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(9th Session)

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SECRETARIAT

————

“QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWERS AND THEIR REPLIES”

to be asked at a sitting of the National Assembly to be held on

Wednesday, the 24th April, 2019

22. *Mr. Raza Rabani Khar:(Deferred during 6th Session)

Will the Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment be pleased to state:

(a) what percentage of workers in the local industries hail from

the local community.    

(b) specifically with regards to Muzaffargarh district;    

(c) if no quota is allocated, why not especially when the localshave the qualification and expertise required for the jobs;

    (d) are local  industries  abiding  by  the  corporate  social

responsibility standards placed on them?

Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment: (a) After 18th Constitutional Amendment, the subject ofLabour Welfare has been devolved to the Provinces. The Punjab Labour& Human Resource Department, Lahore was requested to furnish thedetail of the subject Question, who have informed that their sub­ordinatefield formations have been entrusted the task to get implemented theexisting Labour laws after registration of industrial establishments underSection 9 of the Factories Act, 1934. As such, the field officers/ inspectorsonly register the industrial establishments but not workers or theirparticulars showing percentage of local community workers in the local

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industries because of which percentage of workers is not available withthe Department. (Annex­I).

(b) The above policy is for all the 36 districts of Punjab Provinceincluding Muzaffargarh.

(c) No specific quota has been fixed for the locals and thematter has been left for determination by the market competitive forces.The locals having requisite qualification and expertise required for thejobs may compete for such jobs and acquire the same.

(d) The Labour and Human Resource Department Punjab isresponsible for implementation of Labour Laws/ Standards and most ofIndustries of Muzaffargarh comply with the Labour Standards. However,legal action is taken against violators as and when required.

(Annexure has been placed in the National Assembly Library)

31. *Ms. Tahira Aurangzeb:

Will the Minister for Commerce and Textile be pleased to state:

(a) the steps  taken by  the Government  till  date  to boost  upPakistan’s exports to Thailand; and

    (b) the results accrued therefrom?

Minister for Commerce and Textile: (a) & (b)

Market Access

In order to get better market access, Pakistan and Thailand haveinitiated negotiations on Free Trade Agreement (FTA). So far 9 rounds ofnegotiations have been held.

Trade Promotional Activities

With the prospects of FTA, there was a need to introducePakistani products in the Thai market. Keeping that in view the

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first ever “Single Country Exhibition” was held in Bangkok,Thailand on 12th — 15th July, 2018. During Single CountryExhibition, 64 companies from 16 different sectors exhibitedtheir products.

In September, 2017, a 16­member Thai Fisheries delegationvisited Pakistan.

In November 2017, a 20­member Thai delegation fromdifferent sectors visited Pakistan and held meetings withrespective stakeholders.

As a result of special efforts of Ministry of Commerce,Pakistan’s exports to Thailand have increased from USD 107million in 2015­16 to USD 185 million in 2017­18 recording agrowth of 72%.

Furthermore, a study was conducted to identify products whichhave the potential to successfully penetrate the Thai market. Itwas observed that sea food has a lot of export potential in Thaimarket. Special attention was given to promote sea food exportsand as a result of the concentrated efforts of Ministry ofCommerce, the export of sea food to Thailand increased fromUSD 81 million in 2016­17 to 107 million in 2017­18 recordinga growth of 32%.

32. *Mr. Junaid Akbar:

Will the Minister for Commerce and Textile be pleased to state:

(a) the steps  taken by  the Government  to reduce  the  importbill of the country during the last three months; and

    (b) the steps proposed to be taken by the Government to further

reduce the said bill in near future?

Minister for Commerce and Textile: (a) The following measureshave been by the Government to reduce the import bill of the country:

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i. Exchange Rate rationalization: The exchange rate of PKRvis-a-vis dollars have been rationalized to remove disincentivesto exports due to artificially increased exchange rate.Furthermore, the flexible exchange rate regime is also addressingsurge in imports by making imported goods expensive vis-à-vis PKR.

ii. Imposition of Regulatory Duties: To curtail the imports ofluxury items and non­essential goods, regulatory duties havebeen imposed on the import of 570 items vide S.R.O. 1265(1)/2018 dated 16th October 2018. The said SRO has supersededS.R.O. 640 (I)/2018, dated the 24th May, 2018.

iii. Policy revision for the import of vehicles under transferof residence personal baggage and gift schemes: In orderto prevent the misuse of the Scheme intended for OverseasPakistanis, the existing policy has been revised. Under therevised Policy, the remittance for payment of duties and taxeswill originate from account of Pakistani national sending thevehicle from abroad; and the remittance will either be receivedin the account of Pakistani national sending the vehicle fromabroad or, in case, his account in nonexistent/inoperative, inthe account of his family member as defined in Appendix­E,para (1) of the import Policy Order. The decision of the ECCof the Cabinet has been notified vide SRO. 52 (I) 2019 on15th January 2019.

iv. Labeling Requirements on import of edible products:Under Import Policy Order (IPO) 2016, the import of edibleproducts is subject to, inter alia, the conditions that it is fit forhuman consumption, has at least 50% of the remaining shelf lifeand in case of meat it is obtained from ‘hilal’ animals andslaughtered in accordance with the Islamic injunctions. Therewas a need that our consumers should be aware of theingredients of the edible products they consume, keeping inview their safety and belief. Therefore, the followingamendments have been introduced in the policy for consumer’swelfare:

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a. The product has at least 66% (2/3rd) of remaining shelflife;

b. The ingredients and details of the product (e.g. nutritionalfacts, usage instructions etc.) of the food product areprinted in Urdu and English languages on the consumerpackaging;

c. The logo of the Halal certification body is printed on theconsumer packaging;

d. The labeling under (b) & (c) not to be in the form of asticker, overprinting, stamp or scratched labeling;

e. The shipment is accompanied by a ‘halal certificate’ issuedby a halal Certification Body, accredited with anAccrediting Body (AB) which is a member of InternationalHalal Accreditation Forum (IHAF) or StandardsMeteorology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC).

(b) Pakistan’s imports are inelastic as majority of them comprisesessential items such as food, machinery and petroleum. However, theaforementioned steps along with previous measures such as regulatory dutieson non­essential and luxury items and control on low quality products willfurther reduce the import of non­essential items in the coming months.

33. *Ms. Mussarat Rafiq Mahesar:

Will the Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination be pleasedto  state  the  steps  being  taken  by  the  Government  for  thepromotion of sports particularly Hockey, Football and Squashas the standards of such games are deteriorating day-by-day inSindh  province  particularly  in  Tehsil  Mehar, District  Dadu,Sindh?

Minister for Inter­Provincial Coordination (Dr. FehmidaMirza): The Federal Government is fully conscious regarding decliningstandards of Sports in the country. Sports Ministry is devolved alongwithresources to the provinces under 18th amendment.

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The Ministry of Sports is devolved under 18th ConstitutionalAmendment and the respective provincial governments are responsiblefor promotion and development of sports in their province. The PrimeMinister of Pakistan has constituted a Task Force under Mr. Ehsan Manifor making recommendations to revamp the sports system of the country.Moreover, Government has also constituted a “Federal SportsCoordination Committee” headed by Minister for IPC with all ProvincialSports Ministers as members to ensure better and affective coordinationfor promotion and development of sports (between Federal and ProvincialGovernments)

National Sports Federations are autonomous bodies. Theygenerate their funds and also receive government grants. The FederalGovernment, through Pakistan Sports Board, had provided fundsamounting to Rs. 425,672,790/­ to Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF)during the last five years for promotion of Hockey. Likewise, PSB providean amount of Rs. 121,429,400/­ to Pakistan Squash Federation forthe promotion of Squash. Forensic audit is being carried out of the sportsfederations including Hockey and Squash. PSB is also supporting theFederation athletes by providing camps, coaches, hostels etc. Fordeteriorating performance of sports particularly in Tehsil Mehar, DistrictDadu, the Government of Sindh is required to take immediate steps.

34. *Engr. Sabir Hussain Kaim Khani:

Will the Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment  be  pleased  to  state  the  details  of  Governmentpolicy for overseas employment of Pakistanis in Pakistan?

Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment: Overseas employment is being regulated throughEmigration Ordinance, 1979 and rules made thereunder. However, thisMinistry is in process of formulation of “National Emigration and WelfarePolicy for Overseas Pakistanis”. The scope of the policy is as under:—

a. Promotion of Overseas Employment;b. Welfare of Overseas Pakistanis and their families; andc. Reintegration of return migrants to Pakistan.

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Bilaterally, Pakistan has signed Memorandum of Understandings(MoUs) in the fields of manpower and employment with Qatar, Bahrain,UAE, Oman and Malaysia etc. Efforts are being made to sign MoUswith Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan and other potential labour receivingcountries.

The Task Force on Overseas Employment and Welfare ofOverseas Pakistanis with the approval of Prime Minister of Pakistan hasbeen constituted/notified on 22nd March, 2019, the details of which areat (Annex­I).

Overseas Employment Corporation, an Autonomous Body of thisMinistry has initiated the process on national database of trainedworkforce for employment abroad.

NICOP condition has been removed to provide maximumfacilitation and to reduce cost of emigration.

(Annexure has been placed in the National Assembly Library)

35. *Mr. Mohammad Iqbal Khan:

Will the Minister for States and Frontier Regions be pleased tostate:

(a) whether the process of reforms, after the merger of FATA

with KPK, is going on at snail’s pace;    

(b) if  so,  whether  a  guideline  has  been  issued  by  theGovernment to carry out the said reforms expeditiously?

Minister of State for States and Frontier Regions (Mr.Shehryar Afridi): (a) Due to the significance and sensitivity attached tothe merger of erstwhile FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the FederalGovernment in consultation with the relevant stakeholders, especially theGovernment of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has chalked out a comprehensiveplan to streamline the integration process. A number of actions have beeninitiated in Financial, Security, Judicial and administrative domains. The

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process is well on track and the actions so stand completed are detailedat Annex­I.

(b) The Prime Minister chaired a meeting on 31st December,2018, which was attended by the relevant stakeholders. Not only weretasks assigned to different departments but the responsibilities andtimelines were also fixed. The decisions arrived at during the on post­merger scenario is at Annex­II.

(Annexures have been placed in the National Assembly Library)

36. *Mr. Ali Wazir:

Will the Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Chairman NIRC’s contract has been extended

for  the period of  two years on  the basis of his previousperformance or other-wise;

(b) did he  author any  judgment;  if  so, whether  it  has  been

reported in any law Journal;    

(c) what is his age;

(d) was there any case pending regarding his appointment incourt;

    (e) how many employees have been transferred during his tenure

especially non-gazetted officials and what was the exigency;and

    (f) why  the  extension  is  given  for  two  years,  while  it  has

generally been extended for one year only on extra ordinaryperformance?

Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment: (a) As per the Chairman and Members (Qualifications)

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Rules, 2016 notified vide  S.R.O 130(1)/2016 dated 18­02­2016, theChairman, NIRC is appointed in consultation with the Chief Justice ofPakistan. Mr. Justice (R) Mian Shakirullah Jan, the present ChairmanNIRC, was initially appointed for a period of two years from 7­9­2016to 6­9­2018, in consultation with the then honourable Chief Justice ofPakistan. Upon completion of two years period, the Ministry requestedthe then Chief Justice of Pakistan to nominate a suitable honorable sittingor retired Justice for appointment as Chairman, NIRC. The honourableChief Justice of Pakistan recommended to extend the tenure ofMr. Justice (R) Mian Shakirullah Jan for a further period of two yearsw.e.f: 7­9­2018. Recommendations of the Chief Justice of Pakistan wereaccordingly approved by the Cabinet and hence the contract period wasextended on the basis of his previous performance and on therecommendations of Chief Justice of Pakistan.

(b) Yes, he has authored numerous judgments. Around 134judgments have been reported in various law journals.

(c) He is 71 years of age.

(d) At present there is no case pending. Previously Writ PetitionNo. 4369/2017 titled G.M. Chaudhry versus Federal Government etcand 4370/2017 titled Syed Mehmood Hassan Gillani versus Federationof Pakistan etc. were pending before the honourable Islamabad HighCourt, Islamabad; however, the same have been dismissed on11­12­2018.

(e) Keeping in view the staff needs at source and destinationstations, total twenty­six, including 18 non­gazetted employees, have beentransferred during the tenure of the existing Chairman, NIRC.

(f) The honourable Chief Justice of Pakistan, on account ofperformance as Chairman NIRC recommended to extend the tenure ofMr. Justice (R) Mian Shakirullah Jan for a further period of two years.

Moreover, in the past Mr. Justice (Rtd.) Rashid Aziz Khan wasappointed as Chairman, NIRC on 05­06­2007 for a period of threeyears. On completion of that period, his tenure as Chairman was extended

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until further orders and he remained as Chairman, NIRC for a furtherperiod of two years two months (total period five years and two months).

37. *Ms. Zaib Jaffar:

Will the Minister for Commerce and Textile be pleased to statewhether  it  is a  fact  that   the  textile sector  in  the country hasbeen facing shortage of raw material for production of valueadded items; if so,  the steps being taken by the Government toprovide the same?

Minister for Commerce and Textile: According to Cotton CropAssessment Committee (CCAC) meeting held in the Ministry of NationalFood Security and Research (MNFSR) in September 2018, the cottoncrop for the year 2018­19 is expected to be around 10.78 million balesof 170 kilogram compared to last year production of 11.9 million balesand against initially fixed target of 14.37 million bales.

In order to bridge the gap, the government has taken followingmeasures:

The custom duty, additional custom duty and sales tax onimported cotton withdrawn w.e.f. February 1st, 2019 andduties will be re­imposed from July 1, 2019.

Import of cotton from Torkham Border has been allowed.

Regulatory duty on import of cotton yarn is made 5% from10%.

Garment cities at Faisalabad and Lahore are being extendedby launching their Phase­II to construct additional buildingsfor SME’s to start value added products. Moreover, thefinancial matters relating to 300 acres of Karachi GarmentCity and 1250 acres of Pakistan Textile City Limited (PTCL)at Karachi are being resolved to add to value addedproducts.

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38. *Mr. Muhammad Afzal Khokhar:

Will the Minister for Commerce and Textile be pleased to state:

(a) the  steps  being  taken  by  the  Government  to  enhancethe exports and decrease imports; and

    (b) the  time by which gap between  the exports and  imports

will be filled?

Minister for Commerce and Textile: (a) The following measurestaken by the Government to improve the balance of trade of the country:—

1. Exports enhancing measures

i. Revision of Prime Minister’s Export EnhancementPackage to include non­traditional export sectors: In orderto provide long term policy to support and encouragenon­traditional exports of the country, the Package was extendedfor another period of three years vide SRO 711 (I)/2018 dated8­6­2018, i.e. from 1st July 2018 to 30th June 2021. Underthis package, new export sectors such as Transport equipment,Auto parts & accessories, Machinery incl. electrical machinery,Furniture, Stationery, Fruits& Vegetables, Meat and meatpreparation including poultry have been included. The Packageis operating under the similar conditions of previous ExportPackage. The support through drawback of local taxes andlevies will promote product diversification and enhancecompetitiveness of the exports.

ii. Energy Cost: The high cost of energy and disparity amongthe provinces were making exports uncompetitive. The tarifffor LNG has been lowered for Punjab to bring it at par withother provinces. Further, the gas prices for “export industries”,including jute, carpet, textile, sports’ goods, leather and surgicalgoods, have not been increased.

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iii. Revision in Import and Export Regulations (Export andImport Policy Order): In order to facilitate the businesscommunity and to make the existing regulations more businessfriendly and fool proof, Import and Export Policy Order hasbeen revised.

iv. Economic Package to Support Industrial Growth: Tosupport export oriented and import substituting industriesby reducing their cost of production, the import duties onraw materials and intermediate goods have been reduced.The Custom Duties and Regulatory Duties on 236 TariffLines (TLs) of raw materials and intermediate products werereduced under Finance bill 2019. A list of 40 TLs werefurther incorporated in the Finance Bill 2019 (Supplement­I). In the second phase, tariff reduction plan has beenapproved for 12 sectors under Finance Bill 2019(Supplement­II).

v. Market Access Initiatives: There is consistent effort fornegotiating additional market access for Pakistani productsin the target markets. After rigourous trade diplomacy,Indonesia has offered additional market access on 20products for Pakistani products under the existing PTA.

vi. New markets: To further diversity export markets, a “LookAfrica” policy has been launched by the Commerce Divisionto promote and facilitate trade to new markets.

vii. Export Promotion: In order to promote exports to newmarkets, Trade Development Authority of Pakistan isundertaking various export promotional activities throughtrade exhibitions and delegations.

2. Import curtailing measures

i. Imposition of Regulatory Duties: To curtail the imports ofluxury items and non­essential goods, regulatory duties have wereimposed on the import of 570 items vide S.R.O. 1265(I)/2018

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dated 16th October 2018. The said SRO has supersededS.R.O. 640 (I)/2018, dated the 24th May, 2018.

ii. Mechanism for ensuring Quality and Standards forimported goods: To address the issue of low quality imports,the Import Policy Order was amended vide SRO 1067 (1)/2017dated 20th October 2017, to incorporate safety and healthrequirements/quality standards, proposed against each tariff line,to ensure that quality and SPS standards are complied with onsuch imports. Furthermore, the Government restricted the importof food items only through Karachi seaport and Land BorderPosts i.e. Sost, Chaman, Torkham, Taftan, Wagha, Peshawarand Quetta vide SRO 706(I)/2018 dated 6­6­2018.Theseaforementioned ports have the requisite infrastructure and humanresource to provide the facility for the import permit afterevaluating the health safety requirements by Department of PlantProtection (DPP).

iii. Policy revision for the import of vehicles under transferof residence personal baggage or under gift scheme: Inorder to prevent the misuse of the Scheme intended for OverseasPakistanis, the existing policy has been revised. Under therevised Policy, the remittance for payment of duties and taxeswill originate from account of Pakistani national sending thevehicle from abroad; and the remittance will either be receivedin the account of Pakistani national sending the vehicle fromabroad or, in case, his account in nonexistent/inoperative, inthe account of his family member as defined in Appendix­E,Para (1) of the import Policy Order. The decision of the ECCof the Cabinet has been notified vide SRO. 52 (I) 2019 on15th January, 2019.

iv. Exchange Rate rationalization: The exchange rate of PKRvis-à-vis dollars have been rationalized to remove disincentivesto exports due to artificially increased exchange rate.Furthermore, the flexible exchange rate regime is alsoaddressing surge in imports by making imported goodsexpensive vis-à-vis PKR.

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v. Labeling Requirements on import of edible products:Under Import Policy Order (IPO) 2016, the import of edibleproducts is subject to, inter alia, the conditions that it is fit forhuman consumption, has at least 50% of the remaining shelf lifeand in case of meat it is obtained from ‘halal’ animals andslaughtered in accordance with the Islamic injunctions. Therewas a need that our consumers should be aware of theingredients of the edible products they consume, keeping inview their safety and belief. Therefore, the followingamendments have been introduced in the policy for consumer’swelfare:

a. The product has at least 66% (2/3rd) of remaining shelflife;

b. The ingredients and details of the product (e.g. nutritionalfacts, usage instructions etc.) of the food product areprinted in Urdu and English languages on the consumerpackaging;

c. The logo of the Halal certification body is printed on theconsumer packaging;

d. The labeling under (b) & (c) not to be in the form of asticker, overprinting, stamp or scratched labeling;

e. The shipment is accompanied by a ‘halal certificate’ issuedby a halal Certification Body, accredited with anAccrediting Body (AB) which is a member of InternationalHalal Accreditation Forum (IHAF) or StandardsMeteorology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC).

(b) A Pakistan’s imports are inelastic as majority of them compriseessential items such as food, machinery and petroleum. However, theGovernment is in process to develop comprehensive policy framework(Strategic Trade Policy Framework 2019­23) to enhance exports to closethe gap between imports and exports.

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39. *Ms. Shahida Rehmani:

Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs be pleased to state:

(a) whether  it  is  a  fact  that  Mrs Guli  Rozi wife  of  GhulamDurrani is stuck off in China for the last eighteen monthsand  she  cannot  come  to Pakistan  to  meet her  daughterand husband and Ministry is not co-operating in this regard;and

(b) whether Ministry will help the said woman?

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Makhdoom Shah MahmoodHussain Qureshi): (a) & (b) Ministry of Foreign Affairs took up thematter with the relevant Chinese authorities. As per the information sharedby the Chinese side, Ms. Guli Rozi is currently living in China of her ownfree will. It is requested that family of Ms. Guli Rozi may contact theMinistry if any further assistance is required.

40. *Mr. Naveed Aamir Jeeva:

Will the Minister for Commerce and Textile be pleased to statethe  details  of  results  obtained  by  the  Government byenhancing Pakistani exports to Canada?

Minister for Commerce and Textile: The details of bilateral tradebetween Pakistan and Canada during the last three years is given below;

Source: FBR

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Exports to Canada increased from US$230.23 million(in FY 2016­17) to US$ 260.62 million (in FY 2017­18) registering anincrease of 13%. Moreover during the first 06 months of FY 2018­19(July­Dec. 2018), Pakistan’s exports to Canada increased by 13 % toUS$ 138.96 million.

Pakistan has continued to sustain trade deficit with Canada.However, as a result of increase in exports of Pakistan to Canada, thetrade deficit has decreased to US $ 365.71 million in 2017­18 ascompared to US $ 514.62 million in 20 6­17. During the first 06 monthsof FY 2018­19 (July­Dec.), trade deficit has also been decreased toUS $ 53.50 million as compared to US $ 104.91 million duringcorresponding period of FY 2017­18 (July­Dec.).

41. *Syed Agha Rafiullah:

Will the Minister for Commerce and Textile be pleased to state:

(a) the steps  taken  or  being  taken  till date  to  boost  upPakistan’s exports  to  Bangladesh  by  the  presentGovernment; and

     (b) the results achieved from said steps?

Minister for Commerce and Textile: (a) Ministry of Commerce(MoC) and Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP)endeavours to promote trade between Pakistan and Bangladesh through;

i. Trade Diplomacy Measuresii. Trade Promotion Measures

1. Trade Diplomacy Measures

Summary for the signing of Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) between TDAP of Pakistan and Export Promotion Bureau (EPB)of Bangladesh was approved by Cabinet on 7th February, 2017. Underthe MoU both countries have agreed to exchange economic andcommercial information as well as assistance in organizing trade fairs andtrade delegations. The MoU has been forwarded to Bangladesh.

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2. Trade Promotion Measures

In order to showcase Pakistani products in the Bangladeshimarket, TDAP has been participating in various trade shows likeLeatherTech Show Bangladesh, Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF)and Chittagong International Trade Fair (CITF) in Bangladesh.Participation of companies like Kreation Corporation Pakistan, GulAhmed, Welco Industries of Pakistan, Priya Pashmina and TaufeeqFurniture Karachi in DITF 2018 was facilitated by TDAP.

Business delegates from Bangladesh are invited regularly toparticipate in trade events in Pakistan like “Expo­Pakistan and“My­Karachi”.

MoC has been extending special facilitation for outreach to themega buying houses like Disney, Adidas, TESCO, GAP, ZARA etc. thatare based in Bangladesh. Such facilitations help Pakistan in becomingsourcing destinations for mega brands.

(b) As a result of these measures, Pakistan exports toBangladesh have increased by US$ 117.7 million in 2018 after witnessinga decline of US$ 89.06 million in 2016­17. The following table showsbilateral trade figures for last four years:

(US$ in Millions)————————————————————————————

Total TradeYears Exports Imports Trade Balance

————————————————————————————

2014­15 704.97 64.56 769.53 (+)640.42

2015­16 707.11 55.97 763.08 (+)651.15

2016­17 618.71 59.72 678.43 (+)558.98

2017­18 736.41 68.59 805.00 (+)667.83

————————————————————————————Source: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics

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Pakistan’s major exports to Bangladesh include; woven cottonfabrics, cotton yarn, raw sugar, raw cotton, machinery and itsparts and synthetic fabrics including silk and woollen.

Pakistan’s main items of imports from Bangladesh are raw jute,tea and mate, yarn & thread of synthetic fibers and tobacco.

42. *Ms. Nuzhat Pathan:

Will the Minister for Commerce and Textile be pleased to statethe  steps  taken  by  the  present Government  to  improve  traderelations with Bahrain and Turkey and to increase exports tothese countries so far?

Minister for Commerce and Textile: The aggregate trade structureof Pakistan Bahrain bilateral trade is as follows:—

Source: FBR

The Government has taken the following steps to increase thetrade with Bahrain:—

1. Pakistan has held two Business Opportunity Conferenceswith Bahrain in 2016 and 2017, which remained successfulevents, as the business delegation of 150 Businessmen fromPakistan visited Bahrain in 2016 and about 200 businessdelegates from Bahrain and other GCC countries visitedPakistan from 29­31 March, 2017. 3rd BusinessOpportunity Conference is being negotiated and is expectedsoon.

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2. The first session of Pak­Bahrain JMC was held on 30­31stJanuary, 2017 at Islamabad. The next session is expectedby the end of 2019.

3. Bahrain’s largest importers of horticulture items, participatefirst time in Punjab Horticulture Expo in 2019.

4. First ever Orange Festival was organized by the Mission in2017 and the Pakistani Kinnow has flooded Bahrain marketin winters of 2018 and 2019. An oversupply was reportedand Kinnow was the most sold fruit in market this year.

5. Pakistan’s participation in Autumn Fair Bahrain was ensured,in 2018 and later in 2019. As a result 33 Pakistani companieswith 105 persons, participated.

6. A delegation of 8 businessmen participated in PakistanHorti­Expo in Lahore on 21st and 22nd January 2019.

7. Pakistan Participated in the Garden Show in Bahrain heldon 24­25th February 2019.

The Present Government has taken following steps to improve traderelations as well as exports to Turkey.

1. Market Access Initiatives:

Pakistan’s exports to Turkey grew at good pace and crossedUSD 850 million in 2011. However, it started to declineafter the imposition of additional duties by Turkey inAugust 2011 and amounted to USD 343.06 Million in 2017­18.

Pakistan has engaged Turkey for a preferential market accessarrangement to increase bilateral trade and both countriesannounced to initiate talks on Pak­Turkey Free TradeAgreement (FTA) in High Level Strategic CooperationCouncil (HLSCC) meeting in February 2015 in Islamabad.The FTA will help address market access issues due toimposition of additional duties by Turkey.

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So far 7 rounds of negotiations have been held and the 7thround of talks on FTA was held in Ankara on June 5­6,2017. The next round is due in March­April 2019.

Ministry of Commerce is in the process of building consensuswith Turkish counterparts and other stakeholder to have ameaningful FTA that increases economic integration andcorroborates with the close political and cultural relations thatboth countries have.

2. Trade and Investment Promotion:

The Honorable Prime Minister of Pakistan led a high­leveldelegation to Turkey from 3rd to 4th January 2019 with theaim to give a much­needed boast to existing economic relationsbetween the two countries. The visit had a strong economiccomponent. The PM held meetings with Union of Chamberand Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), Turkey PakistanBusiness Council and various Turkish business groupsrepresenting sectors such as construction, food, dairy, feedproduction, electronics and mobile manufacture, wastemanagement, furniture, engine and disposable hygienic items.The Turkish side showed keen interest in investing in Pakistanand both countries expressed their resolve to further strengthenthe existing economic, trade and commercial relations.

Over 25 leading business groups from Turkey participated inthe “Pakistan­Turkey Business Opportunities Forum” organizedby the Turkish Pakistan Business Council during the visit of thePresident of Pakistan to Istanbul, Turkey in October 2018.

Facilitating and ensuring visit of leading Turkish textile importers/buyers for the forthcoming TEXPO 2019 in April in Lahoreand exploring possible Joint Ventures in textiles manufacturing,machinery and related chemicals used in the production.

Number of Trade Fairs for Pakistan’s participation in Turkeyincreased from 2 to 5, focusing on Leather garments, Surgical

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instruments, Auto­parts, Sports goods and processed Fooditems.

Export Enhancement Plan on developing Turkish market forthe non­traditional products, i.e., auto­parts, fans, chemicalsetc. from Pakistan besides strengthening our position in thetraditional export products, i.e., textiles, leather, surgicalinstruments, sports goods etc.

3. Strategic Economic Framework Between Pakistan and Turkey:

During the visit of Prime Minister to Turkey on 3rd and 4thof January 2019, it was agreed to establish a StrategicEconomic Framework (SEF) between Pakistan and Turkey.

The framework aims to enhance bilateral economiccooperation with special focus on Trade and Investment.The Turkish Vice President and Pakistani Finance Ministerhave been designated to lead the task from respective sides.

The purpose of SEF is to establish strategic economicpartnership and achieve goal of enhanced economicintegration. Both countries are exchanging proposals forStrategic Economic Framework (SEF) to realize the visionof their respective leadership.

43. *Seemi Bokhari:

Will the Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment be pleased to state:

(a) whether  it  is  a  fact  that  Pakistani  labour works abroad

under the supervision of Overseas Pakistanis Foundation;if  so,  the  names  of  the  countries  in  which  aforesaid  isoccurring;

    (b) the procedure adopted for sending labour including technical

and  non-technical abroad; and

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(c) the steps taken by the OPF/Government to impart trainingto the labour?

Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment: (a) The mandate of OPF is to provide welfare services(housing schemes, schools, hospitals etc.) to overseas Pakistanis andtheir families back home. Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis & HumanResource Development (OP&HRD) is mandated to regulate emigrationprocess and look after Overseas Pakistani workers under EmigrationOrdinance, 1979 and rules made thereunder.

(b) According to Emigration Ordinance, 1979 and Rules madethereunder, all emigrants (technical/non­technical) can proceed abroadfor employment through two different modes/ways i.e.

(1) Through registered overseas employment promoters (OEPs);and

(2) Through direct method (through his/ her own efforts).

(c) Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis & Human ResourceDevelopment in collaboration with relevant stakeholders such as NAVTTCetc. is making all possible efforts to impart training to intending emigrantsin various trades/categories. A Task Force has been established underthe supervision of Special Assistant to the Prime Minster on OP&HRD,for overseas employment promotion.

A pilot project on skills up­gradation had been initiated withcollaboration of UAE. Under this project, National Qualification Authority,UAE has accredited 4 technical institutes of Pakistan and 15 more are inpipeline for accreditation.

44. *Ms. Naureen Farooq Ibrahim:

Will the Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment be pleased to state the steps being taken to resolvethe issues of Overseas Pakistanis easily and quickly?

23

Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment: (a) As per Rules of Business, 1973, the mandate of thisMinistry is to provide facilitation/assistance to overseas Pakistanis andtheir families for resolving their issues in the field of Social Welfare,Education and Housing facilities.

In order to resolve the issues of overseas Pakistanis easily andquickly, the following measures have been taken:

1. Establishment of Online Complaint Management System(OCMS) to redress the complaints of overseas Pakistanisin an efficient and effective manner.

2. Establishment of airport counters at all International Airportsin Pakistan. Airport facilitation counters of OPF arefunctioning in the arrival / departure lounges of Karachi,Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar, Multan, Sialkot, Turbat, Gwadarand Islamabad Airports. Necessary assistance is providedto overseas Pakistanis at the time of arrival and departure.

3. One Window Facilitation Desks (OWFD) in collaborationwith ten (10) other Government Departments / Agencieshave also been established at all major international airportsfor redressal of grievances of overseas Pakistanis on thespot.

4. Financial Aid Scheme was introduced in 1980 to providefinancial assistance to the destitute families of overseasPakistanis in the event of death or disability of an overseasPakistani. Currently, an amount of Rs. 400,000/­ as onetime grant in death case and Rs. 300,000/­ in case ofdisability (Non­refundable) are being paid to destitutefamilies and disabled overseas Pakistanis.

5. Free ambulance services to transport the dead bodies ofPakistani emigrants from International Airports in Pakistanto their native place / village.

6. Overseas Pakistanis remitting foreign currency equivalentto US$ 2500 to US$ 50,000 per annum are entitled to thefollowing incentives:

(a) Five categories of remittance cards as per amount remitted.

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(b) Separate counters for special handling at Internationalarrival/departure lounges at all International Airports inPakistan.

(c) Free Issuance and Renewal of passport on urgent basis.

(d) Duty Credits as per the category of remittance card.

7. In order to facilitate the overseas Pakistanis concentration areas,Ministry has established OPF Free Eye Camps in all fourProvinces and AJK in the areas where eye treatment facilitiesare not available.

8. Machine Readable Passport (MRP) facility is being establishedat OPF Head Office, Islamabad to facilitate overseas Pakistanis.The said facility will also be extended to all OPF RegionalOffices, subsequently.

9. NADRA Swift Centers are being established at all OPFRegional Offices for the provision of NADRA Cards facilityexclusively for overseas Pakistanis.

10. Fast Track Courts for overseas Pakistanis are being establishedfor the resolution of their property disputes, etc.

11. Overseas Pakistanis Advisory Council (OPAC) is beingreconstituted for selection of its members from across the globeon merit.

12. Internship Program has been launched for the children ofOverseas Pakistanis. This program will enable the youth tounleash their full potential and also employ fresh ideas forattaining the goal of welfare of Overseas Pakistanis.

13. To utilize the expertise of Overseas Pakistanis in strategicdecision making by placing them as Members of Public SectorInstitutions/ Advisory Bodies, the Naya Pakistan Calling Portalhas been recently launched.

14. Special Membership Card with real incentives for OverseasPakistanis is being launched.

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15. Legal panels on pro­bono basis are being arranged for providingassistance to needy overseas Pakistanis.

16. Ministry has established twenty four (24) OPF educationalinstitutions (Schools/ Colleges) throughout the country, includingAJK, where the children of Overseas Pakistanis have the firstright of admission. In all OPF educational institutions 50%concession in tuition fee is allowed up to 4 children of overseasPakistanis, subject to completion of required formalities. Anamount of Rs. 102 million is being borne on account ofconcession to overseas Pakistanis children.

17. Efforts are being made for the enhancement of quota for childrenof overseas Pakistanis in professional Colleges / Universities inthe country. Previously, 398 seats were reserved for admissionsof children of Overseas Pakistanis in different EducationalInstitutions which has now been increased to 530 seats.

18. To further facilitate the children of Overseas Pakistanis, theOverseas Pakistanis Education Fund (OPEF) has been launchedfor children studying at Intermediate, Graduation & Masterlevels. An amount of Rs. 30 million for award of scholarshiphas been allocated in the budget.

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19. A University / Degree Awarding Institute for children of overseasPakistanis in sector F­11, Islamabad is being established whichshall be up and running by June, 2020.

20. E­learning Program (online lectures) in OPF EducationalInstitutions has been started. Currently, E­learning facilityhas been extended to 07 OPF Schools. Further, extensionof E­learning facility to Saudi Arabia is in process.

21. In order to cater for the housing needs of overseasPakistanis, ten (10) housing schemes were launched foroverseas Pakistanis. Thousands of plots created in theseschemes were allotted to Overseas Pakistanis. Theseschemes are located at prime locations in the cities ofIslamabad, Lahore, Gujrat, Peshawar, Dadu, Larkana andMirpur (AJK).

22. Allocation of 10% compulsory quota for Overseas Pakistanisin all upcoming housing projects being launched by all thepublic sector organizations.

23. Farm Housing Scheme has been recently launchedexclusively for overseas Pakistanis at Raiwind Road, Lahoreand possession will be handed over to allottees by March,2020.

24. Construction of Six Apartment Buildings and 50 CountryHomes in OPF Housing Scheme, Zone­V, Islamabad arebeing undertaken.

25. Housing Scheme at Rewat, Rawalpindi (623 kanals) is beinglaunched for overseas Pakistanis. The Project will consistof 5 Marla and 8 Marla plots that will be offered exclusivelyto Overseas Pakistanis only.

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45. *Mr. Ali Gohar Khan:

Will the Minister for Commerce and Textile be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government is  formulating any proposal orstrategy under consideration to increase export of textileitems; and

    (b) the steps being  taken by the Government  to pull out  the

crises ridden textile industry from crises?

Minister for Commerce and Textile: (a)Yes, the government iscurrently working on third textile policy for the period of 2019-24-A taskforce comprising of senior officers, eminent industrialists and public policyexperts, is already constituted for deliberation on the policy. Textile Divisionhas been coordinating with over one hundred textile related institutes, textilesassociations and chambers of commerce and industry for taking their inputfor the policy. The policy will take into account all the different aspects oftextile industry and will come up with cogent proposals for the problemsfaced by the industry.

(b) The government has taken the following measures:

The custom duty, additional custom duty and sales tax onimported cotton withdrawn w.e.f. February 1st, 2019 and dutieswill be re-imposed from July 1st, 2019.

Import of cotton from Torkham Border has been allowed.

Gas Price has been rationalized at Rs. 600 / mmbtu for exportoriented sectors throughout the country;

RLNG at $6.5/ mmbtu for export oriented zero-rated sectors;and

Electricity at US Cents 7.5/kwh for export oriented zero-ratedsectors.

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Release of approx. Rs. 28 billion for the Sales Tax, CustomDuty Drawback and Duty Drawback Schemes.

Regulatory Duty on Cotton Yarn is reduced to 5%

Import of high quality cotton from Afghanistan/CAS throughTorkham border has been allowed recently.

Garment cities at Faisalabad and Lahore are being extendedby launching their Phase-II to construct additional buildings forSME’s to start value added products. Moreover, the financialmatters relating to 300 acres of Karachi Garment City and1250 acres of Pakistan Textile City Limited (PTCL) at Karachiare being resolved to add to value added products.

46. *Sheikh Rohale Asghar:

Will the Minister for Commerce and Textile be pleased to statethe steps being taken by the Government to boost up exports toSri Lanka?

Minister for Commerce and Textile: Ministry of Commerce hasundertaken various steps in order to increase trade between Pakistan andSri Lanka that include;

i. Securing market access for Pakistani products through FreeTrade Agreement.

ii. Trade promotion through exhibitions and delegations

i. Pakistan-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement:

Pakistan concluded a Free Trade Agreement (PSFTA) with Sri Lankaon August 1, 2002 that became operational from 12th June 2005.

Before FTA i.e. during 2004-05, Pakistan’s exports to Sri Lankaamounted to US$ 155.8 million, whereas imports amounted to US$44 millionbut after the signing of FTA, Pakistan’s exports to Sri Lanka crossed the

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level of US$ 200 million in 2005-2006, while imports were recorded atUS$ 71.2 million. During 2017-18, Pakistan’s exports to Sri Lanka amountedto US$ 289 million, whereas imports were recorded of value US$ 67.31million.

Major export items from Pakistan include weave cotton fabric, rice,wheat, Portland cement, rice semi-milled or wholly milled, denim fabric ofcotton, potatoes fresh or chilled, fish & fish preparations, cotton yarn, cottonfabrics, pharmaceuticals products, knitted or crocheted fabrics and iron &steel.

Major imports from Sri Lanka include vegetable, Medium DensityFiber Board, natural rubber, coconut, surgical gloves of rubber, tea, fruits &vegetables, oil seeds, dried fruit, crude rubber and crude vegetable material.

The following table shows bilateral trade figures for last four years:-

ii. Trade Promotion

In order to showcase Pakistani products in the Sri Lankan market,Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) has been arranging aspecial, Sri Lanka specific, Single Country Exhibition (SCE) since 2016.The 3rd Edition of the Single Country Exhibition was held in January 2018wherein 134 Pakistani firms participated and showcased wide range ofproducts.

To facilitate the trade between the two countries a Joint WorkingGroup was constituted in 2013. First meeting of the Pakistan-Sri LankaJoint Working Groups on Trade, Investment, Customs Cooperation and AutoSector was held in Islamabad on October 20-21, 2014.

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To facilitate participation in trade events MOU between TradeDevelopment Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and Sri Lanka ExportDevelopment Board (SLEDB) has also been signed. SLEDB was given freespace at Expo 2017, Pakistan.

Technical levels meetings are held regularly wherein issues of bilateralinterests are discussed. The 6thTechnical level meeting of PSFTA was heldin January, 2016.

47. *Syed Agha Rafiullah:

Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs be pleased to state:

(a) the number of Pakistanis imprisoned in the Jails of Indiaat present; and

    (b) the steps being taken by the Government in this regard?

Minister for Foreign Affairs: (a) There are 585 prisoners (375civils + 210 fishermen), presently detained in Indian Jails.

(b) The Ministry through its High Commission in New Delhi regularlytakes up the issue of early repatriation and possible necessary facilitationincluding consular and legal assistance for the Pakistani prisoners with theconcerned Indian authorities.

48. *Mr. Faheem Khan:

Will the Minister for Commerce and Textile be pleased to state:

(a) whether  it  is  a  fact  that  the  Generalized  System  ofPreferences plus status was awarded to Pakistan in 2013with some conditions; if so, the details thereof; and

    (b) the steps taken or being taken by the Government in this

regard so far?

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Minister for Commerce and Textile: (a)

Yes, GSP Plus status was awarded to Pakistan in 2013 for aperiod of ten year. The GSP Plus status became operational inJanuary 2014 and provides preferential market access toPakistan’s exports to the 28 Member States of the EuropeanUnion (EU). The GSP plus status imposes the obligation on thebeneficiary countries in the form of compliance with 27 UNConventions. The detail of the said UN Conventions is attachedat Annex-I.

(b) The government has taken the following steps to ensurecompliance with obligations under GSP Plus status:-

The Prime Minister set up Treaty Implementation Cell (TIC)on 4th March 2014 with the Attorney General for Pakistan asthe convener to monitor and oversee effective implementationof 27 UN Conventions. The composition and Terms ofreferences (ToRs) of TIC are attached at Annex-II.

So far 18 meetings of TIC have taken place. TIC has respondedto “List of Issues” and additional questions of EU MonitoringMission to Pakistan from 2014 to 2018.

The last GSP + Monitoring Mission visited Pakistan from18-23 October 2018. The ten areas were indicated as priorityareas by EU Monitoring Mission. Currently, TIC is workingwith concerned Federal and Provincial Ministries/departmentsto achieve tangible progress on the 27 UN Conventions ingeneral and indicative priority areas in particular. In this regardthree meetings of the Attorney General for Pakistan have beenheld with provincial governments of Balochistan, KhyberPakhtunkhwa and the Punjab to take stock of the performanceof the provinces on the ten priority areas identified by the EUCommission.

During the two reviews of the GSP Plus status conducted bythe European Parliament in 2016 and 2018, Pakistan’s

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commitments and efforts to comply with the 27 UN conventionswere appreciated. The next biennial review is due in early 2020.

(Annexures have been placed in the National Assembly Library)

49. *Ch. Muhammad Barjees Tahir:

Will the Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment be pleased to state:

(a) whether any policy for welfare of Overseas Pakistanis has

been formulated; if so, the  details thereof; and    

(b) the present status of  the said policy and the steps beingtaken by the Government for implementation of the same?

Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment: (a) This Ministry is in the process to finalize “NationalEmigration and Welfare Policy for Overseas Pakistanis.” The scopeof the policy is as under:

i. Promotion of Overseas Employment;

ii. Welfare of Overseas Pakistanis and their families; and

iii. Reintegration of return migrants to Pakistan.

Details will be shared once the Policy approved.

(b) The draft of the Policy has been circulated to stakeholdersincluding Provincial Governments for seeking their comments. Accordingly,it will be finalized and submitted for approval after meeting all legal/ codalformalities.

50. *Mr. Kesoo Mal Kheeal Das:

Will the Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment be pleased to state whether there is any proposalunder consideration of the Government to establish OPF School

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and College in  District Jamshoro; if so, when; if not, the reasonsthereof?

Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment: OPF has 24 educational institutions across Pakistan includingAJK.

Presently, there is no proposal under consideration for theestablishment of any OPF School and College in Jamshoro District,Hyderabad.

Furthermore, OPF Board of Governors in its 126th meeting held on4th March, 2015 resolved that;

“OPF should not establish new Educational Institutions in anyrented building and low overseas Pakistanis concentrated areas. OPFmay explore the possibilities to establish OPF educational institutionsin purpose built buildings in its own Housing Schemes.”

Therefore, establishment of new educational institution would not beundertaken. Moreover, since families of overseas Pakistanis are scatteredthroughout the country and are not concentrated in selective areas only, OPFis shifting its focus from investing huge funds on establishment of newinstitutions to utilizing the same funds for the direct benefit of children ofoverseas Pakistanis by providing them financial assistance in terms of stipends/scholarships. In this regard, an amount of Rs.30 million has been allocated inthe current year budget (2018-19) for grant of scholarship to the children ofoverseas Pakistanis studying in Pakistan from Intermediate to Masters level.

51. *Ms. Uzma Riaz:

Will the Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination be pleasedto state the criteria laid down by the Pakistan Cricket Boardfor making or dividing  the  country  into  regions  for domesticcricket tournaments in the country?

Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination (Dr. FehmidaMirza): Following the exit of Pakistan cricket team from the first round of

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the World Cup 2003 held in South Africa at a time when the team that wasrated among the favorites of the World Cup, the experts of the game ofcricket and the entire nation, who follow this game very passionately weredisappointed.

At that time, Pakistan Cricket Board appointed a World Cup ReviewCommittee with the aim to evaluate and assess the reasons based on varioustechnical, administrative and other aspects of the failure and suggest measuresto overcome the shortcomings for the future augmentation and improvementin the overall scenario. The committee was comprised of:

1. Col (R) Naushad Ali (Test Cricketer) - Chairman

2. Mr. Aaqib Javed (Test Cricketer) - Member

3. Mr. Sultan Rana (Frist Class Cricketer) - Member

4. Mr. Ahmed Shehzad Farooq Rana - Member(Advocate)

The committee carried out in depth study on domestic structure andafter detailed deliberation and discussion with the concerned quarters,proposed to divide the whole country in to Regions, where not only big citiesbut also smaller districts should be encouraged to join major cities to contributein the overall development of the game of cricket in the country.

The committee recommended that the Regions may be formed alongwith some additional districts to be tagged in with a particular region basedon the geographical location of such tagged districts for including them inrespective regions. Subsequently following regions were formed to look afterthe needs and requirement of cricket in the newly formed regions, asrecommended by the committee:

1. Quetta Region2. Karachi Region3. Hyderabad Region4. Multan Region5. Lahore Region6. Faisalabad Region7. Islamabad/Rawalpindi Region

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8. Rawalpindi Region9. Peshawar10. Sialkot

The above regional headquarters were selected on the basis of Test/International facilities like pitches, grounds and other training arrangements.The responsibility assigned to above regions was to organize regionaltournaments at club level and to select a regional team.

Over the years, the number of Regions have increased to the following16 as per notification dated 10th July 2014 issued by the Ministry of InterProvincial Coordination, Government of Pakistan:

1. Abbottabad Region

2. Bahawalpur Region

3. Dera Murad Jamali Region

4. Faisalabad Region

5. FATA Region

6. Hyderabad Region

7. Islamabad Region

8. Karachi Region

9. Lahore Region

10. Larkana Region

11. Multan Region

12. Peshawar Region

13. Quetta Region

14. Rawalpindi Region

15. Sialkot Region

16. Azad Jammu and Kashmir Region

The Regional Cricket Associations are responsible to promote,develop, regulate and maintain general control of cricket in their respectiveRegions. The Regional Cricket Associations are responsible to coordinateactivities in respect of cricket including the holding and organizing oftournaments.

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52. Withdrawn by the honourable member

53. *Dr. Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro:

Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs be pleased to state the stepsbeing taken by the Government of Pakistan to take up the matterof renovation and refurbishment of the Jinnah House in Mumbai,India?

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Makhdoom Shah MahmoodHussain Qureshi): Background: The Malabar Hill residence ofQuaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, constructed by him in 1939, is knownas Jinnah House. It was declared ‘evacuee property’ and taken over by therehabilitation Ministry in 1949. The house was vacated by the Deputy HighCommissioner of UK in April 1982 ostensibly for handing over to Pakistanfor the Residence of the Consul General. Since then it remained unoccupieduntil it was handed over to the MEA in 1997 to run Indian Council of CulturalRelations (ICCR).

Pakistan repeatedly raised its claim for tenancy of Jinnah House atthe leadership level with successive governments in New Delhi, based onmoral grounds that India had, in 1979, agreed to lease out the Jinnah Housefor establishing our Consulate General, but the Indian side came up with afresh excuse every time.

In September 1981, Indian External Affairs Minister, in response toa question in the Lok Sabha stated, “this property is at present leased out tothe British High Commission and on expiry of the lease in December 1981,it is proposed to lease out this property to the Pakistan Embassy for use bytheir Consulate”.

In response to our Aide-Memoire given to the Indian HighCommissioner in Islamabad on 2 September 1993, the Indian Governmentgave the following reasons for their refusal to give Jinnah House to Pakistan:

i. It could become a rallying point for Muslim agitation;ii. India had already decided to convert it to a museum;iii. The matter was a closed chapter as far as the Indians were

concerned;

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iv. Even if it became available, it would require Rs.3 to 4 crore forrepairs.

The Government of Pakistan has consistently raised the issue of JinnahHouse with the Indian side several times. India has not responded positivelyto our requests so far. Pakistan’s claim for tenancy of Jinnah House isessentially based on moral rather than legal grounds since India agreed tolease out Jinnah House for establishing our Consulate General. TheGovernment of Pakistan would continue to take up the matter with Indianside to hand over the lease of Jinnah House and to fulfill its obligation ofprotecting the House and its upkeep.

54. *Syed Hussain Tariq:

Will the Minister for Commerce and Textile be pleased to state:

(a) the  year-wise  value  in  terms  of billion  rupees of  pulsesimported during the last five fiscal years;

(b) the  name  of  Government  agency  which  forwarded  theproposal  to the Ministry for the import of each said pulses;and

(c) whether  the  Ministry has  made prior  assessment of  therational of the import of pulses; if so, the details; if not,the reasons thereof?

Minister for Commerce and Textile: Import of Pulses during last5 years.

Value in Billion Rupees————————————————————————————

Year Value————————————————————————————

2013-14 31.6632014-15 41.4462015-16 62.0382016-17 99.7042017-18 58.887

————————————————————————————Source; Pakistan Bureau of Statistics

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(b) Import of pulses is being carried out by business community tomeet the local demand. Government Agencies are not involved in import ofpulses.

(c) Pulses are imported to meet the demand in the local market aslocal production of pulses is not sufficient to meet the local requirement.

55. *Dr. Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro:

Will  the  Minister  for  Foreign Affairs  be  pleased  to  state  thediplomatic efforts made to highlight the recent Indian violationof Line of Control?

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Makhdoom Shah MahmoodHussain Qureshi): Whenever there are ceasefire violations (CFVs) by Indiaalong the Line of Control (LoC) and Working Boundary (WB), theGovernment protests against the Indian CFVs. The Indian Deputy HighCommissioner is summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a demarcheis handed over, registering Pakistan’s protest in case the casualties involvemartyrdom of innocent civilian/s. The Government has been consistentlyimpressing upon India that the targeting of civilian populated areas is deplorableand contrary to human dignity, international human rights and humanitarianlaws. Indian authorities are sensitized that CFVs by India are a threat toregional peace and security and may lead to strategic miscalculation.

The Government has been urging the Indian side to respect 2003ceasefire arrangement and investigates the incident of CFVs. The matter isalso taken up during the Director Generals Military Operations talks on HotLine.

We seek further guidance of this august House.

56. *Ms. Nafeesa Inayatullah Khan Khattak:

Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs be pleased to state:

(a) the  year-wise details  of  the number of  foreign  trainingsundergone by the Foreign Office employees since 2013 tillAugust 2018 indicating also the total expenditure incurredthereon; and

    

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(b) the objectives/purpose of these trainings with reference toeach training in this period?

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Makhdoom Shah MahmoodHussain Qureshi): (a) The year-wise details of foreign trainings undergoneby the Foreign Office employees during 2013-18 are placed at Annex-I.Furthermore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs caters to the training coursesthat are fully funded.

(b) The objective/purpose of these trainings with reference to eachis tabulated in the list under reference.

(Annexure has been placed in the National Assembly Library)

57. *Ms. Zille Huma:

Will the Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment be pleased to state:

(a) the  names and  details  of  fields  in  which  training  being

provided to Overseas skilled persons by Pakistan as foreignexchange  is  helpful  for  economy  of  the  country  fromoverseas;

    (b) whether the Government has any system/office that guides

these people; and    

(c) the steps being taken by the Government in this regard?

Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment: (a) Government of Pakistan through various nationalvocational and technical institutions like National Vocational & TechnicalTraining Commission (NAVTTC), Technical Education and Vocational TrainingAuthorities (TEVTAs), conduct and impart different market based trainingin various fields/ trades.

Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment (BE&OE) monitorsthe emigration/export of manpower under Emigration Ordinance, 1979 and

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Rules made thereunder. Details of fields/trades in which emigrants registeredby BE&OE are attached (Annex-I).

(b) NAVTTC is the apex body to regulate, facilitates and providespolicy direction for skill development in Pakistan.

BE&OE has initiated awareness campaigns for overseas Pakistaniworkers/ emigrants awareness and guidance about safe & legal migrationthrough its website, Facebook page, short messages through Radio Service,3 million SMS through cellular companies every month, Broachers, shortawareness video etc.

(c) i. Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis & Human ResourceDevelopment (OP&HRD) in collaboration with relevantstakeholders such as NAVTTC etc. is making all possibleefforts to impart training to intending emigrants in various trades/categories. A Task Force has been constituted under thesupervision of Special Assistant to the Prime Minister onOP&HRD, for overseas employment promotion and impartingtechnical training to workers.

ii. A pilot project on skill upgradation had been initiated withcollaboration of UAE. Under this project, National QualificationAuthority, UAE has accredited 4 technical institutes of Pakistanand 15 more are in pipeline for accreditation.

iii. BE&OE, shares information (based on the reports receivedfrom CWAs posted in various countries) with NAVTIC and otherstakeholders on market trends/ job opportunities/required skillsin various trades for providing market based training to intending

emigrants.

(Annexure has been placed in the National Assembly Library)

58. *Dr. Mahreen Razzaq Bhutto:

Will the Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment be pleased to state:

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     (a) how  many Overseas  Pakistanis have  been  facilitated  inthe last ten years; and

     (b) the details of major issues of Overseas Pakistanis that needto be addressed immediately for redressal? 

Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment: (a) Overseas Pakistanis Foundation has facilitated overseasPakistanis in the last ten years as under:-

(i) WELFARE PROJECT

Financial Aid Scheme:

In the event of death or disability of overseas Pakistanis, OPFprovides an amount of Rs. 400,000/- as one time grant on death andRs. 300,000/- in case of disability.————————————————————————————

No. of Beneficiaries 7502

Amount Rs. 2,038,200,000/————————————————————————————

(ii) Dues Cases:

The Welfare and Services Section takes up the cases with theEmployers in the host country of those Overseas Pakistanis who expiredwhile working abroad for the recovery of their dues/ legitimate claims tofacilitate the families of deceased.————————————————————————————

No. of Beneficiaries 3414

Amount Disbursed Rs. 2,695,622,433/————————————————————————————

(iii) OPF Eye Hospital Mirpur (AJK) and Yaro Khoso(D.G. Khan): Patients are treated and operated upon at subsidized rates.Performance of the hospitals in the last ten years is as follows;————————————————————————————

Patients Treated 63681

Operations 1272————————————————————————————

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(iv) OPF Free Ambulance Service:

OPF also extends all possible help and provides the facility of anambulance free of cost from Pakistan’s International Airports to deceased/disabled Overseas Pakistani’s native town/ village.————————————————————————————

Scheme Provision of Ambulance

No. of Cases 1665————————————————————————————

(v) Complaint Cell:

In Order to redress the grievances of overseas Pakistanis a ComplaintCell to expeditiously process the complaints of Overseas Pakistanis has beenestablished.————————————————————————————

Cases received 11567

Cases resolved 9038————————————————————————————

(vi) Foreign Exchange Remittance Card (FERC): OverseasPakistanis remitting foreign currency equivalent to US$ 2500 to US$ 50,000per annum are entitled to the following incentives:

Five categories of remittance cards as per amount remitted. Separate counters for special handling at International arrival/

departure lounges at all International Airports in Pakistan. Free Issuance and Renewal of passport on urgent basis. Duty Credits as per category of remittance card.

(vii) OPF Airport Facilitation Counters: In order to assist theoverseas Pakistanis, OPF has established airport counters at all InternationalAirports in Pakistan. Airport facilitation counters are functioning in the arrival/ departure lounges of Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar, Multan, Sialkot,Turbat, Gwadar and Islamabad Airports. Necessary assistance is providedto the overseas Pakistanis at the time of arrival and departure.

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(viii) Establishment of One Window Facilitation Desks atInternational Airports in Pakistan: On the directions of Wafaqi Mohtasib(Ombudsman)’s Secretariat ‘One Window Facilitation Desks (OWFD)’ havebeen established at all major International Airports in Pakistan.

(ix) OPF — NADRA Swift Centre for overseas Pakistanis:Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) and National Database andRegistration Authority (NADRA) had mutually collaborated in a joint initiativefor establishment of OPF —NADRA Swift Centre at OPF Headquarters,Islamabad in order to facilitate overseas Pakistanis.

(x) Free Eye Camp: In order to facilitate the overseas Pakistanis,OPF has established Free Eye Camps in four provinces and AJK in thoseareas where eye treatment facilities are non-existent.————————————————————————————

Eye Camps 32————————————————————————————

Patients Treated 41685Operated 4729

————————————————————————————(xi) EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES

OPF has granted scholarships amounting to Rs.23.16 millionamong 2071 deserving children of overseas Pakistanis studyingin Pakistan.

Approximately 7500 children of overseas Pakistanis passed-out from OPF educational institutions.

(xii) HOUSING FACILITIES

Overseas Pakistanis Foundation is a welfare organization lookingafter the interests of overseas Pakistanis and their dependents in Pakistan.Development of housing schemes for overseas Pakistanis is a majorcomponent of our welfare services. To cater for the housing need of OverseasPakistanis and to provide them residential facilities, OPF has planned andestablished a number of housing schemes in different cities of the country.Thousands of plots created in these schemes were allotted to OverseasPakistanis. These schemes are located at prime locations in the cities ofIslamabad, Lahore, Gujrat, Peshawar, Dadu, Larkana and Mirpur (AJK).

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During the last ten years, about 1160 overseas Pakistanis have beenallotted by OPF in its housing sector through allotment of plots in OPF HousingSchemes at Islamabad, Peshawar and Lahore. The detail of allotment ofwhich is as follows:————————————————————————————

Sr. Name of Housing Scheme No of plots allottedNo. to Overseas Pakistanis

————————————————————————————1. OPF Housing Scheme Zone-V 732 plots

Islamabad

2. OPF Housing Scheme Phase-I and 422 plotsPhase-I Extension Raiwind Road,Lahore

3. OPF Housing Scheme, Peshawar 06 plots————————————————————————————

Total 1160 plots———————————————————————————— (b) 1. Property Disputes

Overseas Pakistanis are facilitated by taking up their cases with theconcerned Revenue /Police Authorities to restore them.

2. Establishment of Machine Readable Passport Centersexclusively for overseas Pakistanis in Pakistan

Efforts are being made to establish Machine Readable Passport(MRP) facility at OPF Head Office, Islamabad to facilitate overseasPakistanis. The said facility will also be extended at all OPF Regional Offices,subsequently.

3. Establishment of OPF-NADRA Swift Centers at all OPFRegional Offices

OPF-NADRA Swift Centers are being established at all OPFRegional Offices for provision of NADRA Cards facility exclusively foroverseas Pakistanis.

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4. Visits of Overseas Young Pakistanis in Pakistan

Formation of Overseas Pakistanis Youth Council (OPYC) for youngPakistanis settled abroad, who are less familiar with their country of originand have a desire to know their heritage / culture / roots.

5. Reconstitution of Overseas Pakistanis Advisory Council(OPAC)

Overseas Pakistanis Advisory Council (OPAC) is being reconstitutedfor selection of its Members from across the globe on merit.

6. Internship Program for the children of OverseasPakistanis

OPF under its Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) has recentlylaunched an “Internship Program” for the children of Overseas Pakistanis.This program will enable the youth to unleash their full potential and alsoemploy fresh ideas for attaining OPF goals.

7. Utilization of services of Professional Overseas Pakistanisin strategic decision making

To utilize the expertise of OPs in strategic decision making by placingthem as members of public sector institutions/ advisory bodies, the NayaPakistan Calling Portal has been recently launched.

8. Legal Assistance to needy overseas Pakistanis

Legal panels on pro-bono basis are being arranged for providingassistance to needy overseas Pakistanis.

9. University / Degree Awarding Institute for children ofOverseas Pakistanis

A University / Degree Awarding Institute for children of overseasPakistanis in sector F-11, Islamabad is being established which shall be upand running by June, 2020.

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10. Enhancement of quota in Federal / Provincial PublicSector Professional Colleges and Universities for children ofOverseas Pakistanis

Efforts are being made to enhance Special Quota for OverseasPakistanis’ children in Federal / Provincial public sector professional collegesand universities.

11. Allocation of compulsory quota in upcoming housingprojects of public sector organizations for Overseas Pakistanis

Efforts are being made for allocation of 10% compulsory quota forOverseas Pakistanis in all upcoming housing projects being launched by allthe public sector organizations.

12. Extension of Housing facilities for Overseas Pakistanis

(a) OPF Farm Housing Scheme has been recently launchedexclusively for overseas Pakistanis at Raiwind Road, Lahoreand possession will be handed over to allottees by March,2020.

(b) Construction of Six Apartment Buildings and 50 Country Homesin OPF Housing Scheme, Zone-V, Islamabad is beingundertaken.

(c) OPF Housing Scheme Rewat, Rawalpindi (623 kanals) is beinglaunched for overseas Pakistanis. The Project will consist of5 Marla and 8 Marla plots that will be offered exclusively toOverseas Pakistanis only.

13. Other issues in OPF Housing Sector

(i) OPF Housing Scheme Zone-V, Islamabad.

(a) Supply of Sui Gas to Housing Scheme through existingnetwork of SNGPL.

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(b) Provision of Approach Road through IBECHS (GulbergGreens)

(c) Land litigation issue of 407 Kanal in OPF HousingScheme, Zone-V, Islamabad

(ii) OPF Housing Scheme Phase-I and Phase-I Extension RaiwindRoad, Lahore.

(a) Pending approval of revised master plan of the schemeby Lahore Development Authority (LDA).

(b) Land litigation Issue of 52 Kanal 09 Marla Land.

(c) Land litigation Issue of 78 Kanal 17 Marla Land.

(d) Construction of Grid station by LESCO for permanentsupply of electricity to the scheme.

(e) Construction of Jamia Mosque.

(f) Lease extension of KBWL Land, Islamabad.

(iii) OPF Housing Scheme Peshawar.

Land litigation issue of 45 kanals land.

59. *Ms. Shamim Ara Panhwar:

Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs be pleased to state:

(a) the number of Pakistanis released from the Saudi Arabiajails after visit of Saudi Crown Prince; and

    (b) the number of Pakistani imprisoned in Saudi Arabian jails

at present?

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Minister for Foreign Affairs (Makhdoom Shah MahmoodHussain Qureshi): (a) We have around 3,400 prisoners in Saudi jails. OurMissions in Saudi Arabia are actively pursuing the release of 2107 Pakistaniprisoners, as announced during the visit of HRH Crown Prince Muhammadbin Salman. We have requested Saudi authorities to share the list of prisonerswho are going to be released. The information is awaited.

(b) We have around 3,400 prisoners in Saudi jails.

ISLAMABAD: TAHIR HUSSAIN,The 23rd April, 2019 Secretary.

PCPPI—3785(2019) NA—23-04-2019—600.

1

Shoaib.M 6th Rota Day (2018) NA (US) PC-9

(9th Session)

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SECRETARIAT

————

“UNSTARRED QUESTIONS AND THEIR REPLIES”

For Wednesday, the 24th April, 2019

1. Mr. Nisar Ahmed Cheema:(Deferred during 8th Session)

Will the Minister for Commerce and Textile be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that Wazirabad is famous for its cutlery,knife and sword making industry for many centuries;

    (b) whether it is also a fact that more foreign exchange can be

earned by encouraging and exporting the said products;    

(c) if  the  answer  to  parts  (a)  and  (b)  above  are  in  theaffirmative,  the  steps being  taken by  the Government  inthis regard?

Minister for Commerce and Textile: (a) Wazirabad is famousfor cutlery, knife and sword making industries. The cutlery is an importantnon­traditional sector for exports. The industry structure reflects thatpredominantly based SME. The major of this industry is situated in the localityof Wazirabad, Nizamabad and Allahabad in Gujranwala district.

There are approximately 500 units presents in this region and abouthalf of them are registered with the Pakistan Cutlery Stainless UtensilsManufacturers & Exporters Association (PCSUMEA) Wazirabad. About25,000 people are associated directly or indirectly with this sector. An annualexport of cutlery product is US $90 (Millions) and local sale is also quiteconsiderable. The following Pakistan cutlery products are recognized theworld over for quality and craftsmanship:—

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Professional Kitchen Knives Stainless Steel Flatware Kitchen Gadgets and Tools Kitchenware and Utensils Hunting and Pocket Knives Swords and Daggers made of Stainless Steel Swords and Daggers made of Damascus steel.

(b) Export data of cutlery is as under:

Million US $————————————————————————————ITEM 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18

————————————————————————————CUTLERY 88.3 85.5 80.4 82.4 89.8

————————————————————————————Source: PBS

In the year 2017, the world exported around US $ 14.9 billion worthof cutlery products; whereas Pakistan exported UD$ 89 million (0.6) %.The data suggests that there is huge potential for increasing exports for cutleryfrom Pakistan and as such the Government has taken a number of initiativesto promote the exports of Cutlery from Pakistan.

(c) Following measures were taken by the Government of Pakistanin STPF 2015­18 to promote the non textile sector including cutlery:

i. Product Development: Matching grant up to a maximum ofRs. 5 (five) Million for specified plant and machinery or specifieditems to improve product design and encourage innovation inSMEs and export sectors of leather, pharmaceutical andfisheries.

ii. Branding & Certification Development Support: Matchinggrant to facilitate the branding and certification for faster growthof the SME and export sector in Pakistan’s economy throughIntellectual Property Registration (including trade and servicemarks), Certification and Accreditation.

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iii. Draw-back for local taxes and levies (DLTL): DLTL wasbeing given to certain sectors including cutlery on freight onboard (FOB) value of their enhanced exports if increased by10% and beyond (over last year’s exports) at the rate of 4%on increased exports.

iv. Technology Up-gradation an incentive for technologyup­gradation in the shape of investment support of 20% andmark­up support of 50% upto a maximum of Rs. 1 (one) Millionper annum per company for import of new plant and machineryfor fans, home, appliances, rice, cutlery and sports goods wasbeing provided.

v. Prime Minister’s Package of Incentive:

An Export Enhancement Package of PKR 180 billionapplicable for 18 months from 16th January, 2017 to30th June 2018 was approved to facilitate exports andto arrest declining trends for Gloves, football and othersports goods, leather garments, footwear, surgical andcutlery. This incentive for 2016­17 was available forexporters without any condition of increase in exports.This incentive package was enhanced for the year2017­18 for the above mentioned sectors.

To further facilitate the exporters, the existing packagehas been extended further in a modified form videEconomic Co­ordination Committee (ECC) of theCabinet decision dated 30th May2018 for next threeyears 2018­21with the addition of more non textilesectors like electric fans, transport equipment, autoparts &accessories, machinery including electric,furniture, stationary, fruits, vegetables, meat and meatpreparation to the existing sectors.

16. Mr. Saad Waseem:

Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs be pleased to state:

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(a) whether  the  Embassy of  Pakistan  in  Nigeria  has  takennotice that two Pakistanis, including an engineer, who wereworking in a shipping company, had been taken in custodyby the Nigerian authorities some two years back; and

    (b) the steps being taken by the Government to get aforesaid

persons release expeditiously?

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Makhdoom Shah MahmoodHussain Qureshi): (a) The Mission is fully aware of the detention ofPakistanis namely Mr. Muhammad Ejaz and Mr. Muhammad NaseerKhan. The two Pakistanis alongwith other crew members of the TankerM.T. TECNE were arrested by Nigerian Authorities on 25­04­2017 fortheir alleged involvement in crude oil smuggling. Their case is subjudice.The court granted them bail against provision of securities worth 50 millionNaira for a Nigerian and a Pakistani citizenp. The last hearing was on28th February 2019. The date for next hearing is 2nd April 2019. Threewitnesses have yet to record their statement before the court. The Missionis in contact with the two Pakistanis through Whatsapp and providesthem financial assistance for food and medicine regularly.

(b) The Federal Ministry of Justice was requested by the Missionto assist for the release of two Pakistanis, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SanHonorable Attorney General of Federation and Minister of Justice hasinformed that since the matter is subjudice in the court, therefore, neitherthe Presidential Committee on Prisons Reforms and Decongestion northe Federal Ministry of Justice can intervene in the matter.

17. Ms. Tahira Aurangzeb:

Will the Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment be pleased to state:

(a) whether  it  is  a  fact  that  Overseas Pakistan  Foundation

College for Girls, F-8/4 Islamabad earned pure profit ofRs.60 million during last year from the students; and

    (b) whether  it  is  also   a  fact  that  the  said  school  has  not

implemented orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan dated

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31-12-2018  and  10-1-2019  regarding  20%  decrease  inmonthly fee and 50% refund of summer vacations fees of2018 of the students studying in the schools of OPF; if so, reasons thereof?

Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment: (a) OPF Girls College, F­8/2, Islamabad has not earnedprofit of Rs. 60 million in the last financial year i.e. 2017­18. As per thefinancial statement, OPF Girls College, F­8/2, Islamabad earned profit ofRs. 26.9 million in the year 2017­18 (un­audited) and earned profit Rs. 11.4million in the year 2016­17 (audited) in which Gratuity and Leave Encashmentexpenses of employees are not included.

OPF has established 24 educational institutions throughoutPakistan including AJK. The overall losses of OPF Educational Institutionswere Rs. 55.47 million in the financial year 2016­17 (audited).

(b) Hon’ble Supreme Court in its Order dated 10­01­2019 hadmentioned that “the issue of trust schools and institutions being run on non­profit basis needs to be addressed”.

As the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation is registered with Securitiesand Exchange Commission of Pakistan within the provisions of Section – 42of the Companies Act, 2017, as a non­profit foundation, limited by guaranteeof Government of Pakistan through Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis & HRD,therefore, OPF Board of Governors in its 149th meeting held on18­02­2019 has resolved to present the position of OPF EducationalInstitutions before the Hon’ble Supreme Court of Pakistan. Accordingly, anapplication has been filed before Hon’ble Supreme Court of Pakistan.Supreme Court’s directive on the application is awaited. OPF will complywith whatever decision is arrived at by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of Pakistan.

18. Ms. Nusrat Wahid:

Will the Minister for Commerce and Textile be pleased to statethe steps taken by the Government to increase trade relationswith the United Arab Emirates during last five years?

6

Minister for Commerce and Textile: The aggregate tradestructure of Pakistan UAE bilateral trade is as follows:

AGGREGATE BILATERAL ANNUAL TRADE WITH UAE

Million $———————————————————————————

Years Exports Imports TotalTrade

———————————————————————————

2013-14 1724.24 7634.56 9358.80

2014-15 1053.45 6893.00 7946.45

2015-16 896.75 5701.32 6598.07

2016-17 803.59 6682.09 7485.68

2017-18 800.87 6730.82 7531.69

2017-18 (July-Feb.) 481.77 4,056.38 4538.15

2018-19 (July-Feb.) 487.15 4,364.76 4851.91

———————————————————————————Source :FBR

The Government has taken the following steps to increase thetrade with United Arab Emirates:—

1. The ban on poultry and poultry products was imposed by UAE,on 26th January 2004 due to outbreak of bird flu in Pakistan,which has been lifted in 2017, with the efforts of Ministry ofCommerce and Ministry of National Food Security & Research.Two poultry slaughter houses i.e. K&Ns and Big Bird and fifteen(15) companies producing poultry products such as eggs andprocessed food have been registered with the Ministry ofClimate Change and Environment UAE. Six (6) meat slaughterhouses, duly registered with UAE Authorities, are successfullyoperating in UAE.

2. In the follow­up of the PM’s visit to UAE in September 2018,a twenty member delegation on Investment from UAE, headed

7

by H.E. Sultan Ahmed Al­Jaber, Minister of State and DirectorGeneral/CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil company (ADNOC)and H.E. Mohammad Sharaf, Assistant Minister of ForeignAffairs and International Cooperation for Economic and TradeAffairs visited Pakistan on 26th October, 2018.

3. As an aftermath of the Investment Delegation from UAE, theRefining and Petro Chemicals Division of Mubadala Petroleumand Petrochemicals is actively engaged for investment inPakistan. Besides expansion in PARCO refinery, Mubadala isalso conducting feasibility of setting up LNG terminals inPakistan, investments in Petro Chemical Sector and setting upof strategic reserves in collaboration with ADNOC. In a recentmeeting with Ambassador of Pakistan to UAE, the ExecutiveDirector of the Refining Division, Mubadala, expressed hissatisfaction on their investments in Pakistan and showed hiswillingness to expand in future

4. The Advisor to Prime Minister on Commerce, Textiles,Industries & production and Investment visited Abu Dhabi on27th October 2018 to witness the signing ceremony ofParticipation Contract with EXPO 2020 authorities.

5. An Investment Delegation comprising of Chairman BOI andMinister of Maritime Affairs (Ports and Shipping) visited UAEon 6­8 December 2018 and discussed the avenues of investmentin Food processing, Maritime services and Construction sector.

6. UAE Government has agreed to the holding of 12th session ofthe Pak­ UAE Joint Ministerial Commission in April 2019.

7. A 13 member business delegation from UAE visited ExpoPakistan 2015.

Efforts are being made to reactivate Pak­UAE Joint BusinessCouncil, which will enhance business­to­business interactionbetween the two countries. More than three delegations in theyear 2018 were facilitated and the International Buyers’

8

Recognition Awards was hosted by REAP, in Dubai, on 20thFebruary 2018 in which the Minister for Commerce alsoparticipated.

8. Twenty business delegates participated in Expo 2017 from theUAE, including famous retail chain, Lulu Hyper Market andAl­ Tayyab Meat Co – which has started importing meat bysea, from Pakistan­promising a business of around US$ 333Million due to the efforts of Commerce Division.

9. Pakistan is participating in Expo 2020, which is a world expo,to be held 20th October 2020 to 10thApril 2021 in Dubai.The preparations are underway to make it a successful eventfor Pakistan.

Moreover, the list of Exhibitions held at UAE are at Annex- A.

(Annexure has been placed in the National Assembly Library)

19. Ms. Nusrat Wahid:

Will the Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination be pleasedto state  the  steps being  taken by  the present Government  forthe revival of sports in the country?

Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination (Dr. FehmidaMirza): To improve the sports standards, the Prime Minister of Pakistanhas constituted a Task Force under Mr. Ehsan Mani, Chairman PCB tomake recommendations for the promotion of sports in the country.

Government of Pakistan is committed to the promotion of sports inthe country. However, in the aftermath of 18th Constitutional amendment,the Provincial Governments are mainly responsible for the promotion of sportsand sports related infrastructure in the respective provinces. FederalGovernment is playing its role as a coordinating agency. Recently, Governmenthas notified a “Federal Sports Coordination Committee” headed by Ministryfor IPC with all Provincial Sports Ministers as members to ensure better andaffective coordination for promotion of sports.

9

20. Ms. Mussarat Rafiq Mahesar:

Will the Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment be pleased to state whether there is any proposalunder consideration of the Government to establish OPF Schooland College in Mehar; if so, when; if not, the reasons thereof?

Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment: There is no proposal under consideration for theestablishments of any new OPF School and College in Mehar District Dadu,as OPF has already established School at Red Crescent Building, near MalkaniPetrol Pump, Larkana Road, Dadu in 1987. The school is upto Matric level.Presently, 765 students are enrolled.

Furthermore, OPF Board of Governors in its 126th meeting held on4th March, 2015 resolved that;

“OPF should not establish new Educational Institutions in anyrented building and low overseas Pakistanis concentratedareas. OPF may explore the possibilities to establish OPFeducational institutions in purpose built buildings in its ownHousing Schemes.”

Therefore, establishment of new educational institution would not beundertaken. Moreover, since families of overseas Pakistanis are scatteredthroughout the country and are not concentrated in selective areas only, OPFis shifting its focus from investing huge funds on establishment of newinstitutions to utilizing the same funds for the direct benefit of children ofoverseas Pakistanis by providing them financial assistance in terms of stipends/ scholarships. In this regard, an amount of Rs.30 million has been allocatedin the current year budget (2018­19) for grant of scholarship to the childrenof overseas Pakistanis studying in Pakistan from Intermediate to Masterslevel.

21. Mr. Saleh Muhammad:

Will the Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment be pleased to state:

10

(a) the  names  and  domiciles  of  employees  working  inthe Ministry and its subordinate offices/ departments;

(b) the number of employees recruited against province-wise

quota in the Ministry; and

(c) the number of vacant posts in the Ministry and the time bywhich such posts will be filled up?

Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment: (a) The detail of names and domiciles of employees workingin the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis & Human Resource Developmentand its Attached Departments/Autonomous Bodies is as under:———————————————————————————Sr. Name of Department Remarks———————————————————————————

1. Main Ministry Annex­I

2. National Industrial Relations Commission Annex­II

3. Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment Annex­III

4. Directorate of Workers Education Annex­IV

5. Overseas Employment Corporation Annex­V

6. Workers Welfare Fund Annex­VI

7. Employees Old Age Benefits Institution Annex­VII

8. Overseas Pakistanis Foundation Annex­VIII

———————————————————————————(b) 240 employees recruited/posted against province wise quota

in the Ministry.

(c) Presently, there are 73 vacant posts in this Ministry. Out ofthese, 48 posts are meant for direct recruitment and 10 posts are forpromotion quota. Officers against 15 posts are to be posted byEstablishment Division/Planning Division. Recruitment process againstthe vacant positions is to be completed by this Ministry in 6 months inconsultation with Establishment Division/Federal Public ServiceCommission.

(Annexures have been placed in the National Assembly Library)

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22. Syed Mehmood Shah:

Will the Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that Overseas Pakistanis Foundation

School  Kallar  Syedan  is  not  being  run  in  properschool building;

    (b) if so, the steps being taken by the Government to shift the

school to its original building?

Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment: (a) OPF Public School, Kallar Syedan was establishedin 1993. The school is housed in a rented building. The school is uptoMatric level and presently, 1073 students are enrolled in the school, outof which 455 are children of overseas Pakistanis.

(b) OPF is in the process of approaching Provincial Government/local administration for providing purpose built building or land forconstruction of purpose built building for shifting of OPF School.

23. Syed Mehmood Shah:

Will the Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment be pleased to state:

(a) whether  it  is a  fact  that teaching and non-teaching staff

originally  hired/recruited  for  Overseas  PakistanisFoundation School Kallar Syedan has been allowed to workin some other institutes on attachment basis;

    (b) if so, rationale thereto  as such appointments on attachment

basis are not in public interest; and    

(c) the steps  being  taken  by  the  Government  to  meet  withshortage of staff in the OPF School Kallar Syedan?

12

Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human ResourceDevelopment: (a) Presently, two (02) teaching & two (02) non teachingstaff of OPF Public School, Kallar Syedan are attached with other OPFeducational institutions.

(b) Transfer / posting / attachment of staff from one institutionto another are carried out according to rules as per the requirement ofinstitutions. Presently, teacher / student ratio of OPF public School, KallarSyedan is 1:26 and as such there is no shortage of staff at OPF PublicSchool, Kallar Syedan. However, if any subject teacher is required bythe school, either staff from other institution is transferred or Principalcan hire visiting faculty staff.

ISLAMABAD: TAHIR HUSSAIN,The 23rd April, 2019. Secretary.

PCPPI—3785(2019) NA—23­04­2019—600.