Electricity price increased by Rs2 per unit

ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet, headed by Minister for Finance Asad Umar, on Monday declared to lead a noteworthy crackdown on power robbery in the wake of favoring an expansion in power cost by Rs2 per unit.

The ECC additionally consented to separate all unlawful power associations inside three months. A choice to introduce prepaid electric meters was additionally taken. The board of trustees likewise made plans to make quick move against control segment defaulters, including services and government divisions.

The gathering concurred that power meters of those people, divisions and services or any private element will be separated on the off chance that they neglect to pay their bills for sequential three months. On the installment of their bills, they will be given prepaid meters. The ECC executive guided the Power Division to make strict lawful move against those authorities and people who are associated with control burglary and not to demonstrate any tolerance on the issue.

On the introduction of the unique review write about installment of round obligation of Rs480 billion paid by the keep going PML-N-drove government, the ECC coordinated to hold an operational and budgetary review of Discos. It was chosen that the Auditor General for Pakistan will finish the review of four most noteworthy misfortune influencing Discos in a single month's to time and the review of the whole part will be finished in two months after endorsement from the bureau.

The gathering got an introduction on the issue of roundabout obligation that has collected throughout the years to a strong total of Rs1,188 billion. The board of trustees was informed on the effect of Industrial Support Package, Azad Jammu Kashmir financed units, Balochistan farming tubewells, Fata receivables, and the effect of existing time slack on levy assurance system of the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra).

The ECC saw that the PML-N government had taken choice to end the arrangement of financed control supply to AJK in spending plan 2018 and the past government had likewise chosen to end the mechanical help bundle. The council chose to convey the actualities to the notice of the bureau.

The ECC additionally chose that to adapt up to the issue of urea manure deficiency in the nation. Three urea fabricating plants that are by and by non-operational will be provided RLNG for a time of four months beginning from September with 50 percent cost of RLNG being grabbed by the legislature and the adjust 50 percent by the particular assembling units. These plants will use their maximum capacity and the choice to import compost will be considered in the wake of taking their creation limit.

The ECC coordinated the Ministry of Industries and Production to exercise figures/information about real creation and utilization of the urea amid 2017-18 and the assessments for 2018-19, in discussion with the Ministry of National Food Security and Research and present a report thereof to the ECC in its next gathering. If there should be an occurrence of any deficiency in utilization of urea, the reasons may likewise be recognized in the report,

The service was solicited to encourage the operationalisation from three shut manure plants i.e. Fatimafert, Agritech and Pakarab (if there should be an occurrence of the last just to the degree of urea generation adding up to 8,000 tons for each month) on 100 percent RLNG for urea creation for four months (September-December 2018).

It was likewise coordinated to exercise add up to endowment affect on running of each of the three plants i.e. Fatimafert, Agritech and Pakarab on 100 percent RLNG with 50 percent of appropriation being borne by the administration while the rest of the 50 percent being gotten by the particular manure plants; and exercise the godsend gains procured by the compost business, in light of the net variable commitment edges, because of charging higher rates and fares amid 2017-18 and 2018-19.

The benefit increases might be balanced against the sponsorship remarkable for manure industry, under the compost endowment plans which were in vogue amid the former three money related years. The ECC additionally thought about the report on the issue of offer of K-Electric and issued bearings to the offices worried to detail their suggestions for CCOP.

PTI’s Arif Alvi elected 13th President of Pakistan

SLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) pioneer has been chosen thirteenth President of Pakistan, as indicated by informal and unsubstantiated outcome. Arif has gotten 320 appointive votes, Fazlur Rehman 159 and Aitzaz Ahsan 120 votes. As indicated by the consequences of National Assembly and Senate, Arif Alvi packed away 211 votes, Fazl 131 and Aitzaz 81 votes. An aggregate of 424 votes were balloted of these six were rejected. In the Sindh Assembly, out of aggregate of 158 votes, Aitzaz Ahsan stowed 100 votes while PTI hopeful Arif Alvi anchored 56. Two votes were rejected. PTI competitor Arif Alvi won from Balochistan anchoring 45 votes. Resistance competitor Fazl-ul-Rehman got 15 while PPP's Aitzaz Ahsan packed away zero votes. Arif Alvi won by anchoring 78 votes in KP Assembly, Fazl got 26 while Aitzaz got 5 votes. n Punjab 351 out of 354 administrators make their choice. Results from the Punjab Assembly are anticipated.
SLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) pioneer has been chosen thirteenth President of Pakistan, as indicated by informal and unsubstantiated outcome. Arif has gotten 320 appointive votes, Fazlur Rehman 159 and Aitzaz Ahsan 120 votes. As indicated by the consequences of National Assembly and Senate, Arif Alvi packed away 211 votes, Fazl 131 and Aitzaz 81 votes. An aggregate of 424 votes were balloted of these six were rejected. In the Sindh Assembly, out of aggregate of 158 votes, Aitzaz Ahsan stowed 100 votes while PTI hopeful Arif Alvi anchored 56. Two votes were rejected. PTI competitor Arif Alvi won from Balochistan anchoring 45 votes. Resistance competitor Fazl-ul-Rehman got 15 while PPP's Aitzaz Ahsan packed away zero votes. Arif Alvi won by anchoring 78 votes in KP Assembly, Fazl got 26 while Aitzaz got 5 votes. n Punjab 351 out of 354 administrators make their choice. Results from the Punjab Assembly are anticipated.
SLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) pioneer has been chosen thirteenth President of Pakistan, as indicated by informal and unsubstantiated outcome. Arif has gotten 320 appointive votes, Fazlur Rehman 159 and Aitzaz Ahsan 120 votes. As indicated by the consequences of National Assembly and Senate, Arif Alvi packed away 211 votes, Fazl 131 and Aitzaz 81 votes. An aggregate of 424 votes were balloted of these six were rejected. In the Sindh Assembly, out of aggregate of 158 votes, Aitzaz Ahsan stowed 100 votes while PTI hopeful Arif Alvi anchored 56. Two votes were rejected. PTI competitor Arif Alvi won from Balochistan anchoring 45 votes. Resistance competitor Fazl-ul-Rehman got 15 while PPP's Aitzaz Ahsan packed away zero votes. Arif Alvi won by anchoring 78 votes in KP Assembly, Fazl got 26 while Aitzaz got 5 votes. n Punjab 351 out of 354 administrators make their choice. Results from the Punjab Assembly are anticipated.
SLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) pioneer has been chosen thirteenth President of Pakistan, as indicated by informal and unsubstantiated outcome. Arif has gotten 320 appointive votes, Fazlur Rehman 159 and Aitzaz Ahsan 120 votes. As indicated by the consequences of National Assembly and Senate, Arif Alvi packed away 211 votes, Fazl 131 and Aitzaz 81 votes. An aggregate of 424 votes were balloted of these six were rejected. In the Sindh Assembly, out of aggregate of 158 votes, Aitzaz Ahsan stowed 100 votes while PTI hopeful Arif Alvi anchored 56. Two votes were rejected. PTI competitor Arif Alvi won from Balochistan anchoring 45 votes. Resistance competitor Fazl-ul-Rehman got 15 while PPP's Aitzaz Ahsan packed away zero votes. Arif Alvi won by anchoring 78 votes in KP Assembly, Fazl got 26 while Aitzaz got 5 votes. n Punjab 351 out of 354 administrators make their choice. Results from the Punjab Assembly are anticipated.

President Election

ISLAMABAD: Poling for the race of thirteenth leader of Pakistan was in progress at all the lawmaking bodies, which will proceed till 04:00 pm with no break. In light of the partition that the resistance gatherings and PPP have so far neglected to connect, Dr Arif Alvi will in all likelihood be chosen as the president.

The decision Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) with the help of its partnered parties has handled Karachi-based Dr Arif Alvi, while Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians' presidential competitor is Aitzaz Ahsan. JUI-Fazl's Maulana Fazlur Rehman is in the survey field for the sake of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and some other resistance gatherings.

It is accepted hosted the resistance gatherings possessed the capacity to handle a joint hopeful, they would have made a match against PTI's competitor. Be that as it may, the PPP, PML-N and different gatherings neglected to sink their disparities and this will be to the upside of Dr Alvi, who is destined to supplant PML-N's Mamnoon Hussain, whose five-year term closes on September 9.

Not at all like the PTI and PPPP, which effectively moved around to collect help for their separate competitors, the PML-N and other restriction parties were not seen much excited to battle for their candidate.PM arrives

PM Imran Khan landed in the gathering around 03:15pm to make his choice in the presidential race.

'Proficient and legit'

Clergyman for Information and Fawad Chaudhry said Arif Alvi is an intensive expert and fair individual and his responsibility with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and gathering's vision is without question.

'Notable race'

Aitzaz Ahsan named the present race as memorable in Pakistani political history. He was of the view that the decision of president involves satisfaction.

'Not sent for hibernation'

PTI's competitor Arif Alvi was appeared to be certain of his triumph in the present race. Conversing with media people upon his landing in the Parliament House, Alvi said this is a beginning of making of 'Naya Pakistan' and my gathering has not chosen me for the workplace to go in hibernation in the wake of being chosen.

Alvi said that he would center similarly around all unifying units for propelling improvement activities and needs for arrangement of fundamental luxuries to masses. "PTI emphatically has faith in fortifying vote based system," he included.

He said water emergency is posing a potential threat and it would need of the legislature to moderate water and advance systems for meeting the future water needs.

Voting

The voting will be held through mystery poll and out of a sum of 1,174 lawmakers, 1,121 can practice their entitlement to vote in the presidential decision. Up to 53 seats are empty while some returned applicants have not yet accepted pledge as legislators.

Boss Election Commissioner (CEC) Justice (retd) Sardar Muhammad Raza is the returning officer for the appointive exercise while the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has given voters records and ticket papers to the main judges of the four high courts, will's identity going about as directing officers. The main equity of Islamabad High Court will play out this obligation at the Parliament House.

Decision of the president is directed under Article 41 of the Constitution for a term of five years and the base age for a possibility to challenge the presidential race is 45 years. Surveying will start at 10:00am and proceed till 4:00pm.

Managing officers will report the consequences of the particular (surveying stations) lawmaking bodies, be that as it may, the last outcome will be made open by the main race chief.

PPP versus PML-N

In a gathering with Asif Ali Zardari on Monday night, Maulana Fazlur Rehman offered restrictive withdrawal from the presidential race for PPP applicant Aitzaz Ahsan just if PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif affirmed it, said sources.

"On the off chance that you accommodation the PML-N and Shahbaz Sharif, at that point I am prepared to pull back my candidature from the presidential race," sources cited Fazlur Rehman as telling Zardari amid the gathering, which was held here at the Zardari House.

They said the halt still perseveres as the PML-N president did not concur with the proposition for having Aitzaz Ahsan as the joint presidential applicant by the resistance.

Following the restrictive offer of Fazlur Rehman, the PPP designation left to hold a gathering with the PML-N. It would likewise meet Shahbaz on the off chance that he was in Islamabad to persuade him to help Aitzaz. The PPP assignment involved Syed Khursheed Shah and Senator Mian Raza Rabbani. Shahbaz Sharif has supposedly been firm on his position that the gathering won't vote in favor of Aitzaz.

Amid the gathering at the Zardari House, other than Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the JUI-F appointment had his child Maulana Asad Mehmood, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri and Senator Faiz Muhammad. The PPP appointment had Aitzaz Ahsan, Syed Khursheed Shah, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Senator Sherry Rehman and Qamar Zaman Kaira.

Amid the gathering, Fazlur Rehman said he was a competitor of the restriction parties while Aitzaz Ahsan was an applicant just of the PPP. Conversing with newsmen after the gathering with Fazlur Rehman, PPPP Secretary General Farhatullah Babar said the PPP won't pull back the candidature of Aitzaz Ahsan.

He said amid the gathering, Fazlur Rehman introduced his perspective. "We have disclosed to him that Aitzaz Ahsan is the best possibility for the presidential race," he said. He stated, "We have revealed to Maulana Fazlur Rehman that he was a middle person to persuade the PML-N and Shahbaz Sharif. Maulana Fazlur Rehman said he was an applicant of the restriction and the PPP needs to persuade the PML-N for help as he couldn't settle on a choice all alone."

Farhatullah Babar said the PPP has asked for Shahbaz Sharif for his help to Aitzaz Ahsan and is sitting tight for a positive reaction from him. He was cheerful that Aitzaz Ahsan could be the resistance's joint competitor if the PML-N concurs.

Preceding the gathering Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Zardari met BNP-Mengal Chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal to look for his help for Aitzaz. Aitzaz Ahsan, Syed Khursheed Shah, Raja Pervez Ashraf and Qamar Zaman Kaira went with Zardari amid the gathering. Mengal was joined by Senator Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldeni.

England's Cook to retire from international cricket after India series

The 33-year-old Essex left-hander is England's unsurpassed driving Test runscorer with 12,254 keeps running at 44.88 including 32 hundreds, while his keep running of 158 successive Test appearances is a world record.

However, the previous England skipper, who has played in 160 Tests altogether, has battled for runs as of late and midpoints a pitiful 18.92 from nine Tests this year.

"After much idea and thought in the course of the most recent couple of months I have chosen to declare my retirement from universal cricket toward the finish of this Test arrangement against India," said Cook in an England and Wales Cricket Board explanation.

"Despite the fact that it is a miserable day, I can do as such with a major grin all over knowing I have given everything and there is nothing left in the tank," he included.

"I have accomplished more than I could have ever envisioned and feel exceptionally special to have played for such quite a while close by a portion of the greats of the English diversion.

"The prospect of not sharing the changing area, once more, with a portion of my partners was the hardest piece of my choice, however I know the planning is correct."

Britain took an unassailable 3-1 lead in their five-coordinate arrangement against India with a 60-run win in the fourth Test at Southampton on Sunday.

The England selectors presently can't seem to declare their squad for the fifth Test at The Oval, which begins on Friday.

Yet, it would be a noteworthy shock if Cook was not permitted one final Test appearance preceding his worldwide retirement.
The 33-year-old Essex left-hander is England's unsurpassed driving Test runscorer with 12,254 keeps running at 44.88 including 32 hundreds, while his keep running of 158 successive Test appearances is a world record.

However, the previous England skipper, who has played in 160 Tests altogether, has battled for runs as of late and midpoints a pitiful 18.92 from nine Tests this year.

"After much idea and thought in the course of the most recent couple of months I have chosen to declare my retirement from universal cricket toward the finish of this Test arrangement against India," said Cook in an England and Wales Cricket Board explanation.

"Despite the fact that it is a miserable day, I can do as such with a major grin all over knowing I have given everything and there is nothing left in the tank," he included.

"I have accomplished more than I could have ever envisioned and feel exceptionally special to have played for such quite a while close by a portion of the greats of the English diversion.

"The prospect of not sharing the changing area, once more, with a portion of my partners was the hardest piece of my choice, however I know the planning is correct."

Britain took an unassailable 3-1 lead in their five-coordinate arrangement against India with a 60-run win in the fourth Test at Southampton on Sunday.

The England selectors presently can't seem to declare their squad for the fifth Test at The Oval, which begins on Friday.

Yet, it would be a noteworthy shock if Cook was not permitted one final Test appearance preceding his worldwide retirement.

Will discuss the $300m US 'payment' matter with Pompeo: Foreign Minister Qureshi

“Due to a lack of Pakistani decisive actions in support of the South Asia Strategy... $300m (actually $323.6m to include non-Pakistan funds) was reprogrammed by the Defense Department in the June/July 2018 time frame for other urgent priorities,” Lieutenant Colonel Kone Faulkner said in an email to AFP.

The US defence department “is awaiting a congressional determination on whether this reprogramming request will be approved or denied”, Faulkner said

Responding to the development, Qureshi, the newly appointed foreign minister of Pakistan, clarified that the payment, which the US is now considering scrapping, is in fact the support coalition fund.

"This is not an aid of any kind that can be suspended," he said. "This is actually the payment of expenses incurred by us during the war against terrorism."

The foreign minister said that to "rid the region and the world from terrorism is a joint effort, for which Pakistan has done a lot. The Pakistan Army and people have sacrificed a lot, which is why the positive thinking should be that all the measures that are for our joint goals should continue as is."

Qureshi said that the matter will be discussed with US Secretary of State Michael 

"We will sit with him, present our point of view and exchange ideas," he said. "We have several combined interest ... we will take our mutual respect for each other into consideration and move forward."

Pakistan has fought fierce campaigns against homegrown militant groups and has lost thousands of lives and spent billions of dollars in its long war on extremism.

But US officials accuse Islamabad of ignoring or even collaborating with groups that attack Afghanistan from alleged safe havens along the border between the two countries.

The White House believes that a Pakistani crackdown could be pivotal in deciding the outcome of the long-running war in Afghanistan.

US frustration boils over

President Donald Trump's predecessor Barack Obama authorised drone strikes on Pakistani soil and sent US commandos to kill Osama bin Laden in his Abbottabad hideout.

But Trump's aggressive language has especially angered Pakistani officials. “The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools,” Trump wrote on Twitter at the beginning of the year.

“They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!”

Pakistani leaders disputed the $33b figure, insisting that around half of the money relates to reimbursements, and the prime minister's office accused Trump of ignoring the great sacrifices the country has made to fight extremism.

In March, a senior US official said that Pakistan has “done the bare minimum to appear responsive to our requests,” and concerns over a lack of action by Islamabad against militant groups still persist.

Opposition in desperate bid to field joint presidential candidate

Maulana Fazl called on PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif at the latter’s Model Town residence here and reportedly asked him to help persuade the PPP leadership to withdraw its candidate in his favour. “Not withdrawing Mr Ahsan means giving a walkover to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf candidate Dr Arif Alvi like the PPP did in the election of prime minister,” the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) chief said.

The PPP also believes the if there were two opposition candidates. “We need to show maturity. Asif Ali Zardari is hopeful that Mr Ahsan will be the joint candidate of the opposition at the end of the day,” a PPP leader told reporters.

He told Dawn that there were chances that the PML-N and PPP leaders might meet to evolve a consensus on a joint opposition candidate. “Both sides — the PML-N and PPP — have not yet lost hope on reaching a consensus,” he said, adding that the PML-N was a bit disappointed that the PPP did not agree on the name of Maulana Fazl.

PML-N asks PPP to withdraw Aitzaz; PPP leaders may try to meet Nawaz today

“The Sharif brothers were of the view that since Maulana Fazl enjoyed good relations with the PPP leadership, Mr Zardari would support him for the presidential election. But Mr Zardari seems to have his own political cards to play, giving a surprise to the opposition,” he said.

After the meeting with Shahbaz Sharif, Maulana Fazl told reporters that he thanked the PML-N leadership for reposing trust in him and nominating him as a joint candidate of the opposition (except the PPP). “We — the PML-N and 10 other parties — will jointly contest this election. We will try our best to persuade the PPP leadership to withdraw its candidate in favour of the joint opposition candidate (Maulana Fazl),” he said.

Interestingly, Shahbaz Sharif did not accompany Maulana Fazl during his media talk, instead sent his son Hamza Shahbaz and PML-N hawk Khawaja Saad Rafique for the purpose.

Explaining why he could not withdraw in favour of the PPP candidate, the JUI-F chief said: “It is difficult for us — PML-N, five parties of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and five other parties — to withdraw our candidate. Instead it is quite easy for the PPP to withdraw its candidate.”

Reminding the PPP of its earlier ‘rigid’ stance during the election of the prime minister and Punjab chief minister, he said: “PPP benefited the PTI candidates in the election of the prime minister and chief minister by abstaining from voting. This attitude is not even good for PPP’s politics. I ask the PPP leadership to only consider me as a joint candidate for the slot of president because it is the only way to keep the opposition intact.”

Maulana Fazl said he was considered a solution to the opposition’s problem in the presidential poll. “All opposition parties have seen a solution to this problem (joint candidate of opposition) in me. The PPP should also realise that when it comes to protest, torture, and going to jail, I am acceptable to the PPP, but when it comes to the presidential election, I am not acceptable to it... that should not happen. I ask the PPP to accept me as a joint candidate as a lot depends in this decision on the future of the joint opposition,” he said and warned that the opposition might remain in disarray if it did not have a consensus candidate.

Hamza Shahbaz said: “Fazlur Rehman is the joint candidate of opposition and we will try to take other parties, including PPP, on board.”

Saad Rafique said if the opposition remained divided on a consensus candidate, Asif Zardari and the PPP would be responsible for this. “The PPP should not do what it had done in the election of the prime minister. We appeal to the PPP to withdraw its candidate in favour of Maulana Fazlur Rehman as he has a long political struggle,” he said.

Punjab PPP president Qamar Zaman Kaira told a press conference here on Sunday: “We’d tried to meet Nawaz Sharif in Adiala jail as per desire of PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif to [formally] seek his support for Aitzaz Ahsan as opposition’s joint candidate in the presidential vote but could not for reasons that might not be disclosed right now.”

Mr Kaira, former opposition leader in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah, Chaudhry Manzoor, MPA Hasan Murtaza and other PPP leaders were accompanying Aitzaz Ahsan during his visit to the Punjab capital for his electioneering.

Ruling alliance’s nominee Arif Alvi had already visited Lahore on Friday and Saturday with regard to his election campaign.

A PML-N leader claims that the PPP leaders are ready to meet Nawaz Sharif in the accountability court on Monday (today) if the N-League requires so and the JUI-F chief withdraws from the presidential contest.

Mr Kaira held the media responsible for “speculating” Mr Ahsan as the PPP nominee, leading to a rift among opposition parties on the joint candidate issue.

“In our internal consultations, we’ve in fact suggested and not declared Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan as our candidate like other [opposition] parties prepared their own suggestions. But a TV channel through its tickers began presenting him as our final selection and the impression is refusing to go notwithstanding our repeated denials,” he regretted.

In reply to a question about PML-N Senator Pervaiz Rashid’s statement that Mr Ahsan should seek forgiveness from the Sharifs for his outburst against them, Mr Kaira said the PPP didn’t commit the sins requiring forgiveness and that if the trend was set then each and every party would have to seek forgiveness from the PPP for their statements and actions against its leadership in the past. He said the N-League too had distanced itself from Mr Rashid’s ‘dictatorial’ remarks.

Mr Kaira said he didn’t believe the PML-N leadership would resort to quid pro quo in the presidential poll for the PPP had not voted for Shahbaz Sharif in the prime ministerial election. He told a questioner that there existed no opposition alliance and the agreement among the opposition parties was on jointly working on the one point — exposing rigging in the July 25 elections.

Tweaking the Punjab budget to achieve SDGs

The research report, Identification of Financial Requirements to Achieve the SDGs in Punjab, was released by the Punjab Economic Research Institute (PERI) earlier this year.

It estimates that if future provincial budget allocations in the social sector remain akin to previous trends then, on average, Rs7.5tr of public spending will be required to halve poverty; Rs5.3tr to achieve all healthcare targets; Rs393 billion to meet the education target; Rs201bn for providing safe drinking water services and Rs320bn for sanitation facilities by 2030. 

In all, there are 17 goals and 169 targets in the SDGs intended to be achieved by 2030. But owing to unavailability of data and financial constraints, the PERI study appraises only four goals, 13 targets and some specific indicators of these goals that are integral to the global sustainable development agenda for 2030.

Dr Mumtaz Anwar, former PERI director who is now teaching economics at the Punjab University, told Dawn that the study should be taken only as a preliminary and foundational exercise providing austere estimates. The study to assess the financial requirements to achieve the remaining SDG goals, targets and indicators is yet to be ordered.

“This research study was based on the data sourced from the provincial government and had been carried out in order to give the international donors an idea of the size of the investments the province needs to make for achieving the global sustainable development agenda. When the requirements are clearly known, the donors do not hesitate to pour their money to achieve the goals,” Dr Anwar said.

“The other purpose was to enable the provincial government to streamline its investments and align them to the sustainable goals. (Most of the time) the government’s investments and development spending are not oriented to achieve specific targets. The assessment of financial resources for attaining the SDG goals in the province will allow the authorities to align their budget with those sustainable development targets.”

The global post-2015 development agenda provides a major opportunity to Pakistan, particularly Punjab, to fully realise the goal of eradicating poverty. While Pakistan as a whole couldn’t meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 owing to ineffective governance and financial constraints, the performance of Punjab on six out of 25 goals was much better compared to other provinces.

The SDGs are quite ambitious as they require substantial financial resources. “…the availability and efficient allocation of financial resources are crucial to achieve the SDGs,” the authors of the report, PERI sociologist Uzooba Hureem and research fellow Asima Ihsan, write. “Therefore, the primary objective of the report is to evaluate the financial capacity of the Punjab government to meet the global development agenda.”

For this purpose, the study appraises the trajectory of financial resources devoted to the social sector from 2010 to 2017. On the basis of the current trends, the financial resources needed to augment different arenas in the social sector like poverty, education, health, and the water, sanitation, and hygiene programme have been identified, and the importance of relevant government policies and programmes designed in alignment with the SDGs highlighted.

The universal set of 2030 development sustainable goals, targets and indicators covers three dimensions: social, economic and environmental. These are also known as the three main pillars of sustainable development. The goals demand reconsideration of development procedures, substantial financial resources and significant investments in important areas identified in the framework of the SDGs.

The study recommends that it should be considered as an initial step in the financial assessment of SDGs in Punjab and warns that the actual financial requirements can be higher. It calls upon the government to improve financial governance and capacity to spend the available resources to generate the outcomes.

It is pertinent here to mention that the Punjab Economic Report 2017 had described the rising population of the province as one of the biggest challenges to achieving the sustainable development goals.

The latest census puts the Punjab population at 110m, which is estimated to grow beyond 125m by 2025. It said the public investment programme of $5bn isn’t sufficient to meet the needs of the rapidly growing population of the province and can only be used as a catalyst.

The report pointed out that the development of trade channels, energy corridors and associated businesses under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, revival of historic trade routes for better regional integration, and enhanced export competitiveness under the GSP Plus were some of the low-hanging fruits the government was trying to grab by tweaking its policies to encourage the private sector to participate in the effort to achieve SDGs.

Yaqoob Shaikh’s journey from JUI-F to PTI

PESHAWAR: As he heads for another likely defeat in the election for the President of Pakistan on September 4, the JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rahman could be on course to completing a hat-trick of losses in the election year 2018.

However, far more painful than the presidential polls loss would continue to be his defeat from two National Assembly constituencies in his native Dera Ismail Khan in the July 25 general election. Of the two losses, the one at the hands of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s Mohammad Yaqoob Shaikh was striking as the winner had been a member of his party for eight years until the recent past.

The 57-year old Yaqoob Shaikh had twice contested election for the Senate from the JUI-F platform and lost narrowly. He had joined the JUI-F in 2011 after starting friendship with lawmaker Maulana Lutfur Rahman, the younger brother of Maulana Fazlur Rahman.

“I conveyed to the Maulana brothers that I want to contest election for the National Assembly from the NA-39 constituency. I had a feeling they won’t let me contest. In the end though, they didn’t give me an answer and I went ahead and contested the polls on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf ticket,” Yaqoob Sheikh recalled while talking to The News.

Yaqoob Shaikh easily won the seat, polling 79,334 votes against 52,031 obtained by Maulana Fazlur Rahman, the head of the five-party religio-political alliance, Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA).

His victory by a margin of 27,302 votes was termed as an upset, but Yaqoob Shaikh argued that he was hopeful of success. “I had been campaigning in the constituency for three months while Maulana Fazlur Rahman started his campaign 12 days before the polling date as he and his party wasn’t sure if the election would be held. Also, he hadn’t realized that the electorate had started hating him due to his kind of politics and for ignoring the needs of the voters,” he argued.

Yaqoob Shaikh, who is a businessman, claimed he would have won by a bigger margin if the PTI candidate for the provincial assembly constituency Sardar Ikramullah Gandapur had not lost his life in a suicide attack during the election campaign. “Our voters in the Kulachi area to which Sardar Ikramullah belonged were upset, the provincial assembly election was postponed and many didn’t vote in the National Assembly polls in which I was the candidate. I estimated that I could have obtained another 10,000 to 12,000 votes,” he argued.

He said he lost another 8,401 votes because an independent candidate Qaizar Khan, brother of Sardar Umar Farooq Miankhel had been given ‘kulfi’ (frozen dairy dessert or local ice-cream) as an election symbol which resembled the PTI’s ‘bat’ and many confused Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf supporters voted for him. He said Qaizar Khan had withdrawn

from the electoral contest quite late and his name and symbol was printed on the ballot paper.

Yaqoob Shaikh admitted that he wasn’t an old member of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, but had a clear vision like Imran Khan of serving the people, commitment to the party cause and hatred for fraud and lies in politics.

“My political base is social work. I started my politics from union council level and later won a seat in the District Council Dera Ismail Khan. I built grassroots network due to my work for the deprived sections of the population,” he said.

He recalled building tubewells to provide safe drinking water to communities, extending healthcare services and giving jobs to the needy as some of his welfare activities in Dera Ismail Khan.

When reminded of his promise to provide 4,000 jobs to people of his constituency, Yaqoob Shaikh said he stood by his commitment and would accommodate them not only in his private industrial units, but also persuade industrialists known to him to invest in Dera Ismail Khan. “This includes 1,100 direct jobs in my power plant and steel and sugar mills. A textile unit can provide 3,500 jobs. There will also be creation of indirect jobs and generation of economic activities,” he said. “The Sapphire group has plans to set up a cement plant and sugar mills. Dera Ismail Khan would become an industrial hub and being on the CPEC route it would have highways going up to Wana and also railway track,” he added.

Yaqoob Shaikh pointed out that the Chashma Right Bank lift-cum-gravity canal project would irrigate about 280,000 hectares of land in Dera Ismail Khan, making the district the granary of the province.

“The federal government had promised to provide 65 percent of the funds and the KP government the remaining 35 percent. The project must be completed for the prosperity of Dera Ismail Khan and the province,” he stressed.

Yaqoob Shaikh’s family belongs to Abakhel in Lakki Marwat district, but it shifted to Dera Ismail Khan about 300 years ago.

He did his MBA from Gomal University in Dera Ismail Khan and then spent the next 31 years in Karachi as he worked at the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation and then a brokerage firm. About 17 years ago, he founded his private firm that acquired refrigerated containers to transport fruit, vegetables, frozen meat and chicken as part of the transit trade to Afghanistan and Central Asian countries. He did well and made plans to establish industrial units and also enter politics.