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The Print
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Print
Pakistan defence minister accuses top govt officers of ‘devouring billions, retiring in Portugal'
'These are well-known bureaucrats,' he further wrote. 'After devouring billions of rupees, they are comfortably living a retired life.' In a post on X Wednesday, originally written in Urdu, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader alleged that 'more than half of the bureaucracy of our dear homeland has already acquired property in Portugal and is preparing to obtain citizenship'. New Delhi: Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has sparked a political firestorm by accusing the country's top civil servants of large-scale corruption, and quietly securing foreign citizenship, particularly in Portugal. He further alleged that a former close aide of former Punjab chief minister Usman Buzdar had received Rs 4 billion in salami (cash gifts) at his daughters' weddings, and now enjoys a peaceful retirement. The minister accused civil servants of siphoning off public wealth, while escaping accountability. In contrast, he painted elected politicians as relatively powerless and exposed. 'Politicians only get what is left over by them,' he said, saying that they cannot own plots abroad or foreign citizenship, as these would disqualify them from running for office. 'This bureaucracy is polluting the sacred land of Pakistan,' he added. In a follow-up post, Asif also named an individual referred to as 'Virk sahab', whom he accused of playing a central role in helping the officers settle down in Portugal, and obtain European citizenship. The accusations triggered reactions online, with both supporters and critics weighing in. Journalist Umar Cheema responded by urging the defence minister to investigate 'who, among the bureaucrats or politicians, built Park View City in Portugal, where people obtain a European passport after investing there'. Park View City is a real estate project by Vision Group, a Pakistan-based real estate firm. Another journalist, Najam Wali Khan, associated with state-run PTV, questioned the minister's approach—'If a top brass minister like Khawaja Asif is only going to tweet, then who would arrest them—Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman or Yasmin Rashid? Who has stopped you from taking the money trail from these looters?' (Edited by Mannat Chugh) Also Read: More rhetoric than reality? What are 'massive' Pakistani oil reserves Trump has promised to develop
Express Tribune
28-04-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
E-Abiana worsens farmers' plight
The computerised billing system under the new e-Abiana (water tax) system launched by provincial government to collect water tax from farmers has become a source of frustration for them due to multiple flaws. Farmers are also troubled by a 200% increase in the abiana (water tax) and a reduced payment deadline. Thousands of farmers across the district were not provided their computerised bills in time under the e-Abiana system. Even where bills were delivered, discrepancies were found in names, ownership details, and other entries. Due to the shortage of canal water and low wheat prices, many farmers were unable to pay the tax on time, which has impacted overall revenue collection. The abiana bills were issued on April 1, 2025, with April 15 set as the payment deadline. Though payment can be made through nearby banks, mobile phones, or apps, the bills were not delivered on time, resulting in non-payment by farmers. Unlike WAPDA or Sui Northern Gas, no system was devised to deliver e-Abiana bills to millions of farmers at their doorstep within two weeks of issuance. Department of Irrigation issues the water tax, while the Revenue Department is responsible for its delivery and collection. Coordination and staffing issues between the two departments have led to unresolved errors. It is worth mentioning that during the tenure of former Punjab CM Usman Buzdar, a century-old system was abolished and the Revenue Department's role in abiana collection was limited. The government had launched the e-Abiana project to collect water tax from farmers using canal water in a manner similar to utility billing systems like WAPDA, Sui Gas, and PTCL. However, due to the Punjab Revenue Establishment's lack of attention, flaws in the newly launched e-Abiana system remain unaddressed, rendering it ineffective. According to Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin, Chairman of the Kisan Bachao Tehreek, and Syed Mahmood-ul-Haq Bukhari, Chairman of All Pakistan Kisan Foundation, crop prices especially wheat farmers have crushed the backbone of farmers. On top of that, canals are dry. Previously, canals were operated weekly, but now they are shut down, depriving farmers of water, which is leading to barren land and economic devastation for farmers. They criticised the Punjab Irrigation Department's 200 percent increase in abiana during such times, calling it a cruel move that will further worsen farmers' plight. They also said that due to skyrocketing costs of fertilizer, diesel, electricity, and seeds, farmers are already under immense strain. In these conditions, the 200% hike in agricultural water tax amounts to state-level oppression. Sources revealed that after the water tax collection system was linked online last year, revenue collection has been declining rather than improving. Irrigation Department sources claim the Revenue Department is not cooperating in identifying payers. Meanwhile, Revenue officials blame the Irrigation Department for technical flaws in billing and updates in the e-Abiana system, which they say are the responsibility of the Irrigation Department. This blame game has severely impacted tax collection. Due to finger-pointing between departments and incorrect records, the e-Abiana billing system seems to be failing in the district. With collections worth millions delayed, not only has achieving the annual target become impossible, but it also poses a threat to the provincial treasury. According to farming circles, despite computerisation of revenue records, the data was compiled under a "dunk-dapo" (haphazard) policy, resulting in incorrect names, parentage, and land ownership details, halting collections completely. A farmer Abid Hussainsaid that when they approach revenue officers or patwaris for record correction, they are told the data has been sent back to the Irrigation Department, causing further delays. Irrigation officials said revenue authorities don't cooperate and create obstacles over minor issues.
Express Tribune
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
'Afternoon School Programme' extended
Students of Islamabad Model College for Girls F-6/2 leave after attending classes as the educational institutions in the federal capital remained open on Wednesday. PHOTO: ONline The Punjab government has decided to maintain and continue the "Insaf Afternoon School Programme" initiated during the tenure of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)'s Sardar Usman Buzdar as the chief minister. The word "Insaaf" has been removed from the project, and it will now be called the "Afternoon Schools Programme." Additionally, 200 more middle schools, including those in the Rawalpindi Division, have been upgraded to high schools. For this project, a fund of Rs475.936 million has been allocated. These 200 schools will operate as middle schools in the morning and as government high schools in the afternoon. New admissions have been initiated immediately, and all students who have passed the middle school level have been promoted to these schools. Under the project, any teacher who voluntarily teaches in the second shift after the morning session will receive an additional salary as an honorarium. In each district of Punjab, two to seven schools from rural areas have been selected for this upgrade, specifically schools where there is no nearby high school. New admissions have also been started for these schools. This programme was launched by former CM Sardar Usman Buzdar in 2020 for remote rural areas, and currently, around 2,000 "Insaf Afternoon Schools" are operating successfully in the province. The word "Insaaf" has also been removed from the boards of these schools. Furthermore, the provincial education ministry has constituted special monitoring committees of teachers in 43 districts to oversee the operations of the afternoon schools. These committees will conduct surprise checks on the teaching system in their respective districts and submit reports to the ministry. The teachers included in the monitoring committees for different districts are Fahmida Abbasi and Nasir Saleem Satti from Rawalpindi district, Muhammad Kashif and Zaheer Matloob from Jhelum district, and Muhammad Ubaid Ashfaq, Samer Hussain and Jahangir Ahmed from Attock district. box Teacher rationalisation follows school privatisation our correspondent RAWALPINDI. After the privatisation of government schools, the process of teacher rationalisation and layoffs has begun. Teacher rationalisation will commence in ongoing month of April, and surplus teachers will be sent to a surplus pool. The third phase of the sale of 5,500 government schools and the rationalisation process will be completed by the summer holidays on May 31. The rules and regulations for rationalisation have also been finalised. According to the new structure, each primary school will require one Primary School Head Teacher (PSHT) and one Early Childhood Education (ECE) teacher. Teachers will be allocated based on the student-to-classroom ratio as follows: For 70 students (two to three classrooms), only one primary teacher; for 105 students (3 classrooms), only one primary teacher; for 105 students (4 classrooms), one Primary School Teacher (PST) and one school headmaster; for 140 students (2 to 4 classrooms), one PST and one Senior Primary School Teacher; for 140 students (5 classrooms), two primary teachers and one headmaster; for 175 students (2 to 5 classrooms), two teachers and one Senior Primary School Teacher; For 175 students (6 classrooms), two PSTs and two Senior PSTs; and For 210 students (2 to 6 classrooms), two PSTs and two Senior PSTs. If the number exceeds the above criteria, an additional PST teacher will be assigned for every 35+ students, and an SPST for every 70+ students. As soon as the rationalisation process begins, there is growing concern among senior primary teachers. The rationalisation process will be completed before the summer holidays on May 31.
