having a potential to generate 1,000MW.

He also directed the relevant agencies to implement the already provided tax relief in the LNG policy. He also directed the water and power ministry to ensure that in future if bills are issued without meter-reading, it is specified on the bill that this is a ‘presumptive bill’, and any excess amount charged will be adjusted when the meter is read. The meter will be read at least once every three months.

The prime minister said the public demand for affordable electricity was justified and also a promise of the PML-N government. He vowed to regularly chair meetings of relevant ministries for better coordination and to achieve desired results within the stipulated timeframe.

Nawaz said all those working in relevant departments have to work round the clock. He said any lapse will not go unpunished and any good work they do will not go unrewarded.

Pak-China cooperation: CDB agrees to back Diamer-Bhasha dam conference

A view of Diamer-Bhasha Dam site at Chilas. PHOTO: INP

BEIJING:
The China Development Bank (CDB) has agreed to be local sponsors of an awareness conference that would be held for prospective investors for the construction of the 4,500 megawatt (MW) Diamer-Bhasha dam.

This transpired during Finance Minister Ishaq Dar’s meeting with CDB Executive Vice President Zhao Xiaoyu in Beijing. During the meeting, Dar appreciated the CDB’s support in the past and hoped for the cooperation to continue.

The finance minister said the present government was on the trail of a major reform programme in taxation, power, banking and corporate sectors. Rupee stabilisation, stock exchange improvement and increase in the forex reserves were some of the immediate positive results.

“The government has set tough targets for itself in the Vision 2025 document and is determined to achieve them,” said Dar. “Strict financial discipline and cut down on wasteful expenditure showed our resolve to implement the reform programme.”

Dar said the CDB would reap further dividends if it teamed up to develop numerous potential sectors. He mentioned that the Pakistani policy regime in the power sector was very rewarding.

Similar sentiments

Meanwhile, Xiaoyu expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s cooperation particularly in the investment sector. He said that the Pak-China Economic Corridor had opened up a new vista of opportunities.

Pakistan is providing good space to companies to establish their footprint. He said that the Pakistan China Investment Company was an example of good partnership between Pakistan and CDB.

India seeks transit facility for wheat export to Afghanistan

As the Indians seek permission to export over a million tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan through Pakistan’s land route, the flour milling industry here is up in arms, threatening protests and warning of the adverse impact that it would have on its business.

It is exerting active pressure on federal ministries to pre-empt the move. The industry thinks that subsidised Indian wheat would drive it out of the Afghan market, which it takes more of an extension of its business for two reasons: proximity and high profits.

It is not only the general subsidy on farm inputs that makes the Indian wheat cheaper as compared to Pakistan, but the Indian government, if the Pakistani industry is to be believed, has also offered a specific $50 per tonne additional subsidy to exporters, thus driving the price further down.

Indian wheat would cost PKR2,900 per tonne in Afghanistan, against Pakistani commodity at Rs3,400 per tonne. This difference of Rs500 per tonne is bound to tilt the competitive edge in favour of the Indian wheat and Pakistan would lose its traditional market that consumes over half a million tonne of flour from Pakistan.

Transit trade facility for India, for business with Afghanistan, has a strategic dimension to it, rather than being purely a commercial activity. That is precisely the point where Pakistan needs to clarify its position
Cheaper Indian exports would hit the entire Pakistani milling industry business cycle; previous payments — flour to the Afghan market is supplied on credit — would get stuck as new orders dry up. Pakistan, has been following a liberal wheat import regime to meet domestic requirements. It has already imported over 350,000 tonnes and orders of over a million tons are on their way and would arrive in the next few months.

This is in addition to 3.75m tonnes stocks currently lying with Punjab, 1.9m tonnes with Pakistan Agriculture Services and Storage Corporation (Passco), 1.35m tonnes with Sindh and 1.4m tonnes with the private sector. Some these stocks would remained piled up if the Afghan market slips out of hands.

Socially and politically sensitive governments — federal and provincial — in Pakistan keep a vigilant eye and check on flour prices because they provide staple food to the majority of Pakistanis. It is not so for Afghanistan, where supply matters more than price. The industry and traders on both sides of the border thus make huge money.

The possible permission has also revived old fears of farmers. The Indian wheat carries Karnal Brunt (a kind of disease), that they think would spread in Pakistan if wheat is allowed to be traded through the country. Given the porous nature of Afghan transit trade and borders, they fear that the disease-carrying Indian wheat may be diverted to Pakistan and destroy its wheat base, which enjoys a good reputation in the world market.

Historically, the farmers have never objected to the export of flour to Afghanistan, but they have always been apprehensive about allowing Indian wheat through Pakistan. The industry has successfully rekindled their fears and enlisted required support to put pressure on the government. The government, on its part, is holding the ground so far. But for how long, it remains to be seen.

Transit trade facility for India, for business with Afghanistan, has a more strategic dimension to it, rather than being purely a commercial activity. That is precisely the point where Pakistan needs to clarify its position. All trade relations have their cost benefit ratio, and trade with Afghanistan or India, or both, is no exception to the rule.

Both India and Pakistan have large agrarian economies and are bound to compete and complement each other in different areas of trade, especially in regional countries like Afghanistan that have no developed agricultural base of their own.

Pakistan needs to have a comprehensive overall trade strategy, especially for the region it is located in and prepare its policy and production regime accordingly. With freight charges skyrocketing in the world, regional trade is a reality that no country can escape. It is time to get priorities and policies right, for the long term, rather than resort to ad-hoc decisions.

Chinese group offers $1bn investment in housing sector

Investors laud decision of K-P government to launch mega housing schemes equipped with all basic civic amenities. Photo by REUTERS
PESHAWAR: A high-level team of Chinese investors called on Chief Minister Pervez Khattak at the CM Secretariat here on Saturday and offered $1 billion investment in two mega housing schemes in the province.

According to a handout, the group lauded decision of the provincial government to launch mega housing schemes equipped with all basic civic amenities, including safety and security in view of the residential requirements of the ever increasing population of the province. It assured the government of all-out support in implementation of the projects.

These projects include Mega Education City on M-1, Nowshera, Mega Sports City, Peshawar, New City Abbottabad and New City and Tourism Resort in Chitral.

During his talks with the group, led by CEO of Shanghai company Mr Ma Shi Jing, Mr Khattak said that both the mega projects would be big cities with all housing facilities and availability of basic amenities, but these are named as education and sports cities.

CM’s adviser on housing Amjad Khan, parliamentary secretary for planning and development Khaleequr Rehman, adviser on investment Dilroze Khan, chief secretary Amjad Ali Khan, secretary housing engineer Zahid Arif, and high-ups of the relevant departments were also present on the occasion.

The chief minister said that new housing schemes were the need of the hour to meet residential requirements of the growing population and reduce pressure on the urban localities.

He welcomed the offer of the Chinese company for the big investment in housing sector of the province and informed it that all schemes were planned to be of international standard equipped with all modern civic facilities.

KU completes 40-year research on flora of Pakistan
By Faiza Ilyas
Updated 2 days ago

Delphinium Chitralense, an endangered species, is endemic to Chitral.
KARACHI: Research on Pakistan’s flora that involved countrywide surveys, investigations and a long process of authentication by foreign experts has finally come to an end at Karachi University (KU) after 40 years, scientists at the university told Dawn.

The last volumes of the Flora of Pakistan are under publication these days and it is expected that the work will be available by the middle of next year.

Currently, there are 222 editions of Flora of Pakistan.

“It’s a great achievement, though it took so many years. It’s the first most comprehensive scientific data on the country’s flowering species,” said Prof Mohammad Qaiser, senior botanist currently serving as KU vice chancellor.

Prof Qaiser credited the work to his mentor, senior botanist and former KU vice chancellor Prof Syed Irtifaq Ali, who spent more than 50 years in teaching and research and was the first, along with another researcher, to initiate the work.

“He is one of the most senior plant taxonomists in the country and the only expert help available to us. Prof Ali worked tirelessly for the research project despite his poor health,” Prof Qaiser explained reasons for the delay in the work’s completion.

‘Fifty species to be extinct’

Initially named the Flora of West Pakistan, the project, funded by the US department of agriculture, was launched in 1968-69 in two institutions, Gordon College Rawalpindi and the University of Karachi simultaneously.

The then chairman of the KU botany department, Prof Syed Irtifaq Ali, who is still one of the chief editors of the publication, and E. Nasir, a botany teacher at Gordon College, were the premier researchers who, with the help of other staff, collected the initial data.

Gordon College’s contribution, however, ended with the death of Mr Nasir after 17 years and the project, which was renamed after the fall of Dhaka as Flora of Pakistan, was solely looked after by KU, which was supported by the Missouri Botanical Gardens once the agreement with the US department of agriculture ended.

Discovered by British researcher Dr Wight in the 1870s, Campylanthus ramosissimus is an endangered species, endemic to Thano Bola Khan, Jamshoro district.
“Unlike the Indians who had a big infrastructure, huge literature and a large collection of species (all left intact by the British) available to them, we started from scratch. Gordon College Principal Dr R. Stewart’s collections that comprised species mostly of the Northern Areas were the only work available for our guidance,” Prof Qaiser said.

The Flora of Pakistan volumes contain information about the plant habitat, their figures, family, characteristics, details of their distribution, key to identification, local and scientific names, list of threatened species, plant utility (chemical and medicinal properties), if any, and citations.

The research work has mostly been done by locals unlike some other countries, where major research and editing in recording the flora is done by foreign experts.

For instance, research on Sri Lanka’s flora is written by Americans, Iran’s by Austrians, Turkey’s by Scots, Saudi Arabia’s by mostly Pakistanis and Iraq’s by an English team of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London.

Once information was gathered locally, it was verified by experts at the Royal Botanic Gardens. “Experts at Kew were the best choice to verify information as British scientists were the first to carry out research on the subcontinent’s flora and, presently, they have one of the largest collections of its specimens,” Prof Qaiser pointed out.

According to Prof Qaiser, work by Pakistani botanists in this area is considered as one of the most authentic in the scientific world and there are plans to update and revise past volumes of Flora of Pakistan once KU experts are done with its last edition.

The country has more than 6,000 flowering species whose details have been recorded in Flora of Pakistan, he says. The upcoming volumes will carry data on at least 20 more new species that have been identified in surveys over the past seven years.

“It’s a misconception that Pakistan’s flora was similar to that of India. In fact, it matches only 30pc with our flora, the rest of 70pc is similar to that of Iran’s, Afghanistan’s and Central Asia’s,” said Prof Qaisar.

Regarding species endemic to Pakistan, he said although there was no detailed data available on them now, it was estimated that there were 465 such species in Pakistan, of them 50 species were on the verge of extinction.

Underlining the need for plant conservation, he said that like the Zoological Survey Department, the country should have a botanical survey department, the first step towards conservation.

“Once we know the status of our entire flora, both flowering and non-flowering species, then we can start work for their protection. Plant conservation is not an easy job the world over and there are about 100 endangered plant species that only exist in botanical gardens as scientists couldn’t introduce them in the wild due to multiple threats,” he said.

The relevant government departments should take an initiative and grow threatened plants, at least, in the parks declared protected. The last six to seven volumes of Flora of Pakistan are being published at KU printing press with the support of USAID.

 

[Muhammad Omar]

KARACHI Crescent Bay by Emaar

 

[Muhammad Omar]

KARACHI The Arkadians

 

[ghazi52]

.The new Multan Airport will be completed by the end of this year with new security equipment.
.

 

[WaLeEdK2]

When is crescent bay expected to be completed?

 

[Sulman Badshah]

وفاقی حکومت نے آئندہ تین سال کے دوران ملک کے ہر ضلع میں کم از کم ایک یونیورسٹی یا کیمپس قائم کرنے کا فیصلہ کیا ہے۔ ذرائع کے مطابق اس ضمن میں وفاقی حکومت رواں سال کے دوران ملک کے دور دراز علاقوں میں بیس جامعات اور کیمپس کی تعمیر کیلئے 2 ارب 38کروڑ61 لاکھ روپے ہائر ایجوکیشن کمیشن کے توسط سے خرچ کرے گی۔ یہ جامعات اور کیمپس فاٹا، لورالائی، سرگودھا، تربت، سندھ، اٹک، نارووال، وہاڑی، اسلام آباد، ملتان، لاڑکانہ، پشاور، مردان، بہاولپور، رحیم یار خان، بےنظیر آباد میں قائم کئے جائیں گے۔ سب سے زیادہ رقم ناروال میں یونیورسٹی آف انجینئرنگ اینڈ ٹیکنالوجی لاہور کے سب کیمپس کی تعمیر کیلئے 40 کروڑ روپے رکھی گئی ہے۔ ملتان میں خواتین یونیورسٹی کے قیام کیلئے 20 کروڑ روپے، سرگودھا یونیورسٹی میں زرعی کالج کے قیام کیلئے 50 لاکھ روپے، تربت میں یونیورسٹی کے قیام کیلئے 35.5 کروڑ روپے، لورالائی میں یونیورسٹی کے قیام کیلئے 10 کروڑ روپے، زرعی یونیورسٹی فیصل آباد کے دیپالپور اوکاڑہ میں سب کیمپس کیلئے 4 کروڑ روپے، لاڑکانہ میں شہید بےنظیر بھٹو یونیورسٹی کے قیام کیلئے 25 کروڑ روپے، بےنظیر آباد میں شہید بےنظیر بھٹو یونیورسٹی کے قیام کیلئے 15 کروڑ روپے، کامسیٹس کے اٹک میں سب کیمپس کیلئے 10 کروڑ روپے،سرگودھا میں میڈیکل کالج یونیورسٹی کے قیام کیلئے 9کروڑ 36لاکھ روپے، وفاقی دارالحکومت میں وفاقی اردو یونیورسٹی کے قیام کیلئے 7 کروڑ روپے، گلگت میں قراقرم یونیورسٹی کے قیام کیلئے 1 کروڑ 45 لاکھ روپے، پشاور میں فرنٹیئر خواتین یونیورسٹی کے قیام کیلئے 10 کروڑ 71 لاکھ روپے،کامسیٹس کے وہاڑی میں کیمپس کے قیام کے لیے 10 کروڑ روپے،کامسیٹس کے ایبٹ آباد کیمپس کے قیام کیلئے 50 لاکھ روپے، بہاﺅالدین یونیورسٹی کے شاہیوال کیمپس کے قیام کیلئے 8 کروڑ 68 لاکھ روپے، ایئریونیورسٹی کے ملتان کیمپس کے قیام کیلئے 8 کروڑ روپے، اسلامیہ یونیورسٹی بہاولپور میں زرعی کالج کے قیام کیلئے 8 کروڑ 83 لاکھ روپے اور اسلامیہ یونیورسٹی بہاولپور کے رحیم یار خان کیمپس کے قیام کیلئے 12 کروڑ 29 لاکھ روپے خرچ کئے جائیں گے۔

OGDCL earns record Rs124bn profit

.—Dawn file photo
ISLAMABAD: The Oil and Gas Development Company Limited earned record after-tax profit of Rs124 billion during the last financial year, showing a growth of 36 per cent.

The 17th Annual General Meeting of the company was informed on Sunday that the sales revenue grew by 15pc to Rs257bn.

The meeting presided over by Zahid Muzaffar, Chairman of the Board of Directors, and attended by Iskander Mohammad Khan, Prince Ahmed Omar Ahmedzai, Rehmat Salam Khattak, Hamid Farooq and Mohammad Rafi, managing director and chief executive officer of the OGDCL, reviewed the performance of the company during 2013-14. It also oversaw election of new members of the board.

The meeting was informed that earnings per share had gone up to Rs28.81. The company contributed Rs132.26bn to the national exchequer on account of corporate tax, dividend, royalty, general sales tax and excise duty, etc.

Chairman Zahid Muzaffar told the meeting that the OGDCL continued to deliver robust financial results coupled with steady operational performance.

The company acquired 29 new exploratory blocks and the current concession portfolio consists of 62 owned and operated joint venture exploration licences along with holding working interest in six blocks operated by other E&P companies.

The company gave Rs50 million for rehabilitation of people affected by earthquake in Balochistan and contributed Rs250m to the Prime Minister’s fund for flood victims in 2014 and Rs80m to the PM’s fund for IDPs during 2014-15.

The chairman assured the shareholders that the company would continue to undertake new development activities.

 

[S.Y.A]

so, the only "development" going on in Pakistan is just roads and bridges and apartments. no new factories, no research, no industries.

Secretariat Complex in Sind

why the f*** is sindh govt wasting money on this?

 

[Edevelop]

Tarbela Dam 4th Extension 1,410 MW

 

[nomi007]

 

[Edevelop]

Punjab Forensic Science Agency

Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metro

PM to Innaugurate Construction of Hassanabdal-Mansehra Expressway

PIA gets another A-320

 

[ghazi52]

Metro - Faisal Avenue - Jinnah Avenue crossing... I don't know if the Metro will run elevated to the Jinnah Avenue? But they are building huge pillars there so the metro might be going elevated then even the Jinnah Avenue.
My guess will be through underpass - Faisal Avenue. (Already there)
At Ground Level - U turn traffic for Faisal and Jinnah Avenue (Already there)
At First Level Jinnah Avenue (Already there)
At 2nd Level Metro trek. (New construction)


.
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The last update showing the metro trek entering Peshawar More from IJP side...