PM forms ministerial committee on energy conservation roadmap

F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed to constitute a high-powered committee to formulate long, medium and short-term strategies on the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Measures Implementation Roadmap, proposed by the Power Division.
The committee, to be headed by Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, will consist of members including Commerce Minister Syed Naveed Qamar, Minister for Industries and Production Syed Murtaza Mehmood, Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Law Azam Nazir Tarar, Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb, Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman and Minister for Board of Investment Ch. Salik Hussain. The prime minister, while chairing the meeting of the federal cabinet, directed the Power Division to give a detailed briefing next week regarding the power theft and line losses as well as the strategy to check it.
He also called for launching an appropriate public awareness campaign about energy conservation, a press release issued by the PM Media Wing here said. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while referring to his October 10 visit to Thar, said cheaper electricity could be produced through the Thar Coal Project.
He said unnecessary delay on the project in the past was not less than a national tragedy, but now such projects were among the government’s priorities. The prime minister further said the project would help reduce the country’s $24 billion energy import bill.
He also appreciated all the stakeholders involved in the project and said in that regard an important review meeting would be held next week. The Federal Cabinet, on the recommendation of Interior Ministry, included Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Rwanda, Belarus and Slovakia in the business visa list for the promotion of bilateral trade relations with these countries.
On the Interior Ministry’s recommendation, the cabinet also approved the family visa extension period from one to two years. It also approved the issuance of 30 days non-extendable family visit category single entry visa on Travel / Asylum/ Temporary documents verified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The cabinet approved the addition of following in Pakistan Online Visa System (POVS):

• Fields showing address and place of stay of applicants, intended entry port/border/airport, place of work, contact details, including sponsor details may be made mandatory. Same fields shall also be made mandatory for private individuals other than CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor) projects.
• In case of business visa, contact details of the sponsor may be made mandatory.
  The cabinet, on the recommendation of the Ministry of Housing and Works, approved the allotment of 23 kanals at the Nabha Road Lahore to the Supreme Court of Pakistan for its Lahore Registry. It also endorsed the decisions taken by the Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet (ECC) during its meetings on 30-09-2022 and 10-10-2022.
  The cabinet, expressing its serious concern over the incident of firing on a school bus in Swat, strongly condemned it, prayed for those martyred in the incident as well as for early recovery of the injured children.

Shujaat meets PM, reiterates resolve to stand by govt

F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: Senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Q Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain called on the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, here on Tuesday, wherein the party leader reiterated his resolve to stand by the government in all difficult circumstances. Discussing the overall political situation, it was agreed that all ruling coalition parties would continue to collectively strive for the public welfare, a PM Office press release said. Federal ministers Rana Sanaullah, Tariq Bashir Cheema, Azam Nazeer Tarar and Chaudry Salik Hussain, and Special Assistants to PM Malik Ahmed and Ataullah Tarar attended the meeting.