Tag Archives: Sindh

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More than 20 Sindh officials were trained in int’l HR reporting | Instant News


KARACHI: More than 20 government officials received a two-day training on the “Pakistan International Human Rights Reporting Obligation” organized by the EU-funded ‘Promotion of Human Rights in Pakistan (Huqooq-e-Pakistan)’ Project. The training was held at the Sindh Scout Headquarters, Karachi.

The training session was opened by the Secretary for Human Rights Sindh Parvez Ahmed Seehar and aims to increase the technical and operational capacity of the officials of the Sindh Human Rights Department and the Sindh Treaty Implementation Cell in reporting and implementing Pakistan’s international human rights commitments. Training modules and manuals were designed and delivered under the leadership of Executive Director HeP Ali Dayan Hasan.

Sindh HR Secretary Seehar praised the efforts made by the Huqooq-e-Pakistan project in developing a leading human rights training and capacity building program for Pakistan. He stated that this training would assist in equipping the department with the necessary prerequisite information in fulfilling their mandate with regard to international human rights reporting.

Seehar also announced that the Sindh Government, with its leading department, would develop the first provincial human rights policy of Sindh in collaboration with the HeP. HeP Executive Director Ali Dayan Hasan stated that the training program will ensure that the training reflects Pakistani realities and perspectives, including differences in the provincial context.

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The three health facilities must remain with Sindh, said the JPMC board member | Instant News



Mushtaq Chhapra, one of four members of the board of governors (BoG) set up by the federal government to oversee the affairs of the Jinnah Graduate Medical Center (JPMC), has signaled to withdraw from the BoG if a tug-of-war between the federal and provincial governments over control of the JPMC and two hospitals another in Karachi continues.

He also stated that the other two council members could also quit if the conflict was not resolved. Speaking to The News on Friday, Chhapra, a philanthropist, said he and two other board members believed that Karachi’s three health facilities – JPMC, the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) and the National Institute of Children’s Health (NICH)) – should stay under control. province. “We are not political people and we just joined the board of governors set up by the national health services ministry to upgrade health facilities at JPMC. If the tug of war over JPMC control between the federal and provincial governments continues, the three of us, including me [Chhapra], Mrs. Ronaq Lakhani and Irfan Daudi, can resign from the ranks of governors, “he said.

Not a single meeting of the four members of the Board of Commissioners has yet been held although it has been scheduled three times since March when the board was formed.

The BoG was created under the Medical Teaching Institute Act by the federal ministry of national health services. Its members include Chhapra, philanthropist Ronaq Lakhani, consultant surgeon Dr Muhammad Irfan Daudi and Rashid Khan, a businessman. Due to the Sindh government’s rejection of the federal government’s decision to form the BoG, three council meetings scheduled for the election of its chairman have been canceled.

Responding to the BoG constitution, Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho wrote a letter to the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) for Health Dr Faisal Sultan, offering that the provincial government could continue to manage and operate the JPMC, NICVD and NICH through an agreement with the federal government.

Chhapra, who heads the Patient Aid Foundation (PAF) at JPMC, stated that they do not expect a strong reaction from the employees and the Sindh government to the federal government’s move to run JPMC through the BoG. He added that he had realized that the JPMC, NICVD and NICH had to remain under provincial control as they functioned effectively.

“The Sindh government has spent more than 100 billion rupees running this facility since 2011 and it has been transformed into a patient-centered health facility. The provincial government is justified in demanding that they be able to run these facilities better than the federal government, “he said.

Commenting on the recent statement from the Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali in which he claimed that Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed his wish to solve the three hospital problems as the Sindh government wishes when the former took on the matter during a recent meeting. Chhapra’s Joint Interest Council (CCI) said he believed sanity would prevail and decisions would be made in the best interests of hundreds of thousands of patients from the three facilities.

“I personally believe that at the direction of PM Imran, the federal law minister and the prime minister’s special assistant can provide some solutions to this problem in which these health facilities can continue to function smoothly under provincial control,” Chhapra said.

When asked why he decided to become a member of the federal government-formed BoG, he said he and his fellow councilmen wanted only to upgrade the health facilities at JPMC where thousands of people not only come from all over Pakistan but other countries as well. to seek quality treatment.

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Sindh forms a committee for the resettlement of victims of the Karachi nullah operation | Instant News


The Sindh government has set up a working committee for the rehabilitation and resettlement of families displaced in anti-encroachment operations on rainwater channels in Karachi.

The working committee is chaired by Commissioner Karachi Navid Ahmed Shaikh. It will also have a deputy commissioner, a KMC city commissioner, one senior official each from KDA, MDA and LDA and DMC, a technical expert and two members of civil society.

The committee will prepare a working paper containing recommendations and suggestions from all members. It will complete the recommendation within four weeks of feedback from all members.

The working committee will thoroughly examine the case and recommend the resettlement and rehabilitation of affected families.

The working committee has formed two review committees. The I-Review Committee will be chaired by Amber Alibhai, general secretary of Shehri Citizens for a Better Environment.

The Review Committee-II will be chaired by City Commissioner KMC Afzal Zaidi.

Review Committee-I will indicate the affected areas. It will collect details of affected families in a transparent manner, preserve and compile records with the assistance of technical experts, and hand it over to the government.

Review Committee-II will finalize its recommendations after receiving reports from Review Committee-I and members of the Revenue Council and other landowning institutions. After completing its recommendations, it will submit a report to the Karachi commissioner.

The resettlement committee will act on the reports of the two review committees.

However, Shehri-CBE Secretary General Amber Alibhai told SAMAA Digital that she has not decided to be part of the review committee. Shehri-CBE has a board and its members will make the final decision on this, he said.

He said officials approached Shehri-CBE and asked him to be part of an important meeting at the Karachi Commissioner Building about anti-encroachment operations on the Karachi aqueduct. “I have forwarded the government’s proposal to the Shehri-CBE council for a final decision,” Alibhai said.

“We are not involved in anything that is not under our command,” he told SAMAA Digital. “We have to make sure we don’t get used to other people’s advantages.”

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Sindh to align property rates for Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur with FBR | Instant News


The Sindh government has enacted laws to align property rates in Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur with the valuation table issued by the Federal Revenue Council, Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah said Friday.

The chief minister announced this at a meeting with World Bank Country Director Mr Najy Binhussin via video link from CM House.

In July 2019, FBR issued assessment tables for 21 cities in Pakistan, including three Sindh cities, for the collection of Capital Gains Tax. The following table describes the rates subject to property tax.

The scoring tables for Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur are aligned with the FBR table, said CM Shah. The revision will affect the taxes paid on property in these cities.

There are two types of taxes you pay on property transactions: federal and provincial. These taxes are further divided into more categories. Federal taxes include Capital Gains Tax (charged to the sale of property) and Advances Tax (charged to the purchase of property).

Related: How much tax should you pay on property?

Provincial taxes include Capital Value Tax, registration fees and stamp duty (all three apply to buying property). This tax is charged at the minimum property rate, which has been determined by the FBR. The appraisal rate differs from one area to another and the type of property you own, such as residential open plots, built residential properties, commercial open plots, commercial built properties, industrial open plots and built-up properties, flats or apartments. You can find details on the FBR website.

The FBR’s revised assessment came after the IMF and FATF called Pakistan’s real estate business a system for converting black people’s money to white. Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur are part of the revised valuation table, but federal and Sindh government rates are different. These rates are now being aligned.

On a resilient institution for a sustainable economy, the chief minister said that Sindh had become one of the first provinces to prepare a draft Fiscal Responsibility Law. It includes a Medium-Term Fiscal Framework (MTFF) and periodic updates to the MTFF throughout the year, limits on expenditure growth and the fiscal deficit, he said. The bill has been filed in the assembly.

Regarding the problem of encroachment, CM Shah said that a Resettlement and Rehabilitation Framework would be developed before eliminating encroachment in the province.

The meeting discussed various Karachi projects launched with World Bank assistance to review their progress and streamline their funding.

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The opposition is demanding a pre-budget hearing of the Sindh Assembly | Instant News


KARACHI:

Opposition members in the Sindh Assembly claimed on Thursday that the Pakistan People’s Party-led Sindh government avoided holding pre-budget sessions of the provincial assembly to hide its own shortcomings.

Pakistani Parliament Leader Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Bilal Ghaffar, assembly member Arsalan Taj, Shehzad Qureshi, Dr Sanjay Gangwani and other members held a joint press conference at the Sindh Assembly.

Bilal Ghaffar said, based on Regulation No. 143 of the assembly, it is clear that there must be a pre-budget hearing in the DPR. This session should be held between January and March during which all provincial members inform the incumbent government of their budget proposals, schemes and district issues.

At least five sessions were held for pre-budget discussions, however, March was over but the Sindh government did not call for the sessions. “We ask that the pre-budget hearing be called,” said Ghaffar.

Criticizing the ruling party in the province, he said there is a dictatorial government in Sindh. They did not even share the Pakistan Auditor General Revenue report with the MPA. Does the Sindh government want to hide its mistakes in the last two years, said Ghaffar.

He said according to a World Bank report released on March 31, Karachi is one of the 10 least developed cities in the world. The report states that the city needs $ 10 billion to make it habitable, he said referring to the ‘Fact Sheet: World Bank Involvement in Karachi’.

Read: Merchants looking for an out-of-the-box solution within a budget

Tell me the state

According to Ghaffar, among other things, a World Bank report states that 50 percent of metropolitan city residents do not have access to drinking water, half of the population lives in slum settlements, and 60 percent of solid waste is left on the streets and roads.

Karachi currently ranks among the bottom 10 cities in the world in terms of habitability, according to the 2019 Global Habitability Index. Metro Karachi performs poorly on all city service indicators and on all livability, health, environment, safety and education dimensions. .

He stated: “The water and sewage network only meets about half of the city’s needs. As a result, water is available for only a few hours per day. Most of the waste is discharged into the sea untreated.”

Public areas have been lost and the city cannot face any natural disaster, Ghaffar quoted the report as saying.

He said the report was an independent analysis of 13 years of PPP regulations in cities and provinces. The World Bank says it has provided more than Rs150 billion for various projects in Karachi since 2017, but there has been no progress on the ground.

Read more: Withholding tax for the telecommunications sector in the upcoming budget

‘PDM is messy’

Meanwhile, Pakistani Vice President Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Opposition Leader in the Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh in a video statement on Thursday said the opposition in the Center made big claims to overthrow the government but had fallen on its own.

Today the PDM leaders are attacking each other, he said. He said that 2021 proved to be a year of development for the country. Today, Pakistan’s exports have increased, and the stock market is at its highest.

“Inflation is down compared to last year and the rupee has also strengthened against the dollar,” he said highlighting the achievements of the PTI government.

Consumer sentiment is improving as seen from the highest number of vehicles sold in March 2021. The Federal Board of Revenue has met tax targets due to government policies that show increased taxpayer confidence, he said, adding that the business world is paying taxes, whereas in the past, they didn’t pay taxes thinking the thief was going to eat up all the money.

Haleem further said that the PPP government in Sindh had taken away basic facilities from the community. “There is an urgent need to find a vaccine even for the corrupt Sindh rulers.”

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