Latest news with #PPPP
Express Tribune
4 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
NA resolution seeks to curb population growth
The National Assembly has passed a resolution calling for urgent and comprehensive measures to bring down Pakistan's population growth rate to sustainable levels. The resolution was moved by central leader of PPPP Syed Naveed Qamar in the House. Recognizing the grave implications of the alarmingly high rate of population growth revealed in the 2023 Population and Housing Census, the House acknowledged its adverse impact on the state's ability to improve citizens' welfare, particularly in providing fundamental rights such as education, healthcare, employment, housing, and shelter.
Express Tribune
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Suspended MPAs split over protest limitation
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) 26 suspended MPAs are divided over making any commitment regarding their right to protest in Punjab Assembly. "Majority of them do not support humiliating, abusive and violent conduct at any cost but will not compromise their right to protest in the garb of devising a strategy on how to run the house proceedings," an insider wishing not to be named told The Express Tribune. He quoted the lawmakers as saying as if Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz is the red line for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the PTI also has similar concerns. However, he said, a few of the members were of the view that negotiations should be continued while avoiding a hard line, but the majority were asserting that they could face the reference but would not compromise their right to protest. The latter contend that negotiations must be held on stopping humiliation, abuse and violation of rules but the opposition should not accept the role of a mere spectator. Sources said various options were discussed among the lawmakers facing action over disruption of assembly proceedings, especially those that they believed the PML-N could place before them. The dominant view among the suspended MPAs was that they could not afford to confine themselves to their seats or protest as per the ruling party's wishes in the garb of democratic norms. The government has proposed the names of 11 MPAs, of whom eight belong to the PML-N and one each to PPPP, PML-Q and IPP, for the negotiating committee. The PML-N lawmakers are Mian Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman, Rana Arshad, Sami Ullah Khan, Khawaja Slaman Rafique, Ahmad Iqbal Chaudhry, Iftikhar Hussain Chachar, Amjad Ali Javed and Rahila Khadim Hussain. The names of PPPP's Ali Haider Gillani, PML-Q's Shafay Hussain and IPP's Shoaib Siddiqi have also been floated. However, no name from the opposition has been proposed. After the opposition's members are nominated, the negotiating committee will be officially formed by the assembly secretariat. The MPAs were suspended after the opposition disrupted a speech of the CM on June 27. Treasury and opposition members got embroiled in a scuffle while Speaker Malik Mohammed Ahmed Khan made efforts in vain to pacify the situation. He later suspended 26 PTI MPAs under Rule 210 (3) of the Rules of Procedure, Provincial Assembly of Punjab, 1997. Speaker Khan also sought on June 28 the recovery of damage amounting to Rs2.035 million from 10 PTI MPAs over mounting on desks and breaking eight microphones during their protest on June 16, when the provincial government presented its budget. The speaker had earlier barred opposition MPA Hassan Malik from attending the assembly session till its prorogation for hurling a copy of the budget speech towards Finance Minister Mian Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman. On June 24, Speaker Khan gave a ruling, stating, "I emphasise, all members, regardless of their political affiliation, in order to preserve decorum, uphold the dignity of this august assembly, and ensure that parliamentary proceedings can continue without disruption." He warned that in future, "I shall take all the steps within the legal framework to maintain order and uphold dignity of this august house and its members." The speaker gave the ruling in response to Opposition Leader Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar's assertion on a point of order that protest is a constitutional right. Speaker Khan declared that Rule 223 of the Rules of Procedure, enacted under Article 67 read with Article 127 of the Constitution, provides the code of conduct to be observed by members in the assembly.
Business Recorder
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
PARTLY FACETIOUS: Let it be with Caesar
'So is everyone on the same page or not?' 'Talal Chaudhary, rewarded for his loyalty to the Heir Apparent…' 'Who is the heir apparent? The Prime Minister?' 'No the Prime Minister is the regent and the Heir Apparent is the Chief Minister of Punjab, the former is a proxy and the latter is the one who will inherit.' 'Inherit what? Wisdom?' 'You being facetious?' 'No, I want to know. One can inherit looks, physical assets or wisdom.' 'The first two have already been doled out. The last is not a prized commodity. What remains is political inheritance.' 'Right.' 'Anyway, Talal Chaudhary says that as per the agreement PML-N and the PPPP are partners and will remain partners.' 'Junior partners or senior partners?' 'You are being facetious, aren't you? Partners means partners and while the percentage ownership of each partner is agreed but not released for the likes of us I would assume that at most it is 33 percent each and at least it is around 4 to 5 percent…' 'That's why the rumour mills are so active.' 'On the percentage ownership…' 'No, they may not have inherited wisdom, but they are not blind – they can understand ground realities. No, what I meant was that there are rumours that Nawaz Sharif and Zardari sahib's agreement was like the Blair-Brown agreement – each would rule for the same amount of years and…' 'Right; so Bilawal versus Maryam Nawaz…' 'Nope, Bilawal versus the regent.' 'That's not fair – I mean, one is the undisputed heir and the other…' 'Life isn't fair - what of the two sons of the Man Who Must Remain Nameless and Faceless…' 'They are neither regents nor Heir Apparent…' 'But…' 'It took Maryam Nawaz over a decade to get where she is today, and this in spite of daddy as the only decision maker.' 'Hmmm and Bilawal took a decade to be groomed…' 'Yep, and as Brutus said about Caesar in Shakespeare's play: let it be with Caesar.' 'Riiiiight.' Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
PPP quashes rumours of Zardari's ouster
The PPP had to finally issue a statement to put to rest speculations about possible removal of President Asif Ali Zardari, who is also co-chairman of the party Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, the PPP-Parliamentarians secretary general, on Tuesday clarified that there is no truth to the rumors circulating on social media regarding President Zardari. "Those making such speculations have no understanding of the Constitution or the law. Zardari is the duly elected president of this country and this system cannot function without him," he added. It all started with a couple of journalists "revealing" on social media that a plan was underway to remove Zardari, whose party did not become a part of the coalition government after the Feb 8 general elections but supported it after securing constitutional positions including that of the president. On June 5, Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also dismissed the "rumours", stating that some people were uncomfortable because politicians, the government and the military stand united. "For the first time, politicians, the government and the military establishment are on the same page, and that bothers certain individuals. These people are spreading such stories," Naqvi, who does not belong to any of the ruling parties but is regarded close to Zardari, added. The PPP secretary general claimed that even the government could not function without the support of the PPP and that those spreading such rumors aimed to destabilize the country. He stated that removing a PM or a CM through a vote of no confidence does not destabilize the system. "It is unconstitutional methods or protest-based strategies that destabilize the system. If a no-confidence motion caused instability, it wouldn't have been included in the Constitution," he added. PPPP's central spokesperson Shazia Marri also emphasized that President Zardari and the PPP have a consistent track record of facing challenges head-on. "The PPP and President Zardari have proven that we never abandon the field," she said. Marri stated, "history is witness that President Zardari faced dictatorship and imprisonment, but never backed down." She added that the party maintains good relations with its coalition partners and pointed out that any change in the presidency would require a two-thirds majority across all four provincial assemblies, the National Assembly and the Senate, saying this makes such speculation unfounded. Marri also credited President Zardari with historic democratic reforms, saying he is the only politician in Pakistan who transferred presidential powers to the Parliament. "When the country was in crisis, it was President Zardari who raised the slogan of 'Pakistan Khappay' [Pakistan needed]," she said, referring to a time of national uncertainty following the assassination of his wife & slain former premier Benazir Bhutto. In a separate statement, PML-N's Senator Irfan Siddiqui had also confirmed that there was no proposal under consideration at any level to replace President Zardari. "President Zardari is performing his duties as the constitutional head of state commendably," he said.
The Journal
08-07-2025
- Business
- The Journal
500-home housing project that was culled by minister had seen costs 'effectively double'
LAST UPDATE | 43 mins ago COSTS FOR A multi-partner project containing almost 500 social homes that was suddenly halted last month had 'effectively doubled', according to internal warnings from housing officials weeks ahead of the cancellation. In correspondence seen by The Journal , they warned that 'development costs and interest rates' had combined to see the price rise for the multimillion euro project, which was to deliver 486 homes across six sites in Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow and Sligo. It was also revealed today that judicial review proceedings have been initiated by a construction company over the cancellation against the Department of Housing, following Minister James Browne's cost-related decision to stop the project from going ahead last month . All 486 homes were due to be delivered under a public private partnership (PPP) scheme. This model is essentially a long-term contract sometimes used to deliver infrastructure, where the private partner provides funding and operational management of the project as part of its delivery. The model for the delivery of such largescale social housing projects has been thrown into doubt as a result of this cancellation. New details at Oireachtas committee Today's Oireachtas Housing Committee heard Browne say that judicial review proceedings had been initiated by one of the parties involved in the PPPP in recent days against the department because of the cancellation. Court records show builder JJ Rhatigan has lodged papers against the minister and Dublin City Council. Social Democrats housing spokesperson Rory Hearne said the situation was now an 'utter mess', telling the minister that the legal proceedings will likely further delay the delivery of the homes through alternative means. Browne told the committee he could not discuss the cancelled PPP as it was now the subject of legal proceedings, but, speaking generally, he said the model of housing needs to be 'completely overhauled' to make it better for the taxpayer. Four upcoming PPPs – set to contain several thousand homes – have been stalled with a review now being carried out into each project. The Wexford Fianna Fáil TD also said he was not happy about the 'length of time' it took for the project to 'land on my desk for a final decision'. Advertisement It's likely to raise further questions about management of the scheme, as the PPP had twice passed government financial appraisals – including last October. Emails between officials The Journal can also now report that housing officials raised significant concerns around the costs involved in the project in late March, just weeks before cancelling the project. The claim was made in emails – seen by The Journal – between the Department of Housing to their counterparts in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The latter department has responsibility for the purse strings on projects backed by the State. They repeatedly sought a meeting on the project, with housing officials later requesting discussions 'asap' as they were due to have a decision made on the future of the homes by May. In one email, housing officials sought an urgent meeting with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform about the project. The project is known as Bundle 3 as it is the third of the social housing projects delivered under the model. 'The costs have risen significantly since the last bundle closed in 2019/2020 (effectively doubled),' the officials said in an email from 27 March. 'These costs include the whole lifecycle including development, funding, operations for 25 years etc.' Housing officials added that they were working with the State-backed financial institution National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) and said it had reviewed different aspects of Bundle 3. The official said that Bundle 3 had 'passed' its value for money tests – which were conducted last year – but raised concerns over the costs now presented. 'The cost of delivery of Bundle 3 has doubled when compared to Bundles 1 and 2, reflecting current development costs and interest rates,' the official told the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The Housing official continued in the email, outlining that the NDFA have provided a report 'detailing the costs and the reasons for the increases over previous bundles'. The NDFA's cost report was not released by the department due to commercial information contained within the report. The homes were due to be delivered by the Torc Consortium , a partnership for all six sites between Galway-based developer JJ Rhatigan, London-based financier Equitix, Japanese developer Kajima and housing body Túath Housing Association. Although no final contract had been awarded, it is understood that the second Value for Money check last October resulted in developers proceeding to work on the site, leading the consortium's partners to spend upwards of €8 million on the six sites to get them shovel-ready . A total of 1,400 workers had been assigned to work on the homes for the next 18 months before the plug was pulled. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
