Government runs awareness campaign as Pakistan in grips of ‘severe’ heat wave

Government runs awareness campaign as Pakistan in grips of ‘severe’ heat wave
Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) staff monitor heat weather conditions at their office in Islamabad on May 23, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 24 May 2024
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Government runs awareness campaign as Pakistan in grips of ‘severe’ heat wave

Government runs awareness campaign as Pakistan in grips of ‘severe’ heat wave
  • First wave to last till May 30, second to begin from June 7-8 followed by third one in last week of June 
  • Heat wave to persist in Sindh province until June 3, to break in Punjab after June 4, Met office says

ISLAMABAD: The federal government is running an awareness campaign in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) amid an ongoing heat wave this month, state-run media reported as the Pakistan Meteorological Department predicted day-time temperatures to “remain above normal” in June also. 
Pakistan has been experiencing severe climatic changes due to global warming in recent years which has led to frequent heat waves, untimely rains and droughts.
On May 21, authorities had urged people to stay indoors ahead of a heat wave which is expected to last until the end of the month. An estimated 18 million students are also unable to attend classes because Pakistan’s most populous province Punjab ordered shutting down schools this month due to rising temperatures.
Chief Meteorologist Dr. Sardar Sarfaraz has also warned that the heat wave would “intensify” from May 23 onwards.
“Ministry of Climate Change and the NDMA are spreading mass awareness for the public through adopting preventive measures and to reduce its impacts through issuing adviseries, public service messages, ring back tone and awareness campaigns through television, radio and social media platforms,” Radio Pakistan reported.
Addressing a press conference, the Prime Minister’s Coordinator on Climate Change Romina Khurshid Alam said 26 districts of the country were in the grips of a heat wave since May 21. 
Alam said the first wave would last till May 30, the second would begin from June 7-8 and the third one in the last week of June. 
May and June were recorded as the “hottest and driest” with higher monthly average temperatures, she added, appealing to the masses, especially children and elderly, to adopt preventive measures.
She noted that the severity of heat waves had increased rapidly during the past few months with 13 districts of Sindh, nine of Punjab and four districts of Balochistan experiencing “severe heat.”
“Global warming is impacting the entire world, and we are seeing its effects in the form of these frequent and intense heat waves,” the official said, blaming deforestation and unsustainable environmental practices for the harsh weather conditions. 
“Public awareness campaigns through various media outlets are ongoing to educate people on the health risks and preventive measures.”
Alam said heat waves were accelerating the process of glacier melting and the risk of forest fires, advising the public to remain cautious in national parks, avoid discarding cigarette butts, leave vehicle windows slightly open, and ensure access to drinking water.
“NO RESPITE”
The NDMA is also urging people to stay hydrated and wear light-colored clothing to minimize the effects of heat and farmers to carry out agricultural activities keeping in mind the prevalent weather conditions. 
Met Department data showed Jacobabad, Dadu and Mohenjo Daro as the hottest places across the country, with temperature in these cities surging from 49°C on Wednesday to 50°C on Thursday. 
“The cities of Jacobabad, Dadu and Mohenjo Daro are known to have 50°C in May. Jacobabad had 52°C in April in 2022,” the chief meteorologist said.
“Harsh weather is likely to persist at least till June 3. There is no possibility for respite, at least for Sindh. The heat spell may break in parts of Punjab but that, too, after June 4.”
Climate change-induced extreme heat can cause illnesses such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heatstroke, and hyperthermia. It can make certain chronic conditions worse, including cardiovascular, respiratory, and cerebrovascular disease and diabetes-related conditions, and can also result in acute incidents, such as hospitalizations due to strokes or renal disease.
According to the Global Climate Risk Index, nearly 10,000 Pakistanis have died while the country has suffered economic losses worth $3.8 billion due to climate change impacts between 1999 and 2018. A deadly heat wave that hit Pakistan’s largest city of Karachi, the capital of Sindh, claimed 120 lives in 2015.
In 2022, torrential monsoon rains triggered the most devastating floods in Pakistan’s history, killing around 1,700 people and affecting over 33 million, a staggering number close to the population of Canada. Millions of homes, tens of thousands of schools and thousands of kilometers of roads and railways are yet to be rebuilt.


Pakistan signs contract to sell JF-17 Block-III fighter jets to Azerbaijan 

Pakistan signs contract to sell JF-17 Block-III fighter jets to Azerbaijan 
Updated 19 sec ago
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Pakistan signs contract to sell JF-17 Block-III fighter jets to Azerbaijan 

Pakistan signs contract to sell JF-17 Block-III fighter jets to Azerbaijan 
  • Pakistan Air Force is mostly reliant on Chinese JF-17 Thunder jets, French Mirages and aging US F-16s 
  • In 2022, Pakistan announced the addition to its fleet of next-generation Chinese J-10 C fighter jets

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan army said on Thursday it had signed an agreement with Azerbaijan for the sale of JF-17 Block-III fighter aircraft “to bolster the airpower capabilities” of the Western Asian nation. 

The PakistanAir Force (PAF) is mostly reliant on Chinese JF-17 Thunder jets, French Mirages and aging US F-16s but in 2022 announced the addition to its fleet of next-generation Chinese J-10 C fighter jets also. 

“President of Azerbaijan expressed that the support extended by Pakistan would go a long way in consolidating the existing military cooperation between Pakistan and Azerbaijan, fostering closer defense collaboration and strengthening the warm brotherly ties between the two nations,” the Pakistan army’s media wing, ISPR, said in a statement, announcing the sale agreement. 

The army did not disclose how many jets it would sell to Azerbaijan and at what price or any other details of the deal. 

“JF-17 Thunder Block-III is an AESA [active electronically scanned array] Radar and Long Range BVR [beyond-visual-range] equipped 4.5 generation Multi-Role fighter aircraft which is capable of undertaking wide array of combat missions providing contemporary airpower employment options, thus strengthening the National Security Paradigm of Azerbaijan.” the military said. 

Giving background on the deal, ISPR said during his visit to Pakistan in July this year, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev was briefed on the combat capabilities and employment options of the JF-17 Block-III fighter aircraft.

“Pursuant to President Aliyev’s visit and on request of Government of Azerbaijan, Pakistan deployed PAF contingent at Baku to participate in ADEX-2024 showcasing the aerial prowess and static display of Pride of Pakistan JF-17 Thunder Block-III,” ISPR said. 

“During deployment, JF-17 carried out Air to Air Refueling from PAF Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft deploying in a single hop to Baku, Azerbaijan, demonstrating long haul capability and reach of the PAF’s fighter jet.”

Aliyev visited the static display of JF-17 Block-III and witnessed an aerial demonstration of the planes, ISPR added, “showcasing the agility and maneuverability of the fighter jet alongside the professional competence of PAF pilots.”


World Bank president acknowledges Pakistan reforms as IMF approves $7 billion bailout 

World Bank president acknowledges Pakistan reforms as IMF approves $7 billion bailout 
Updated 27 min 5 sec ago
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World Bank president acknowledges Pakistan reforms as IMF approves $7 billion bailout 

World Bank president acknowledges Pakistan reforms as IMF approves $7 billion bailout 
  • Ajay Banga meets Pakistani prime minister and finance minister on sidelines of UN General Assembly 
  • IMF approved loan as Pakistan committed to strengthen macroeconomic stability, address structural challenges

ISLAMABAD: World Bank President Ajay Banga on Thursday acknowledged steps taken by Pakistan to strengthen macroeconomic stability and address structural challenges, hours after the International Monetary Fund’s executive board approved a long-awaited $7 billion bailout deal for the struggling economy.

The IMF approved the 37-month Extended Fund Facility (EFF) late on Wednesday after Pakistan agreed to strengthen fiscal and monetary policy and implement reforms to broaden the tax base, secure a level playing field for investment and enhance human capital. 

The bailout deal was reached in July. 

“Your prime minister laid out a very clear set of ideas of what he wants to prioritize. He used the words that he wants to prioritize things that help his people,” Banga told reporters after meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. 

“Already in these six months, you [Pakistan] are already making a whole series of steps on macro stability and reforms. I think that is something I appreciate.”

The IMF said the new program would require “sound policies and reforms” to strengthen macroeconomic stability and address structural challenges alongside “continued strong financial support from Pakistan’s development and bilateral partners.”

An immediate disbursement of about $1 billion will take place, an IMF statement said.

Pakistan’s stock benchmark index rose in early trade to a record high of 82,905.73 points, before reversing those gains later in the day to close 0.7 percent down at 81,657.

After the bailout approval, PM Sharif thanked the IMF managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, and said the country would continue to implement the tough economic reform agenda, he told reporters in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations general assembly on Wednesday.

Georgieva also congratulated Pakistan for moving forward with “home-defined” reforms.

“The economy is on the sound path,” she told reporters after the board meeting. “Growth is up and inflation is down.”

“LAST IMF PROGRAM”

Islamabad had been working on implementing conditions, which Sharif had previously called “strict,” including getting additional external financing, which the country was struggling to do.

The IMF said in its statement that Pakistan had taken key steps to restore economic stability with consistent policy implementation under the 2023-24 standby arrangement.

It added that growth had rebounded to 2.4 percent and inflation has receded significantly, falling to single digits, amid appropriately tight fiscal and monetary policies.

A contained current account and calm foreign exchange market conditions have allowed the rebuilding of reserve buffers, and the central bank of Pakistan has been able to cut the policy rate by a total of 450 bps since June, the statement said.

Despite this progress, it said, Pakistan’s vulnerabilities and structural challenges remain formidable, adding that the tax base remained too narrow.

“Without a concerted adjustment and reform effort, Pakistan risks falling further behind its peers,” it warned.

The South Asian country is the IMF’s fifth-largest debtor, owing the Fund $6.28 billion as of July 11, according to the lender’s data.

Pakistan has been struggling with boom-and-bust economic cycles for decades, leading to more than 20 IMF bailouts since 1958.

Speaking to reporters on the UNGA sidelines, Pakistan Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb vowed to make this the country’s last IMF program.

“So we will have to undertake structural reforms,” he said. 

With inputs from Reuters


IMF’s $7 billion bailout sends Pakistan stocks to life-time high

IMF’s $7 billion bailout sends Pakistan stocks to life-time high
Updated 43 min 8 sec ago
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IMF’s $7 billion bailout sends Pakistan stocks to life-time high

IMF’s $7 billion bailout sends Pakistan stocks to life-time high
  • Pakistan’s stock index hits record high of 82,905.73
  • PM Sharif and IMF’s Georgieva emphasize need for reforms

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s benchmark share index hit a life-time high in opening trade on Thursday, hours after the International Monetary Fund’s board approved a long-awaited $7 billion bailout deal for the struggling economy.
The IMF said the new program will require “sound policies and reforms” to strengthen macroeconomic stability and address structural challenges alongside “continued strong financial support from Pakistan’s development and bilateral partners.”
An immediate disbursement of about $1 billion will take place, an IMF statement said.
Pakistan’s stock benchmark index rose in early trade to a record high of 82,905.73 points, before reversing those gains later in the day to close 0.7 percent down at 81,657.
“We will need to take difficult decisions if we want to make it our last program with the IMF,” Pakistan’s junior finance minister, Ali Pervaiz Malik, told local Geo News TV on Thursday.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked the IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva and said the country would continue to implement the tough economic reform agenda, he told reporters in New York on the sidelines of United Nations general assembly on Wednesday.
Georgieva congratulated Pakistan for moving forward with “home-defined” reforms.
“The economy is on the sound path,” she told reporters after the board meeting. “Growth is up and inflation is down,” she said.
Islamabad had been working on implementing conditions, which Sharif had previously called “strict” to secure the 37-month loan program agreed in July. One condition was to secure additional external financing, which the country was struggling to do.
Local media reported that Islamabad recently signed its most expensive commercial loan ever for $600 million at 11 percent interest as a last-ditch bid to cover the financing gap and secure board approval.
However, an IMF spokesperson said on Friday that the lender was unaware of a loan at this rate and that it was not necessary for the purposes of the program’s financing assurances.

REFORMS AND RISKS

The IMF said in its statement that Pakistan had taken key steps to restore economic stability with consistent policy implementation under the 2023-24 standby arrangement.
It added that growth had rebounded to 2.4 percent and inflation has receded significantly, falling to single digits, amid appropriately tight fiscal and monetary policies.
A contained current account and calm foreign exchange market conditions have allowed the rebuilding of reserve buffers, and the central bank of Pakistan has been able to cut the policy rate by a total of 450 bps since June, the statement said.
Despite this progress, it said, Pakistan’s vulnerabilities and structural challenges remain formidable, adding that the tax base remains too narrow.
“Without a concerted adjustment and reform effort, Pakistan risks falling further behind its peers,” it warned.
Pakistan has been struggling with boom-and-bust economic cycles for decades, leading to more than 20 IMF bailouts since 1958.
The South Asian country is the IMF’s fifth-largest debtor, owing the Fund $6.28 billion as of July 11, according to the lender’s data.


Pakistan opposition party moves court against ordinance seen as curtailing senior judiciary’s powers 

Pakistan opposition party moves court against ordinance seen as curtailing senior judiciary’s powers 
Updated 50 min 40 sec ago
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Pakistan opposition party moves court against ordinance seen as curtailing senior judiciary’s powers 

Pakistan opposition party moves court against ordinance seen as curtailing senior judiciary’s powers 
  • Under new ordinance, top court cases to be heard by bench comprising CJ, next most senior judge and SC judge nominated by CJ
  • PTI party has filed petition against the ordinance calling for it to be declared unconstitutional, threat to separation of powers

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) opposition party on Thursday moved the top court against a new ordinance passed by the coalition government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and which is widely seen as a tool to curtail the powers of the country’s senior judiciary.

The Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act 2023 was passed in the last days of Sharif’s first term in government, which ended last year. However, before the law could be enacted on April 21, 2023, an eight-member bench constituted by then Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial issued a stay order on it on April 13, 2023.

Last Friday, however, President Asif Ali Zardari signed the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Amendment Ordinance 2024 into law.

PTI Chairman Gohar Khan on Thursday filed a petition against the ordinance, requesting that it be declared “unconstitutional” and all decisions of the Practice and Procedure Committee, which assigns judges to Supreme Court cases, taken after the approval of the ordinance be declared “illegal” and “annulled.”

The plea calls on the court to suspend the newly constituted Practice and Procedure Committee as long as the constitutional petition was pending. 

“Further, the committee purportedly re-constituted pursuant to the Impugned Ordinance may kindly be restrained from constituting benches and fixing any cases before them and the lawfully constituted Committee under Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023 consisting of the Chief Justice of Pakistan and the two next senior most judges may be allowed to continue functioning,” the plea said. 

The new ordinance reads:

“Every cause, appeal, or matter before the Supreme Court shall be heard and disposed of by a Bench comprising the Chief Justice of Pakistan, the next most senior judge of the Supreme Court and a Judge of the Supreme Court nominated by the Chief Justice of Pakistan from time to time.”

One provision, which is widely seen as limiting the power of Supreme Court judges to initiate cases of public importance or fundamental laws on their own through suo moto proceedings, said a bench hearing a matter under Article 184(3) of the constitution would decide and identify through a “reasoned and speaking order” the question of public importance in the case and what fundamental right it was seeking to enforce.

Article 184 of the constitution confers original jurisdiction, the authority to hear a case at its initiation, often referred to as Public Interest Litigation, in the form of judicial review to Pakistan’s Supreme Court. Clause (3) of Article 184 is cited as the source of suo motu powers. In essence, it gives the apex court the extraordinary power to assume jurisdiction over any “question of public importance with reference to the enforcement of any fundamental right”.

Under the new law, each case would be heard in turn, that is the cases filed first will be heard first, and a reason furnished for taking up cases out of turn. All hearings will be recorded and transcripts publicly available. 

The PTI petition says the ordinance violates the principles of separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary.

“Therefore, it is liable to be struck down,” it said. 

“The rights of access to justice and fair trial also require a judiciary that is separate and independent of the Executive. The Impugned Ordinance is a direct attempt to interfere, alter, and control the inner working of the Supreme Court and is thus unconstitutional and liable to be struck down.”

The plea stated that if the ordinance was upheld or accepted as valid law, it would amount to accepting that whenever the government was particularly interested in a case fixed before the SC, it would have the power to alter and amend how and when the case was fixed and before whom through the exercise of its temporary or permanent legislative power.

“This is a gross violation of the independence of judiciary, and guarantee of fair trial, and is clearly unconstitutional,” the PTI plea says. 


Pakistan election regulator files Supreme Court review petition on reserved seats verdict 

Pakistan election regulator files Supreme Court review petition on reserved seats verdict 
Updated 26 September 2024
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Pakistan election regulator files Supreme Court review petition on reserved seats verdict 

Pakistan election regulator files Supreme Court review petition on reserved seats verdict 
  • Supreme Court ruled in July Imran Khan’s party was eligible for over 20 extra reserved seats in parliament
  • Sharif government subsequently amended election law to potentially restrict reserved seats for PTI

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s election regulator on Thursday filed a review petition in the Supreme Court to seek clarification on the implementation of an earlier verdict regarding the allocation of reserved seats in parliament to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) opposition party, adding a new twist in a political drama that has dragged on since general elections in February.

Candidates from the party of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan had to contest the Feb. 8 polls as independents after the PTI was stripped by the election commission (ECP) of its electoral symbol on technical grounds. They went on to win the most seats in the polls, but the ECP ruled they were not entitled to reserved parliamentary seats for women and minorities that are allocated in proportion to the number of seats a political party wins in general elections. 

In July, the Supreme Court ruled that the PTI was indeed eligible for over 20 extra reserved seats and that the PTI would be considered a political party for the purpose of the Feb. 8 polls and those who had contested as independents because the PTI lost its election symbol were in fact PTI candidates. 

The court has argued since in a detailed judgment released this month that a party’s constitutional right to participate in elections is not impacted by the absence of an electoral symbol. 

As pressure has piled on the ECP to allot the seats to the PTI, it has now filed a petition to seek guidance on the matter, which legal experts have widely called a “delaying tactic.” The PTI accuses the ECP of being partial toward the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which the regulator denies. 

“The review has been filed on a few points in the Supreme Court’s detailed order,” the election commission said in a press statement.

“A CMA [civil miscellaneous application] has been filed in the Supreme Court to seek implementation in light of the Supreme Court ruling and a law passed by the parliament.”

The law referred to by the ECP was passed last month by the Sharif coalition, which amended the Elections Act to bar independent lawmakers from joining a political party after a stipulated period. The National Assembly speaker and the Punjab Assembly have since also written separate letters to the ECP urging it to follow the parliamentary law over the Supreme Court ruling on the reserved seats.

Advocate Faisal Chaudhry, who is alligned with the PTI, said the election commission was using “delaying tactics” to avoid implementing the court ruling.

“As a full court of the Supreme Court has already heard this case, so the review petition will be taken up by it,” he told Arab News. 

Under Article 189 of the constitution, he said, the election commission was bound to implement the court ruling as a subordinate law could not override the constitution. 

Barrister Ahmad Pansota also agreed that the election commission should have implemented the Supreme Court’s majority verdict instead of trying to “frustrate” it.

“The election commission may take some more time through the review petition,” he said, “but ultimately it will have to allocate the reserved seats to the PTI.”

ELECTIONS BILL

Amendments to Pakistan’s election laws were passed last month, with independent experts widely agreed that they were meant to prevent the allocation of reserved seats to the PTI and pose a fresh challenge to the party.

The Elections (Second Amendment) Bill says if a candidate does not submit a declaration of his affiliation with a political party to the returning officer before seeking the allotment of an election symbol, he or she shall be “deemed to be considered as an independent candidate and not a candidate of any political party.”

Another amendment says if a political party fails to submit its list for reserved seats within the prescribed time period, it would not be eligible for reserved seats at a later stage. A third amendment says a winning independent candidate’s decision to join a political party after elections was irrevocable.

After the election, PTI-backed candidates were forced to join the Sunni Ittehad Council, or SIC party, to claim their share of reserved seats since the election commission said independents were not eligible for them. Under the new election bill, PTI candidates who contested as independents and later joined the SIC may no longer be allowed to rejoin the PTI.

In Pakistan, parties are allocated 70 reserved seats — 60 for women, 10 for non-Muslims — in proportion to the number of seats won in general elections. This completes the National Assembly’s total 336 seats.