• Cabinet extends PoR cards’ validity to June 30, 2025
• Operation Azm-i-Iste­hkam must to keep peace, says PM
• Two depts being formed to look after Pak-PWD affairs
• Shehbaz warns against delays in ‘right-sizing’ agenda

ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet on Wednesday extended the validity of Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, held by 1.45 million Afghan refugees legally staying in Pakistan, by one more year to June 30, 2025.

The decision came aga­inst the backdrop of a meeting during which Uni­ted Nations High Com­missioner for Refugees Fillipo Grandi had req­u­ested Prime Minister She­h­baz Sharif on Tuesday to halt repatriation of, even those Afghan refugees who were not registered with the government and the UNHCR and were staying in Pakistan illegally.

Pakistan, it may be recalled, wanted to send 70,000 Afghans to a third country as was agreed around three years ago.

“The cabinet accepted (the proposal) of a one-year extension of the PoR cards of 1.45 million Afg­han legal residents that expired on June 30, 2024,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

Pakistan began expelling undocumented foreig­ners, mostly Afghans, in November last year amid a row over accusations that Afghanistan harbours Pa­k­istani militants, a cha­rge its ruling Taliban deny.

Islamabad says it is also struggling to host millions of refugees as it grapples with an economic crisis.

More than 500,000 Afghans have returned from Pakistan since the campaign was announced, according to UN figures.

According to sou­rces, Prime Minister She­h­baz apprised the cabinet members of Azm-i-Iste­hkam operation and said it was required to mai­ntain peace in those areas where a resurgence of terrorism has been observed.

The sources said that the PM took the cabinet into confidence on the issue and the members assured him of their all out support in this regard.

Two depts to replace Pak-PWD

Abolishing the Pakistan Public Works Department (Pak-PWD) as part of winding up loss-making ent­ities, the cabinet app­ro­ved formation of two new departments — Pakistan Infrastructure Develop­m­ent Company (PIDC) to oversee federal development projects, and the Asset & Facility Manage­ment Company (AFMC) for repair and maintenance works.

The meeting, chaired by PM Shehbaz, decided to hand over the federal government’s projects to the relevant provincial departments.

The AFMC will be set up to carry out the repair and maintenance works currently being done by the Pak-PWD. The Pak-PWD employees would be transferred to the relevant ministries and a golden handshake scheme would be introduced for them.

The PIDC will be established to carry out the PSDP projects being imp­lemented under the PWD.

Other projects such as roads, etc will be given to the provincial communication and works departments and highway authorities.

The committee formed to reduce the government’s size told the cabinet that it would complete the information gathering about unnecessary departments of the ministries of IT, Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, States and Frontier Regions, Industries and Production, and National Health Services by July 12 and present its proposals by the first week of August.

The meeting was inf­ormed that after July 19, similar information would be sought from other ministries, and recommendations would be tabled regarding the closure or merger of departments.

PM Shehbaz warned aga­inst any laxity in the implementation of the government’s downsizing age­nda and asked the ministries to work hard for meeting the nation’s expectations.

“I will not allow my time to waste and I am sure you will not allow your time to be wasted. The only thing that will make a difference is action and implementation. Roll up your sleeves as this is a matter of country, its resources and resolution of its issues,” he added.

The premier categorically said he would not payheed to arguments against the closure of PWD as the government had also found an alternative solution on the pattern of Punjab. He said the two-week time he had given for PWD’s closure was already over.

“I will not tolerate if any ministry uses delaying tactics. Please make no mistake about it.

“It is okay if there is any valid reason for any subsidiary, but protecting any entity for the sake of perks and privileges is a thing of the past, not today. It will not happen and it must not happen,” he remarked.

Apprising the meeting about his visits to Tajikistan and Kazakhstan, he referred to his interactions with world leaders, particularly Russian President Vladimir Putin, and said he had formed a committee under Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal for follow-up measures.

On the housing ministry’s recommendation, the cabinet approved transferring the building of Federal Lodges-II in Peshawar to the Election Commission of Pakistan for establishing the permanent office of provincial ECP.

It approved the repatriation of seven accountant members of Appellate Tribunal Inland Revenue to the FBR and appointment of 14 officers to the tribunal benches.

Health sector

On the health ministry’s recommendation, the cabinet approved the appointment of Joint Secretary Mohammad Iqbal as administrator of the National Council for Homoeopathy.

It decided to revoke the accreditation of Bahawal­pur Medical College for its failure to meet the required standards of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC). The students of the colleges would be shifted to other medical colleges.

The premier formed a committee comprising Eco­n­omic Affairs Minister Ahad Khan Cheema, Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Jahanzeb Khan and PM’s Coordinator on Health Malik Mukhtar Ahmed, asking them to present proposals for a third party audit of the PMDC.

The cabinet approved the appointment of Javed Qureshi as director on the board of directors of K-Electric, on behalf of the government of Pakistan and endorsed the decisions of the Economic Coord­ination Committee and the Cabinet Committee on SOEs, taken on June 27 and July 4, respectively.

With input from Agencies

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2024