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Will the new broom sweep clean?

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Lahore was clean. It is not so anymore. Lahore had a functioning waste management system. It is not so anymore. Lahore was envied by Karachi. It is not so anymore.

Shehzad Hussain Butt Profile Shehzad Hussain Butt

The road that led to this point is winding with twists and turns but not too long.

As begin most misadventures by this government, so did this one, with the positive intention of ending corruption and mismanagement inside Lahore Waste Management Corporation. Provincial Minister for Industries, Mian Aslam Iqbal, was given the additional charge of supervising waste management. Hearing of tales of corruption inside the LWMC, Aslam Iqbal sought written explanations. In reply, Chairman Amjad Ali Noon unleashed a barrage of accusations at the Minister himself. He sought time with the Chief Minister to complain about the matter. Unsuccessful in meeting Usman Buzdar, Amjad Ali Noon hit the jackpot when he met the Prime Minister himself. Till the last news poured in, Noon was not performing his departmental duties while Aslam Iqbal had restrained himself after the volley of attacks launched towards him.

There is still time for Chief Minister Usman Buzdar to take notice of the report handed over to him by the IT Department and the forensic report handed over to him by Auditor General’s office.

A problem that LWMC might have to confront sooner than later is that of the 14,000 workers enlisted under its banner, almost 5,000 are ghost employees. PSO provides almost 400,000 liters of fuel to LWMC, of which 315,000 liters are used while 85,000 liters remain unaccounted for. Who is hiding these details? And who will answer for the fact that appointments on higher positions were not made in a transparent manner? Where is the record for contracts given to private entities which would let us know at what rate is waste picked up from the city? What work were female socializers doing while they were hired to create awareness campaigns? Why was a war of allegations started as soon as a monitoring report was demanded? And why is the CFO reluctant to release the details of payments released to private firms?

Questions are being asked about why senatorial contracts were given at 59% higher than the set rates to a firm in Sargodha. About what is stopping Amjad Ali Noon and CEO Imran Ali Sultan are not acting on the forensics report themselves, which points the finger at many wrongdoings. And about who has threatened to file defamation suits, the details of which will be made public soon enough.

From 1947 till 1987, a team of 10,000 was employed to clean up the city. Daily wagers would look after a city of more than 3.5 million. Back then, Lahore was spread over 100 wards, dotted with an open drainage system. With time, the city was divided into zones. In 1990, eight deputy mayors were selected and 8 zones were carved out for them to govern.

In August 2001, the City District Government was founded, after which Lahore was divided into six towns, namely, Shalimar, Wagah, Daata, Gulberg, Nishtar and Iqbal Towns. After 2005, three more towns were added to the mic, Samanabad, Aziz Bhatti and Ravi Town.

Finally, in 2010, the Solid Waste Management Company came into being.

According to Aslam Iqbal, Lahore’s waste can be managed with just Rs. 7 billion per annum as opposed to the Rs 14 billion it is costing. If the employees hired for their jobs actually do what they are paid to, then the matter of ghost employees, too, can be settled. Vehicles can be monitored through video monitoring to cut down fudging in petrol allowances. LWMC can start the process of standing on its own feet instead of relying on foreign or private companies.

Lahore produces about 6,000 tons of waste daily. Corruption fudged this figure to 16,000 to 20,000 tons, costing billions more to the treasury.

Those in charge of cleaning the city are instead cleaning up the exchequer. Soon, Chief Minister Usman Buzdar may wake up from his slumber and dispatch these corrupt elements to the dustbin of history.

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Delegations meet in Kabul on Pak-Afghan trade, transit facilities

Under the agreement, Pakistan will facilitate the transfer of goods from containers to regional containers at Karachi port.

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Kabul: During the two-day talks in Kabul, the delegations of Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to keep trade away from politics and keep people's interests in mind.

Agreeing on uninterrupted trade and transit relations in the negotiations, the delegations decided to finalize the 'Afghanistan Pakistan Transit Agreement' within two months.

Under the agreement, Pakistan will facilitate the transfer of goods from containers to regional containers at Karachi port.

In the preferential trade agreement between Pak-Afghan delegations, a temporary free permit for the movement of trucks was also agreed for one year which will come into effect from May 2024.

Under the agreement, it was also agreed to transfer goods in the form of multi-modal air transit through Pak-Afghan airports while it was decided to start multi-modal air transit in the next two months.

The agreement stated that Pakistan will terminate the condition of bank guarantee in one week for goods in transit from Afghanistan, as the former insurance will be considered sufficient.

The two delegations also agreed to take measures to remove other obstacles in mutual consultation while the delegations also agreed to refrain from border trade, establish and develop banking relations.

According to Afghan spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, Pakistan has expressed its willingness to buy coal at the international price.

The Pakistani delegation for the talks was headed by Deputy Minister of Commerce Muhammad Khurram Agha, while the Afghan delegation was led by Acting Minister of Commerce Nurud-din-Azizi.

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Pakistan

Illegal recruitment case: Parvez Elahi, others summoned for indictment

ACC judge issued a written order in which he has summoned Chaudhry Parvez Elahi and other accused for indictment on April 4.

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Lahore: The Anti-Corruption Court (ACC) Lahore has summoned former Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi and other accused in the case of illegal recruitment.

According to the details, ACC judge Arshad Hussain Bhutta has issued a written order for the previous hearing in which he has summoned Chaudhry Parvez Elahi and other accused for indictment on April 4.

The court wrote in the verdict that the Central Jail Rawalpindi submitted the medical reports of Parvez Elahi that on March 17, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader fell in the washroom and his ribs got fractured.

In the court order, it was further written that the medical officer has advised the former Chief Minister of Punjab to rest for two weeks. The accused was not presented to the court due to which the charge could not be filed.

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Imran was attacked before, cannot afford another big incident: LHC

Khalid Ishaq added: “Whether it was Imran Khan or Allah Ditta, we are responsible for their security”.

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Lahore: The Lahore High Court (LHC) Friday said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has been attacked before, we cannot afford any more major accidents.

A hearing was held in the LHC on the petition against not providing security to the former prime minister Imran Khan in Adiala Jail.

Advocate General Punjab Khalid Ishaq objected to the petition being admissible. He stated that he will ask for a report regarding security concerns.

Khalid Ishaq added: “Whether it was Imran Khan or Allah Ditta, we are responsible for their security”.

On this occasion, the Chief Justice of Lahore High Court remarked that we cannot afford any more major accidents. First Liaquat Ali Khan and then Benazir Bhutto were martyred.

The Lahore High Court said that the founder of PTI has been attacked before, what level of security concerns does Imran Khan have?

Advocate General Punjab said that this application can be heard in the Rawalpindi bench. The court adjourned the proceedings till April 3.

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