ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday said that the top judiciary had a vital role in maintaining financial discipline in the country.
Responding to a point raised by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F)’s lawmaker Noor Alam Khan, he said, “The IMF delegation sought time from the Chief Justice of Pakistan and he gave time at his own will. We are passing through financial difficulties and the judiciary should help us for financial discipline. The judiciary has an important role in financial discipline.”
“With mutual consent of sides (judiciary and IMF delegation), the meeting took place, and nothing was imposed. We keep discussing our fiscal and monetary issues with the IMF. To ensure financial discipline, the government is actively making efforts, which is also a condition set by the IMF. In this context, the judiciary plays a significant role. The financial issues facing the country require the judiciary’s support in our efforts to maintain financial discipline, and that’s it,” he added.
He also maintained: “going to the nuclear programme, it is stretching a bit too far,” and added that the judiciary had the option to decline the meeting with the IMF delegation, it chose to proceed, as the judiciary’s help in maintaining financial discipline is of significant importance.
Responding to a calling attention notice, Power Minister Awais Khan Leghari said that employees of power generation companies (GENCOs) will be either absorbed into distribution companies or laid off without usurping their rights.
Responding to questions asked by MPs, he said that all power plants except Guddo Thermal Power Plant and Nandipur Power Plants are shutdown.
“We pay Rs7 billion annually to the employees in terms of salaries without any output,” he said. “Electricity is not being generated in these plants,” he added.
He said that we discussed two options with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif: either we need to absorb the employees into distribution companies, lay them off without usurping their rights by selling the scraps of shutdown power plants or we have to pay Rs30 billion to Rs35 billion to retire the employees with pension of GENCOs.
About privatisation of GENCOs, the minister said that the process of privatising power generation companies in phases will be started within the next two months.
Responding to a point of order raised by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Minister for Industries and Production Rana Tanveer said that the government is not going to wind-up the Utilities Stores Corporation (USC) and the future of its employees will be safeguarded.
He said that the government is only going to restructure the organisation, adding there are some issues with the USCs as its multiple outlets were opened on political basis across Pakistan.
He said that people were appointed to the Utility Stores on political basis, which increased problems for the corporation. However, he acknowledged that some of the stores are viable and doing well, especially in the far-flung areas, and that is why, the government is going to restructure them.
The House was informed that the government is going to introduce four new infrastructure cables and 5-G services to provide fast and reliable internet to users.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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