Latest news with #TanveerHussain
Business Recorder
28-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
PASSCO's wheat reserves will not be released into open market: minister
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain said on Tuesday that the government will not release Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (PASSCO)'s strategic wheat reserves into the open market, reaffirming the government's commitment to ensuring national food security. Speaking during a meeting with representatives of farmer unions, the minister clarified that PASSCO's reserves are meant strictly for emergency situations. 'These reserves are maintained strictly for emergency situations and food security purposes,' Hussain said. Federal govt is no longer setting wheat prices, pulls plug on Passco 'Ensuring the food security of our population remains the top priority of the government.' In addition to addressing concerns over wheat availability, the minister also discussed the government's efforts to boost maize exports. He said that Pakistan is actively engaging with several countries to expand export markets for maize through diplomatic and trade-level initiatives. These efforts, he noted, are expected to yield positive results for the farming community and bolster the national economy. 'Pakistan's maize has high potential in international markets due to its quality and competitive pricing,' Hussain said. He added that the government is improving storage, logistics, and value chain mechanisms to support export efficiency. The minister also briefed the farmer representatives on various government initiatives aimed at enhancing agricultural productivity. These include improving farmers' access to quality seeds, modern machinery, and affordable fertilisers. He reiterated the government's resolve to address the grievances of the farming community through policy reforms and public-private partnerships. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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First Post
15-05-2025
- Politics
- First Post
How Pakistan plans to rebuild Lashkar-e-Taiba terror hub, Muridke, that India struck
Pakistan has reportedly decided to rebuild the Muridke area, where the headquarters of the banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was hit by Indian strikes on May 7. The government has also announced compensation for those injured in the attack. This comes after Pakistani Army personnel and Punjab police officials were seen attending the funeral of terrorists in Muridke read more A satellite image shows Markaz Taiba following airstrikes in Muridke, Pakistan, May 7, 2025. Maxar Technologies/Handout via Reuters Pakistan has reportedly decided to rebuild the Muridke area, where the headquarters of the banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was hit by Indian strikes on May 7 under Operation Sindoor. Two Pakistani ministers visited those injured in the precision targeting by the Indian Armed Forces on the terror camp in Murdike, a small city in Pakistan's Punjab province. While Pakistan use civilians as a shield , Muridke is known as the LeT's terror hub. India has maintained that it targeted terrorists, saying more than 100 were killed, resisting civilian casualties. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD India struck nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) early on May 7, including Markaz Taiba in Muridke and the Bahawalpur base of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). The response came after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack claimed the lives of 26 people. The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba, had claimed responsibility for the massacre in Jammu and Kashmir. Let's take a closer look. Is Pakistan compensating terrorists? Pakistan Federal Minister for Industries and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain and Punjab Housing Minister Bilal Yasin visited the injured in Muridke on Monday (May 13), as per Pakistan's The News International newspaper. Hussain said that the Pakistani government has vowed to reconstruct the area at its own expense. 'Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief General Asim Munir will personally finance the reconstruction of a mosque damaged in the operation,' he said, India Today reported, citing Pakistani media. Announcing the government's decision to reconstruct the mosque, he said that the Pak Prime Minister and the army chief have pledged to rebuild the mosque at their personal expense, the report added. Pakistan has announced a compensation of PKR 10 million (Rs 3.02 crore) to PKR 18 million (Rs 5.4 crore) — depending on their ranks — for martyred soldiers. Injured people will get PKR 1 million (about Rs 3 lakh) to PKR 2 million (about Rs 6 lakh). Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that homes and mosques destroyed by Indian strikes will be rebuilt by the government. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'The care of the children of martyrs is the responsibility of the government, and we will fulfil this duty,' he said, adding that the 'federal government will bear all costs for the treatment of the injured.' India has refuted Pakistan's allegations that it hit any religious sites. Last weekend, the Indian Armed Forces released the names of the Pakistani Army personnel and Pakistan's Punjab police officials who attended the funeral of terrorists in Muridke. They also released the pictures of the officials spotted there. The funeral prayers for the three men killed in India's strikes in Muridke were led by Hafiz Abdur Rauf , Masood Azhar's brother and a US-designated terrorist. Civil officials and members of the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) were also seen marking their presence. Videos and images of the terrorists' funerals at different places surfaced on social media, showing several Pakistani army officials and personnel attending their last rites. Moreover, a Sky News forensics and data team geolocated to Markaz Taiba several videos on TikTok, YouTube and Google, which expressed support for the LeT and '313', referring to the 313 Brigade, al-Qaida's military wing in Pakistan. These videos were shot before the Indian strikes on the Markaz Taiba complex. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD About Muridke terror camp Markaz Taiba in Sheikhpura district's Muridke is the headquarters of Hafiz Saeed's terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba. Located in Nangal Sahdan, Muridke, the complex spans 82 acres and includes arms and physical training facilities. The Markaz-e-Taiba, or the Taiba Centre, was established in 2000 as the headquarters of the Markaz-e-Dawa Wal Irshad (MDI), the LeT's parent organisation. The campus was home to schools, mosques, medical facilities and residential quarters, as per an Indian Express report. The centre has links to Osama Bin Laden, who provided funds for building a mosque and a guest house within this complex in 2000. Perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, including Ajmal Kasab, received 'Daura-e-Ribbat' (intelligence training) at this facility. Muridke was hit by Indian strikes on May 7. Reuters David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana, the plotters of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, along with co-conspirators Abdul Rehman Sayed, Haroon and Khurram, had visited Muridke. LeT founder Hafiz Saeed and other terrorists of his outfit like Zaki Ur Rehman Lakhvi have residences in this facility. A senior counterinsurgency officer told Indian Express that the Markaz-e-Taiba was a city in itself. 'The Lashkar headquarters had everything the terror operatives and their families needed. It was as organised as a military headquarters would be and that's not possible without state support.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Describing the Taiba centre the 'root of evil', he said, 'Muridke has been exporting terror not just to Kashmir, but many other parts of the world. All the top Lashkar commanders operated from there.' With inputs from agencies
The Star
29-04-2025
- Business
- The Star
Roundup: China's agricultural equipment sows seeds of prosperity in Pakistan: minister
ISLAMABAD, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The agriculture equipment and tools provided by China under the Socio-Economic Development Grant of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will sow seeds of prosperity for Pakistan and its farming communities, Pakistani Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain said on Tuesday. Under the grant, China has provided Pakistan with 278 sets of agricultural machinery and equipment, including tractors, seeders, combine harvesters, photovoltaic water pump systems, among others, representing one of the largest China-aided agricultural equipment projects to Pakistan in recent years. Addressing the handing over ceremony of the equipment to the representatives of the provincial government, Hussain said that the lack of modern farm machinery is one of the primary constraints of low crop yields in Pakistan, and this "invaluable support" will significantly enhance the capacity of the research institutions of the country. "It will enable us to modernize our agriculture practices, improve crop yields, and address current challenges to our food security, such as water scarcity and climate change," he added. Speaking at the event, Federal Secretary of the Ministry Waseem Ajmal Chaudhry said that the support and cooperation coming from China is critical, not only for boosting and stabilizing agricultural exports and the economy, but also for promoting social harmony. Private sectors will also be included to bring these machines to the farms, ensuring that they are not just tested in the controlled environments of research institutes but under real farming conditions, he added. Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong, who also attended the event, said that China and Pakistan are both traditional agricultural countries that need to maintain food security and improve their people's lives. "The United States' arbitrary imposition of additional tariffs on over 180 countries has severely infringed upon the legitimate rights and interests of all countries, severely undermined the multilateral trading system, and severely disrupted the global economic order," Jiang said. China is willing to jointly resist unilateralism and tariff bullying with the Pakistani side to safeguard the common interests of both sides and international justice, he added. Following the event, the machinery was displayed to the public, agricultural experts, engineers, and students, who showed significant interest. Talking to Xinhua on the sidelines of the event, Kamran Bilal, a student from a nearby agricultural university, said the machines will transform Pakistan's agricultural sector. "They will help us improve yields, save time, and better manage resources, which are critical for our country's agricultural growth," he said. Launched in 2013, CPEC, a flagship project of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, is a corridor linking Gwadar Port in Pakistan with Kashgar in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It highlights energy, transport, and industrial cooperation in the first phase, while expanding to fields of agriculture and livelihood, among others, in the new phase.
Express Tribune
21-02-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Utility Stores not to be shut, Senate told
Federal Minister for Industries and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain has said the government is not closing down the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) and that there is no threat to its regular and contractual employees. "The government is only closing non-profitable USC stores which were established at needless locations," Hussain told the upper house on Friday. The minister, however, admitted that there are proposals under consideration to restructure, privatize or run the affairs of the USC on a public-private partnership basis "with the consultation of allied parties". He said the government provides a subsidy of Rs50 billion to the USC to facilitate the public to provide cheaper daily used items. Last year the government had provided an amount of Rs17 billion to the USC under the Ramazan relief package. However, he said, the amount was not used properly to facilitate the people. He said the federal government has now increased the Ramazan package to Rs20 billion this year. Hussain claimed that the country is moving in the right direction "under the dynamic leadership" of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. "Pakistan's position has been strengthened at the global level and the trust of international financial institutions and big powers shows that the economic policies of the government are correct," he said. A report published in The Express Tribune on February 16 revealed that the government had decided to lay off daily wage employees of the USC as part of its "rightsizing" policy The move, which will affect an estimated 2,500 to 2,600 workers, was approved earlier by the USC board of directors. According to sources, directives for terminating employees had already been issued by the respective zonal offices, signalling the start of the downsizing process. The layoffs are in line with the government's broader policy of rationalising the workforce and reducing expenses. The decision comes as part of ongoing restructuring efforts within the USC, which has been under financial strain. Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarar told the house that peaceful protest is a fundamental right of every citizen but it must take place within the parameters set by the law. The minister was responding to the concerns raised by Senator Sherry Rehman with regard to use of force against protesting government employees. Tarar said disruptions were caused by protesters at the Pakistan Secretariat, a crucial institution that serves citizens from all regions of the country, including the remote areas of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Punjab. He said such disturbances impede the delivery of public services. The secretariat, he said, should not be held hostage by these actions. The minister also mentioned that the prime minister had instructed relevant officials to hold talks with the protesters to address their concerns and find resolutions. "The finance minister is actively involved in negotiations with the protesting employees, and the government is committed to meeting their legitimate demands," he said. Tarar noted that the PM has assured that any employees offered early retirement or placed in the surplus pool will have their rights fully protected.
Express Tribune
11-02-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Govt to ensure affordable sugar
Listen to article ISLAMABAD: Minister for Industries and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain on Tuesday chaired a meeting of the Pakistan Sugar Manufacturing Association (PSMA) focused on important decisions related to the pricing and distribution of sugar across the country. The minister reaffirmed the government's commitment to ensuring sugar is available at affordable prices for the public, said a news release. He announced that a micro-plan for sugar distribution would be introduced this week in every district. The minister announced that special measures would be taken to provide sugar at discounted rates during Ramazan. "Sugar stalls will be set up in every district starting three days before Ramazan and continuing until the 27th of Ramazan. These stalls will offer sugar in ample quantities," he said. Tanveer revealed that the price of sugar at discounted rates will be announced later this week to ensure that lower-income groups have access to affordable sugar during Ramazan. He emphasised that with the cooperation of provincial governments, sugar stalls will be established across the country.
