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Express Tribune
12-04-2025
- Health
- Express Tribune
Nutrition project: politician to replace social scientist
Sindh government has all set to appoint a politician, Sarfaraz Rajar as Vice Chairman of the Sindh Social Protection Authority in place of a social scientist, Haris Gazdar. Rajar, is also Special Assistant to the Sindh Chief Minister. Formal approval of his appointment will be given at forthcoming meeting of the Sindh Cabinet scheduled on April 15 (Tuesday). Sindh Social Protection Authority is supervising nutrition centric social protection component of a foreign funded project, Accelerated Action Plan for Reduction of Stunting and Malnutrition (AAP). The project envisages a pilot Conditional Cash Transfer programme focused on first 1000 days of life by incentivizing health check-ups of pregnant and lactating mothers, growth monitoring and immunization of children under 2 years of age, through the provision of a regular and predictable cash transfer to targeted poor and vulnerable households. The seat had fallen vacant in September last year due to resignation of Haris Gazdar. The office of the Vice Chairman is most important as it heads the Authority in absence of the Chief Minister Sindh, who is its chairman. According to Haris Gazdar he had resigned from the office due to his 'inability to give required time and attention' to the SSPA affairs. Previously he was Coordinator to the Sindh Chief Minister on Social Protection. Talking to the Express Tribune he said that the SSPA has made a good start. It has to continue to work hard to establish its credentials. "It requires and active and dynamic leadership which I am certain that current team will provide", he said. When asked about reasons for not utilizing most of the funds allocated for the SSPA during his tenure, he said due to lack of capacity. According to him some of the important initiatives could not be translated into action due capacity issues. "It is my learning that the SSPA can establish legitimacy through its Conditional Cash Transfers and then will be able to take on those challenges", he added. It is pertinent to mention here that Sindh government had allocated a big amount of Rs22.42 billion during financial year 2023-24 for different projects of social protection but the SSPA was failed to utilize it. It could only utilize Rs213 million throughout the year out of the total allocated funds. This year an amount of Rs12.26 billion has been allocated for the SSPA. It is worth to mention that the Sindh government had also started a project namely Social Protection Delivery System to increase capacity of the SSPA and other allied departments. According to Gazdar it was just started when he had left role of the Coordinator to the Sindh Chief Minister. He was not aware of its current situation.
Express Tribune
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Court acquits PM Shehbaz Sharif, son Hamza in Ramzan Sugar Mills case
Listen to article Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and former Punjab chief minister Hamza Shehbaz have been acquitted in the Ramzan Sugar Mills corruption case. The case, which had been ongoing since 2017, stemmed from accusations that the Shehbaz family had facilitated the construction of a drainage system for Ramzan Sugar Mills in Chiniot, leading to a financial loss of Rs213 million to the national exchequer, Express News reported The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had filed a reference against the two political figures, accusing them of corruption over the construction of the drainage system in 2015. During the proceedings, the Anti-Corruption Court's Judge, Sardar Muhammad Iqbal Dogar, stated that no grounds for conviction existed, and that no punishment was forthcoming for the accused. Shehbaz Sharif was arrested in October 2018, while Hamza was taken into custody in June 2019. They were later granted bail by the Lahore High Court. The legal proceedings included several key dates where charges were levied, dismissed, and refiled, with both individuals facing extensive periods of detention during the trial. Lasr week, Ramzan Sugar Mills case took a dramatic turn as the complainant disassociated himself from the case, stating in court that he had no objection to the acquittal of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz Sharif. Appearing before the anti-corruption court, complainant Zulfiqar Ali told Judge Sardar Muhammad Iqbal that he neither filed the complaint against the Sharifs nor was he aware of the application on which the case was initiated. "I withdraw this application," he said. At this, the judge directed Ali to submit an affidavit confirming his stance. Subsequently, Ali submitted the affidavit, reiterating that he had no involvement in the case. In his statement, he said that he was unaware of the complaint's content, had not signed any application and lacked any knowledge about the construction of the wastewater drain near Ramzan Sugar Mills, which lies at the heart of the case. "I have no objection if Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz Sharif are acquitted," Ali stated in his affidavit. The judge inquired if the complainant's statement had been recorded previously, to which Ali replied in the negative.
Express Tribune
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Prosecution to present arguments in sugar mills case
LAHORE: An Anti-Terrorism Court has directed the prosecution to present its arguments by February 3 on the acquittal applications of Prime Minister Mian Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz in the Ramzan Sugar Mills case. The case pertains to the alleged construction of a drain in Chiniot district, which was purportedly built to benefit a sugar mill owned by the prime minister's family, resulting in a claimed loss of Rs213 million to the national exchequer. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) initially filed the reference in 2018, accusing Shehbaz Sharif, in his capacity as the then-chief minister of Punjab, and Hamza Shehbaz of misusing their authority. However, the case took a new turn on January 28 when the complainant retracted his allegations and denied any connection to the case. During the court proceedings, the judge inquired about Hamza Shehbaz's absence, to which his counsel, Amjad Pervez, responded that he was abroad due to his daughter's health issues. The complainant, when cross-examined, stated that he had never filed any complaint against Shehbaz Sharif or his son. He further asserted that the drain was constructed for public benefit by a former MPA and was utilized by nearby residential areas. The defense counsel argued that the construction of the drain was not a personal directive from Shehbaz Sharif but was instead approved by the Punjab Assembly as part of broader development works. He further contended that no substantial evidence existed to prove that the drain was specifically built to benefit Ramzan Sugar Mills. Citing the complainant's affidavit, which stated that he had no knowledge of or involvement in the case, the defense maintained that there was no justification for continuing the proceedings. Following these arguments, the court adjourned the hearing until February 3, directing the prosecution to present its case.
