Minister

ISLAMABAD: Minister of Planning, Development and Reform Makhdum Khusro Bakhtiar on Friday said Pakistan and China had decided that the scope of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) needed to be further broadened.           "We have already expanded the scope of the CPEC in Joint Coordination Committee," he said in an interview with local Chinese TV channel in Beijing. To a query about opening up of the CPEC to other countries, he said there were a couple of projects which could attract trilateral or collateral…

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s finance minister said on Wednesday that cash settlements from an anti-corruption campaign would net “not significantly less” in 2019 than the 50 billion Saudi riyals ($13.3 billion) collected in 2018. Mohammed al-Jadaan also said in a Reuters interview that construction giant Saudi Binladin Group, in which the government took a roughly one third stake under the campaign, would soon have a “normal board” with family members and representatives of government ownership. He added that the kingdom’s…

ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of Jordan Maj Gen (Retd) Ibrahim Yali Mohammad (Osta Amadani) and High Commissioner of Nigeria Major General (Retd) Ashiminyu Adebayo Olaniyi called on Federal Minister for Defence Production Zobaida Jalal at the Ministry of Defence Production Rawalpindi on Tuesday. Both the dignitaries held valuable discussion with the minister on bilateral relations and current scenario of the world. Talking to Nigerian High Commissioner, the minister said that existing relationship between the two countries should…

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Petroleum Ghulam Sarwar Khan on Monday said that people would not face gas load-shedding during winter season this year. "Gas is being provided to the industry continuously and subsidy will be provided on bills from October 16 till June next year," the minister said while talking to newsmen in Lahore. Ghulam Sarwar Khan announced that subsidy would also be provided to fertiliser industry till March next year. Read More: Punjab to spend gas-less nights during winter It is fascinating to know…

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Revenue Hammad Azhar has announced that only one phone a year would be allowed to bring in the country from abroad free of duty. While, the revenue minister said in a series of tweets that, a maximum of five phones in a year could be brought in, under personal baggage rules. " The duty on remaining four will have to be paid if you require service in Pakistan beyond 30 days." For the purposes of implementation and enforcement of this policy, the customs electronic automated system had…

PESHAWAR: Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed on Saturday said the railway track ML-1 from Peshawar to Karachi would be renovated by the end of next month. Talking to newsmen in Peshawar, he said renovation of the track was part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. Sheikh Rasheed said renovation of railway track ML-2 from Kotri to Attock and ML-3 from Quetta to Taftan will also be included in the CPEC. He said Rahman Baba Express Train would be inaugurated on December 25, that would run…

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Thursday extended bail of former Sindh minister Jam Khan Shoro until December 5 in a corruption case, ARY News reported. According to officials of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the former minister is facing inquiries in three different cases. One of the cases against the former provincial local government minister includes illegal allotment of 62 government plots in Karachi’s Gulistan-e-Jauhar area. Former director general Karachi Development Authority Nasir Abbas has also…

ISLAMABAD: Minister for National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination Amir Mehmood Kiani on Wednesday said the government was going to start health insurance program in the country under which 25 million Health Insurance Cards would be distributed among poor people. "Four new hospitals will be established in Islamabad to facilitate the people," he said while talking to a private news channel. The minister said government hospitals in Islamabad had been facing staff shortage since long and the government was…

ISLAMABAD: Minister for National Health Services Aamir Mehmood Kiani on Tuesday said all resources would be utilised for the improvement of health sector. Inaugurating newly installed CT Scan Machine at National Institute of Rehabilitative Medicine in Islamabad on Tuesday, he said budget of the health sector would be increased to provide better facilities to the people of Pakistan. The minister said 30 million deserving people will be issued health cards by February next year. Aamir Kiani said the government was…

LAHORE: Denying reports that Asia Bibi has flown out of country, Information Minister Punjab, Fayyaz ul Hasan Chauhan, says foreign media reports on the case are totally false, ARY News reported. ‘Asia Bibi is in Pakistan and she’s has gone nowhere,” said the minister while talking to media here. He confirmed that the woman was released from Multan jail and was then flown to Islamabad under tight security. He added that if the top court puts Asia Bibi on the Exit Control List (ECL), it will be acceptable to the…