ISLAMABAD: Faced with severe criticism from political opponents and the public over undue delay in the implementation of FATA reforms, the government has decided to form a national level committee to speed up the implementation and the next Federal cabinet is likely to grant its approval in this regard.
The federal cabinet meeting scheduled to be held on December 26, 2017, is likely to grant its approval over conversion on FATA Reforms Committee into a Cabinet Level Implementation Committee and many other necessary agenda points, sources said on Friday.
The sources also said that the government has been taking cognizance of the matter by getting federal cabinet’s approval to constitute a national level committee to get the implementation of the reforms done amicably.
Federal cabinet meeting to be held under Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is set to take up 16 point agenda during December 26, meeting. The meeting will discuss in detail the agenda and is set to give necessary approval to the summaries of various divisions including the divisions of Cabinet, Interior, Law and Justice, National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, Religious Affairs and Inter-faith Harmony, Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resources Development, and Information and Broadcasting. The scheduled meeting of the federal cabinet also may take up any other item with permission of the Prime Minister.
According to the agenda of the upcoming federal cabinet meeting, the upcoming meeting will take up the summaries of cabinet division, seeking ratification to the decisions taken by the economic coordination committee (ECC) of the cabinet in its meeting held on 01-11-2017, 13-11-2017 and 28-11-2017. Similarly, a Cabinet Division’s summary will be presented in the meeting to get necessary ratification to the decisions taken by the cabinet committee on CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) in its meeting held on 09-11-2017 and 17-11-2017.
Similarly, “Permission in principle to sign the revised memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Ministry of Employment and Labor of the Republic of Korea on the sending and receiving of workers under the Employment Permit System,” said federal cabinet meeting’s agenda.
It was also learnt from the agenda of next cabinet meeting that the cabinet is likely to grant ex-post facto approval of policy directives issued to PEMRA to off-air and on-air of private TV news channels, while ratification of the Prevention Detention Orders and amendment in the schedule of FIA Act, 1974 will be sought during the meeting.
Available copy of the federal cabinet meeting’s agenda further transpire that a summary of Information and Broadcasting Division will be presented before the meeting for approval to the terms and conditions of service of chairman, Implementation Tribunal for Newspaper Employees (ITNE) and the appointment as Member Technical (BS-21) Customs Appellate Tribunal, Peshawar Bench, Bench-I, Lahore and Bench-I, Karachi.
Moreover, resignation of PIACL (Pakistan International Airlines Corporation Limited) Board Director Ali Suleman Habib, amendments in the guidelines of Prime Minister’s Global SDGs Achievement Programme and conversion of FATA (Federally administered tribal areas) Reforms Committee into Cabinet Level/National Implementation Committee will also be tabled before the meeting for necessary action, besides approval of Medical Devices Rules, 2017 in lieu of Rules, 2015 and Hajj Policy Plan, 2018.
Moreover, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Law Barrister Zafarullah Khan will give a presentation over the resolution No. 305 passed by the Senate during the course of the meeting.
