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notification – Profit by Pakistan Today

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Tag: notification

CAA extends travel restrictions for visitors to Pakistan till March 14

ISLAMABAD: The Civil Aviation Authority on Saturday issued a notification stating that instructions issued on December 31, 2020, regarding standard operating procedures to be followed by all inbound travellers to Pakistan have been extended till March 14.

The category list of countries from which visitors seek to travel to Pakistan will also remain in effect till March 14, the CAA said.

An updated list of countries, classified under categories A, B and C was also shared by the aviation authority. According to the list, Category A countries “do not require Covid-19 PCR test before entry into Pakistan”. These countries — 24 in all — include Australia, China, Iraq, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore.

Travel from Category C countries to Pakistan is restricted and “only allowed as per guidelines of NCOC (National Command and Operations Centre)”, said CAA, adding that restrictions specified in a January 29 notice for Category C countries will remain effective till March 14.

These countries are 15 in number and include South Africa, United Kingdom, Ireland, and The Netherlands.

In the notice dated January 29, CAA had said that only the following people from Category C countries are allowed to travel to Pakistan, as long as they have a negative PCR test — one that was conducted 72 hours prior at the most: Pakistani passport holders holding a valid visa from a category C country; Pakistani NICOP holders; Pakistan Origin Card (POC) holders; and diplomatic passport holders of Category C countries and their families

Any passengers from Category C countries falling under any of the above-mentioned criteria or having stayed in a Category C country within the last 10 days prior to travel to Pakistan “may also be subjected to additional stipulations as specified by the relevant Health Authorities upon arrival in Pakistan”, the notice added.

All countries not listed in Category A or C fall under Category B. Travellers from these countries coming to Pakistan require a negative Covid-19 PCR test which must have been taken 72 hours before travel at the most.

27/02/2021
Petrol price increased by Rs3 per litre

The government on Tuesday increased the price of petrol by Rs3 per litre.

According to the Finance Division notification, a litre of petrol would now be sold at Rs103.69.

Meanwhile, the price of high-speed diesel has been increased by Rs3 to Rs108.44 per litre, while that of kerosene oil has been hiked by Rs5 to Rs70.29 a litre.

The new prices will be effective from 12am on Wednesday.

15/12/2020
Pak-China Khunjerab border to open tomorrow for 10 days

Pak-China border crossing at Khunjerab Pass will be opened tomorrow (Tuesday) for 10 days.

According to an official notification, the border is being opened to evacuate stranded containers from China to Gilgit-Baltistan. Tourists will not be allowed to travel through border crossing during this period, it added.

“Only loaded and stranded containers of traders and containers carrying hydropower machinery of a power house in Hunza district will enter into Pakistan during these 10 days,” the notification read. “No container will go to China from Pakistan and all Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) will be strictly observed during the trade.”

At 5,000 meters above sea level, the Khunjerab border post is the highest paved international crossing in the world, a major trade route between China and Pakistan, and an important gateway to South Asia and Europe. China mainly imports textiles, agricultural products and daily commodities through the pass, besides exporting plants and herbs.

The border outpost on the Karakoram Highway usually remains open for trade and travel from May till November-end every year, after which it closes for almost five months in winter. But Pakistani containers have now been stranded in China since December 2019, when the border closed for the winter months, following which all frontiers, including Khunjerab, were indefinitely closed to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

China News Network reported in December 2019 that cargo import and export had reached 66,600 tonnes during 2019 at Khunjerab Pass in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, up 46.8pc from the year before.

14/12/2020
Naeem Bokhari appointed as PTV board chairman

Renowned anchorperson and lawyer Shahzada Naeem Bokhari has been appointed as an independent director and chairperson of the Pakistan Television Corporation’s (PTV) Board, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Monday.

“Pursuant to the provisions of Section 166 of the Companies Act, 2017, the Federal Government is pleased to appoint Shahzada Naeem Bokhari as Independent Director of Pakistan Television Corporation Board,” the notification read. “The government has also approved Bokhari’s nomination as Chairman, PTVC Board in line with the Pakistan Television Corporation’s Memorandum & Article of Association (Article 95/95A).”

“The Chairman shall, unless he resigns earlier, hold office for a period of 3 years. The Board of Directors, PTVC is directed to ratify his nomination as Chairman,” the notification said.

In September 2020, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had declared the appointment of PTV chairman Arshad Khan and independent directors on the state broadcaster’s board as illegal in a verdict issued by Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani.

According to a Profit report published last week, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had suggested the federal cabinet to keep the composition of the PTVC Board to eight members, with three independent members. The ministry also forwarded a panel of nine candidates against the positions of three independent directors.

In addition, the ministry proposed the name of Naeem Bokhari for the PTVC board chairman’s slot.

Other candidates for independent members included Muhammad Ayaz Kalyar, Aamir Malik, Syed Waseem Raza, Syed Sajjad Hasan Jafri and Arshad Hasan, Asghar Nadeem Syed, Faisal Qureshi and Ayesha Tammy Haq.

Age relaxation for Shahzada Naeem Bokhari, who is over 65 years of age, was also sought by the info ministry.

23/11/2020
Imported sugar to be sold at Rs83.5 per kg in Lahore markets

LAHORE: The district administration of Lahore has issued a notification to sell imported sugar at Rs83.5 per kg in the markets, stating that the imported sugar will not be sold on a commercial basis or to wholesalers.

Lahore Deputy Commissioner Mudassar Riaz confirmed the above-mentioned notification on Tuesday.

“This sugar will be given to retailers while keeping a regular record of the sold sugar. The rate list of imported sugar will be displayed prominently. Imported sugar will be sold at Rs81.5 per kg in the Sahulat Bazars, Rs2 less than the general market. All price control magistrates have been directed to implement the notification immediately,” the DC said.

The decision of the district administration has been welcomed by the public and it is hoped that the availability of low-priced sugar in the markets would now be ensured.

Akhtar Ali, a resident of Allama Iqbal Town, lauded the government for importing sugar to overcome the sugar crisis, but questioned the continuity of its availability to the shopkeepers and general public.

“The government claims to supply and sell low priced food items at utility stores, but in reality these items are often not available at these stores. The district administration will also have to keep a check on the supply chain of sugar,” Akhtar said.

Expressing his apprehensions, Amir Hussain, a resident of Sabzazar, said instead of giving cheap sugar to the people, the commodity would be sold to wholesalers after which it would be made available in the market at higher rates.

“The government must take special steps to ensure that imported sugar is supplied for domestic use only and is not allowed to be stored,” he said.

03/11/2020
DRAP notifies hike in prices of 94 life-saving drugs

About a month after the federal cabinet announced to allow pharmaceutical companies to increase prices of 94 lifesaving medicines to end their chronic shortage in the market, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) on Wednesday issued a notification in this regard.

Reportedly, the medicines that would witness price hikes included furosemide injections for emergency use in high blood pressure cases; acetazolamide tablets for glaucoma; hydralazine tablets to lower blood pressure and carbamazepine tablets for epilepsy.

According to an earlier statement issued by the Ministry of Health, the designated maximum retail prices would remain in place until June 30, 2021.

The government had in September announced that prices were increased only on drugs that were in the “hardship category,” as recommended by the Drug Pricing Committee under the Drugs Pricing Policy, 2018.

The “hardship category” is a clause that allows increasing medicine prices for a company that stops the manufacturing of medicines by claiming its production has become non-viable due to the high cost of production.

28/10/2020
Raoof Hasan appointed SAPM on information

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has appointed Raoof Hasan as his Special Assistant on Information and Broadcasting.

According to a notification issued by the Cabinet Division on Friday, Raoof Hasan has been appointed as special assistant to the prime minister on information in an honorary capacity.

Hassan is the brother of former senior bureaucrat and former principal secretary to PM Fawad Hassan Fawad. He has been appointed the new SAPM on information following the resignation of Lt Gen (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa from the post on October 12.

23/10/2020
DRAP notifies up to 35pc hike in prices of 253 medicines

LAHORE: The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) on Monday increased prices of 253 medicines by up to 22 to 35 per cent.

A notification in this regard has been issued by the regulatory body. This is the second increase in the prices of medicines in a month.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Drug Lawyers Forum (PDLF) President Noor Mohammad Mahar has demanded the federal government to take back the hike in medicine prices.

On September 24, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Faisal Sultan had said that the recent hike in prices of 94 essential life-saving drugs by DRAP was ‘inevitable’ to ensure availability of the medicines.

Dr Faisal Sultan, while talking to the media in Islamabad, had said that a ‘reasonable increase’ was made in prices of 94 essential drugs by the DRAP. Pharmaceutical companies usually stop production of some medicines if prices are not increasing, he had said, adding a halt in production by the pharmaceutical companies creates a shortage of drugs across the country.

19/10/2020
Power Division notifies up to Rs2.89 per unit increase in K-Electric tariff

ISLAMABAD: Electricity consumers of K-Electric will bear up to Rs2.89 per unit hike as the Power Division has issued a notification to this effect.

According to the Power Division’s notification, “In pursuance of sub-section (7) 31 of the Regulation of Generation, Transmission and Distribution of Electric Power Act, 1997, the federal government is pleased to notify the adjustment in the approved tariff on account of quarterly adjustment with effect from September 1, 2020, as determined and recommended by National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA).”

It is pertinent to mention that the federal cabinet’s Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), while contemplating a summary moved by the Power Division for the rationalization of eleven quarterly adjustments of KE from July 2016 to March 2019, had approved up to Rs2.89 per unit increase in the entity’s tariff from September 1, 2020. A subsidy of Rs4.7 billion was also provided to the entity on account of tariff differential.

With this increase, the KE tariff will be at par with other power distribution companies (DISCOs).

“The average tariff of K-Electric has now increased to Rs15.70/unit from Rs12.81/unit, which is equivalent to the tariff of the other DISCOs of the country,” an insider informed.

Sources said the ECC had earlier approved the hike in KE tariff on July 3, 2020, however, the decision was not endorsed by the federal cabinet and the implementation of tariff increase did not happen ostensibly due to power load shedding, as desired by some members of the federal cabinet.

This tariff hike was pending for the last three years, said sources.

12/10/2020
Zainulabideen Qureshi notified as OGRA member oil

ISLAMABAD: The Cabinet Division on Thursday issued a notification for the appointment of Zainulabideen Qureshi as Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) Member-Oil for a period of three years.

“In terms of Section 3 (8) (b) of OGRA Ordinance, 2002, the federal government is pleased to appoint Zainulabideen Qureshi as Member (Oil) in the OGRA for a period of three years with immediate effect and until further orders,” said the notification issued on Thursday.

Qureshi first headed the oil department of OGRA in 2007, and for the last 13 years, has been working with OGRA in different capacities. He last served as the senior executive director at OGRA.

He holds Masters’ degrees in chemical engineering and business administration and enjoys 16 years of experience in managerial positions.

According to sources, the qualification required for the positions of OGRA member and chairman is the same; a person who is eligible for post of Member is also eligible for the post of chairman. However, the Cabinet Division had recently proposed massive difference in the salaries of OGRA members and chairman, which may affect the working of OGRA.

Sources said the Cabinet Division had requested the federal cabinet to fix the salary of OGRA chairman under a special pay scale instead of the salary of MP-I scale.

“Salary of an OGRA member was Rs600,000 while Cabinet Division has recommended the federal cabinet to raise the salary to Rs1.5 million per month,” a insider said.

It is pertinent to mention that the Cabinet Division had started the procedure for selection of the OGRA member oil in January 2020, as advertisement in this regard was published on 19th Jan 2020. As many as 18 applications were received by the Cabinet Division within the due date (3rd Feb 2020).

The PM had constituted a selection committee under Adviser to PM on Accountability and Interior Mirza Shahzad Akbar to recommend a panel for the post of OGRA member oil. After thorough examination of credentials and detailed interviews, the committee recommended three candidates in order of merit for appointment against the post for a period of three years.

The candidates included Zainulabideen Qureshi, Ziaul Haq Mirza and Asim Niazi.

The position of OGRA’s member oil was lying vacant since 16th May 2020, following to competition of previous member’s tenure.

01/10/2020
Diesel price cut by Rs2.4 per litre; petrol rate remains unchanged

The government has decided that there will be no increase in the price of petrol for next 15 days.

According to a notification issued by the Prime Minister Office, the price of high speed diesel (HSD) has been reduced by Rs2.40 per litre.

On Tuesday, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) had recommended reducing the petrol prices in the country from October 1-15. OGRA, in its summary to the Petroleum Division, had suggested a reduction of Rs1.15 per litre in the petrol price for the first 15 days of October.

Meanwhile, the authority had suggested that the prices of light diesel and kerosene oil should be maintained at the same rate and the price of diesel should be slashed by Rs2.

The current price of petrol stands at Rs103.97 per litre, whereas the per litre prices of diesel, kerosene oil, and light diesel are Rs104.06, Rs65.29, and Rs62.86, respectively.

30/09/2020
NEPRA notifies eight-month variations in fuel charges

ISLAMABAD: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has finally notified adjustments in the approved tariff on account of variations in the fuel charges for eight months ending June 2020.

According to a NEPRA notification, the authority has made adjustments in the approved tariff on account of variations in fuel charges for the months of November 2019 till June 2020, in respect of power distributing companies (DISCOs).

These adjustments will be charged in electricity bills to be issued in the months of August and September 2020.

“DISCOs will reflect the fuel charges adjustment in respect of each month in the billing month as per the schedule given above. While affecting the fuel adjustment charges, DISCO will keep in view and strictly comply with the court order,” the NEPRA notification read.

As per details, fuel cost adjustment (FCA) pertaining to January, February, March and May would be charged in consumers bills to be issued in August 2020, while FCA for the months of November 2019, December 2019, April 2020 and June 2020, would be charged in September 2020.

NEPRA notified 0.9824 per kWh FCA for November 2019, as actual fuel cost was Rs3.4701 per unit as against the reference fuel cost of Rs2.4877 per unit, while it notified Rs1.8779 per unit FCA for December 2019, as actual fuel cost stood at Rs6.3381 per unit as against reference fuel cost of Rs4.4602 per unit.

Similarly, the authority notified an FCA of Rs1.1108 per kWh for January 2020 (actual fuel cost was Rs6.8684 per kWh against reference cost of Rs5.7576), Rs1.2051 for February 2020 (actual fuel cost was Rs 5.1760 per unit against reference fuel cost of Rs3.9710), and Rs0.1069 per unit for March 2020 (actual fuel cost was Rs5.1079 per unit as against reference fuel cost of Rs5.0010.

Also, NEPRA notified FCA of Rs0.7040 per unit for April 2020 (actual fuel cost was recorded at Rs4.5319 per unit against reference fuel cost of Rs5.2359), Rs1.2517 per unit for May 2020 (actual fuel cost recorded at Rs3.7939 per unit against reference fuel cost of Rs5.0457 per unit) and Rs1.0581 per for June 2020 (actual fuel cost registered at Rs4.0550 per unit against the reference cost of Rs 5.1130).

Pursuant to Section 31 (7) of the Regulation of Generation, Transmission and Distribution of Electric Power (Amendment) Act 2011, the NEPRA makes and notifies monthly adjustments in the approved tariff on account of variations in fuel charges for DISCOs.

08/08/2020
PTA offers leniency in VPN registration process. But will it be enough?

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has made the registration of corporate Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) necessary. The first notification in this regard was issued on June 17 with the deadline of June 30. Afterwards, the deadline was extended to July 31, and now for the second time, the deadline has been pushed ahead until September end.

However, despite these extensions, complaints are abounding among small IT businesses and start-ups.

Profit comprehensively covered the potential downside to this regulation in a story published on June 22, How PTA’s corporate VPN ban could cripple small IT businesses and startups. In response to this story, PTA issued a clarification that read as follows:

“The process is straight forward, simple and swift…A public notice informing all users to register their VPNs was advertised in newspapers. The Internet Service Providers (ISPs) were also informed to follow the simple process for registration of VPNs of their clients. For registration, the users have to send a simple filled in form to their service providers to register their VPNs. However, the procedure is being further streamlined and simplified to facilitate all users.”

The PTA statement said that the authority would not disrupt the services of legitimate users since the only focus is to contain the grey traffic which is affecting legal businesses.

But despite tall claims by PTA, now these potential repercussions have started to materialize. One of the primary problems that are faced by businesses in the wake of this regulation is higher cost – in terms of both time and money. On August 4, a Twitter user, Feisal H. Naqvi, wrote:

“My firm bought a new videoconference system. This is what the PTA wants from me:

– IPs Whitelisting & Delisting on A4 Plain Paper With Sign & Stamp.

– IPs Whitelisting Justification Performa on A4 Plain Paper With Sign & Stamp.

– Request Letter & Amplification of reqt on Company’s Letter with Sign & Stamp.

– Legal Undertaking on Rs. 100 stamp Paper with sign & Stamp

– CNIC of Authorized Signatory crossed for PTA.

– Certificate of incorporation

– NTN Copy

– Pay Order for Rs. 500/EACH IP in the name of PTA”

My firm bought a new videoconference system. This is what the PTA wants from me:

– IPs Whitelisting & Delisting on A4 Plain Paper With Sign & Stamp.
– IPs Whitelisting Justification Performa on A4 Plain Paper With Sign & Stamp.

— Feisal H. Naqvi (@laalshah) August 4, 2020

He said, “If this is what it takes to get a videoconference system going, can you imagine what the average business owner goes through?”

Profit reached out to PTA for a response, to which they said, “PTA is striving to make all efforts to facilitate businesses. Individual video conferencing applications are allowed to all businesses. To curb grey telephony, PTA requires the registration of commercial or large scale video conferencing devices. Users need to fill two simple forms: an undertaking and basic documentation through their service providers. PTA swiftly and efficiently processes all applications.”

Responding to the complaints regarding stamp paper and additional costs, PTA’s statement read, “During the COVID-19 pandemic, PTA has allowed applicants to pay fee online and send undertaking on their business letter head instead of judicial paper. Furthermore, PTA is also working to provide online application submission form through PTA website for the facilitation and ease of applicants and to speed up the process.”

PTA’s pretext to act and rein in is to stop illegal telephony traffic which causes losses to their licensees and the national exchequer in terms of revenues and taxes is commendable. However, reining in corporations involved in causing losses to the national exchequer by using VPNs will also hurt legitimate businesses by making their costs go up and operations to slow down. The process of registration via ISPs is still being deemed complex, especially considering that some popular domestic ISPs are already out of static IP pool. The slow approval process could also lead to substantial losses to such legitimate businesses and might even put the very viability of newer startups in jeopardy.

08/08/2020
Govt appoints Brig (r) Shujah Hassan as Pakistan Steel Mills CEO

KARACHI: The federal government has appointed Brig (r) Shujah Hassan as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Pakistan Steel Mills.

According to a notification issued by the Establishment Division on Friday, the appointment of Brig (r) Shujah Hassan would be for one year with immediate effect.

“The appointment is subject to termination on one month’s notice by either side,” the notification read.

Late last month, the PSM Board of Directors had recommended the federal government names of three shortlisted candidates for the post of CEO with priority No.1 candidate having degrees in warfare and strategic studies.

The board found candidate No.1 to be a better fit given the needs of the revival plan and the prevailing environment at the mill. The board directed the PSM management to forward the findings to the Ministry of Industries and Production for further action in this regard.

PSM required a transitory CEO who could fulfil the role of a strong administrator and guardian of the PSM assets and who could help execute a plan of action to prepare the mill for a public-private partnership.

The transition plan may last from one to two years. During this transition, there will be no steel production and focus will be on maintaining all assets and operating the non-core functions in the most professional and compliant manner.

It may be noted that as per rule 187(4) of the Companies Act, 2017, the government holds the power to nominate the chief executive of a company where majorly of directors are nominated by the government.

07/08/2020
PIA sacks five more pilots over bogus licences

KARACHI: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Monday terminated five more pilots for possessing bogus flying licences.

According to a notification issued by PIA, the national flag carrier has dismissed 63 employees, including those having fake or tampered degrees; for breaching rules and prolonged absence during the month of July-2020.

Out of the 63 employees, 28 were sacked over possession of fake or tampered degrees, 27 over prolonged and unauthorised absence, two over embezzlement, one for inefficiency, and five pilots over bogus flying license.

Earlier on July 13, PIA had dismissed 49 employees from service on the charges of possessing fake degrees and disciplinary issues during the last month.

03/08/2020