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Strengthening agricultural credit

  To achieve higher crop yields and boost overall productivity in Pakistan’s agriculture sector, which currently lags behind comparable countries, it is essential for farmers to apply agricultural inputs such as seed, fertiliser, and pesticide in recommended quantities, at the right times, and with assured product quality. With over 90 per cent of Pakistan’s farmers holding less than 12 acres, their financial constraints often lead them to use inadequate quantities and lower-quality inputs. For this reason, all circles concerned have been strongly advocating for developing an easy and affordable agricultural credit system in the country — one that is free from exploitation and procedural barriers. The recently  launched  Punjab Government “Chief Minister’s Kissan Card” scheme, with a budget of Rs9 billion for FY25, has been well-received by the farming community, with a large number of farmers enthusiastically opting into this initiative. The card enables smallholders to ...
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Cabinet committee endorses Privatisation Commission’s rejection of Rs10bn bid for PIA stake

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    Published   November 15, 2024     Updated   about  The US Department of Transportation had in April granted PIA permission to operate 12 direct flights to the US. — AFP/File LISTEN TO ARTICLE 1x 1.2x 1.5x JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL The Cabinet Committee on Privatisation (CCOP) has approved the Privatisation Commission’s recommendation to  reject  the  Rs10 billion  offer submitted by the sole bidder for a 60 per cent stake in Pakistan International Airlines Corporation Limited (PIACL), it emerged on Friday. On Wednesday, the Privatisation Commission’s board rejected the sole bid  submitted  by Blue World City, a real-estate development company, and referred the matter to the Cabinet Committee on Privatisation for further review. Last month, the final bidding process for a 60pc stake in PIA attracted only one bid — Rs10bn from Blue World City — which fell significantly below the government’s minimum price of Rs...
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Imran gives ‘final call’ for nationwide protests

  • Says 26th amendment strengthens ‘dictatorial regime’, calls for demos ‘at home and abroad’ on Nov 24 • Mischief under guise of protests to be dealt with strictly, warns Punjab govt • Court seeks clarity on acquittal pleas in £190 million case ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan on Wednesday issued a “ final call ” for nationwide protests on Nov 24, denouncing what he described as the stolen mandate, the unjust arrests of people, and the passage of the 26th amendment, which he said has strengthened a “dictatorial regime”. Since Mr Khan’s  arrest  in August 2023 on several counts, his party has been holding  protests  across the country for his release and against the alleged rigging of the Feb 8 elections. Mr Khan made the announcement while speaking to media persons after a court hearing related to a  £190 million corruption case . The accountability court could not record statements from Mr Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, as the defence request...
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Last call

  IT does not seem prudent for a party of PTI’s heft to have   issued a ‘final call’   for a ‘final’ protest. Politics is, by its very nature, never ‘final’ — it requires persistence and immense patience to bear fruit. Yet the PTI, directed by its incarcerated founder, is now ready to risk everything on a single show of force. Of course, the party is well within its rights to protest democratically and to make demands from the government on issues that it feels strongly about. It is also within its rights to hold such a protest anywhere it wishes to in Pakistan — a right that the government would do well to respect. However, it should hardly be turning it into a ‘do or die’ occasion. This could create unrealistic expectations and foster unnecessary angst in the minds of the PTI’s supporters, which may push them to engage in needless confrontations with the state. It may also motivate the state to  clamp down  even more forcefully on the protest, as it will consi...
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