By the News desk

ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet Tuesday approved the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) despite opposition from Human Rights Minister Dr Shireen Mazari.

Shireen Mazari believes that the NAB-FBI agreement will open another political Pandora box and a new debate will begin. He considered NAB and FBI are two different institutions and their MoU was illogical. He said NAB was an anti-corruption agency, while the FBI handled internal security, law and order. Prime Minister Imran Khan has also called an important meeting today (Wednesday) to take action against unregistered non-governmental organizations (NGOs) promoting foreign agendas.

According to local media reports citing sources, the decision was taken at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, where it was agreed to take tough action against NGOs promoting foreign agendas. Imran Khan was quoted at the meeting as saying he had also received reports against NGOs running foreign funding. Federal ministers said it was time to take firm action and stern action should be taken against such organizations.

According to reports, the cabinet was informed that there are several NGOs working in Pakistan that operate without registration and receive foreign funds. “Such NGOs are promoting their agenda,” they said. The prime minister decided to hold a meeting to review the matter, which would be attended by ministers from economic affairs, foreign affairs, information and broadcasting, national security advisers and others.

Imran Khan has also called in detailed information on NGOs including their sources of income and registration. The source said that recently the Ministry of Home Affairs received a complaint against an NGO.

The cabinet during its meeting paid close attention to anti-military statements by opposition leaders and clarified that talks against national institutions were embarrassing and made the enemy happy, as reported in the Indian media.

The cabinet meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan. Briefing media people on cabinet decisions and answering questions from journalists, Information and Broadcasting Minister Senator Shibli Faraz said PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz and other PDM leaders were pushing for an anti-Pakistan agenda similar to India’s, a nemesis. from Pakistan.

Dr Faisal Sultan, Special Assistant for Health, briefed the cabinet on the current coronavirus situation. The Cabinet was informed that passengers from Britain were being monitored and that the final decision on the coronavirus vaccine would be taken soon.

The Cabinet was told that during the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, Pakistan had become self-sufficient in terms of medical equipment, including ventilators, masks and other equipment that is produced and used domestically. The Cabinet approved the deployment of the Frontier Constabulary in Gilgit-Baltistan for a period of three years.

At the start of the meeting, the prime minister said that God willing, the government will use all its resources to eradicate hunger and poverty based on a database using the Ehsaas program for the remainder of the term. The prime minister wants nobody to sleep hungry in the country. He said the opposition was collapsing. He said the government would fulfill its promises before his term was over, adding that 2021 would be a year of development, prosperity and economic stability.

Shibli said the issue of rhetoric against the institution by Mufti Kifayatullah was discussed in the federal cabinet. He said that the DisinfoLab narrative, where India’s disinformation camp is being dug by the European Union, the PDM people is advancing it, and it is a well-organized campaign where their main goal is to discredit the Pakistani state and spread chaos in the country.

The minister said that the government is very concerned about this campaign. “Who is related to Hussain Haqqani? All reports are being received. Kifayatullah’s words were very embarrassing. The enemy is being appeased by talking like this. What happened here was the latest in the Indian media. PDM is a tool of our eternal enemy, India, whether we realize it or not, “said the minister.

Shibli said a movement had started within parties grouped under the PDM and that everyone was witnessing a rebellion in JUI. He said, PDM is history after the PPP Summit decision on resignation. He noted that Imran Khan’s position was that if Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari didn’t get an NRO, the situation would be very different today. He said that after the 18th amendment, the spirit of the federation had to be maintained. “It does not mean that the province has now become an independent country. They should work together considering the resources, “he said.

Responding to a question, Shibli Faraz said that it is clearly written in the Constitution that if the national institutions, judiciary and the Pakistani Army are damaged, it is a violation of the Constitution.

A recent ministerial statement by Maulana Sherani testified that Maulana Fazlur Rehman was elected to form his own group in the main JUI party for his own political ends: He rebelled from the party by straying from basic ideology and thinking and using politics for personal gain.

The minister said important issues were discussed in detail in the cabinet regarding Mufti Kifayatullah. He said that the case will be framed according to the law.

Regarding the PTI government’s promise to provide 10 million jobs and 5 million homes, the minister said that at the end of the reign, these promises will be fulfilled, God willing. Referring to the opposition, he said thanks to Allah SWT that Pakistan did not suffer much during the first wave of the coronavirus, while other countries such as the US, Europe and India suffered massively, and millions of people were pushed below the poverty line. He said Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government was successful in dealing with the pandemic during its first phase. The minister said the PDM should not think about resigning from the government because it is experiencing its own collapse.

During a cabinet meeting, the Petroleum Division briefs the cabinet on gas availability in the country. The Ministry of Home Affairs and the CDA briefed the cabinet on the time it would take to eliminate encroachment on Jalan Margalla, Islamabad. The Cabinet was informed that the Ministry of Defense has formally submitted a request to the CDA for approval of the development plan. The protective wall at Jalan Margalla will be removed within the agreed limits within six months. The wetlands will be constructed in three months to clear the canals passing through the same sector. In addition, underpasses will be constructed in these sectors in partnership with the Pakistan Navy, Pakistan Air Force and CDA to reduce traffic congestion in these sectors. The Cabinet is sure that nothing in Islamabad will be removed or allocated for development.

The Cabinet allowed the CDA to prepare 120 hectares of land to set up a Special Technology Zone in Islamabad. The Forum approved the appointment of Dr Muhammad Saeed Khan Jadoon as Director General, Pakistan Institute for Hydrocarbons Development.

The Cabinet also approved the release of Rs219.30 million to the Ministry of Health which will be used to activate the newly completed Isolation Hospital and Infection Treatment Center in Islamabad. It also approved the appointment of 16 federal drug inspectors to the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan and the allocation of their jurisdiction.

The meeting approved the appointment of Javed Ghani as Chairman of the Federal Revenue Council (FBR).

Cabinet ratifies decisions taken at the Privatization Committee meeting held on December 24, 2020. Cabinet also ratifies decisions taken at the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) meeting held on December 24, 2020.