ISLAMABAD: Pakistan urged the Afghan authorities on Thursday to demonstrate responsibility in the complex situation in the region.
“At this defining stage when challenges have multiplied, as have the opportunities, it is our expectation that everyone, especially those in position of authority in Afghanistan, will demonstrate maturity and responsibility. This is no time for point-scoring, playing politics or grandstanding,” Foreign Office spokesperson Tehmina Janjua said at a press briefing.
She said national interest would guide Pakistan’s foreign policy and response to all challenges at all times. “It has been made clear to everyone that safeguarding national interests is the primary focus of Pakistan’s foreign policy.”
Ms Janjua said Pakistan was aware of the regional complexities and was trying to address them, but others also needed to have
an objective appreciation of them.
an objective appreciation of them.
About the reported arrest of six people in Afghanistan on the charge of plotting to assassinate President Hamid Karzai and having alleged links with North Waziristan, she said it was important to have the facts before making any statement.
“We should not fall prey to what has been given out without being sure of facts.” She advised the Afghan authorities to refrain from making irresponsible statements.
She said Afghanistan had sent some material to Pakistan in connection with the assassination of the Afghan peace council’s chief Burhanuddin Rabbani.
But what had been provided, she said, was a confessional statement of an Afghan national. She said the material was being examined.
The spokesperson said Pakistan was ready to provide any kind of assistance to Afghanistan in investigation, but this would obviously depend on the kind of evidence provided to it.
Answering a question about the change of venue of a trilateral meeting with the US and Afghanistan from Pakistan to Turkey, she said contacts among the three sides continued.
Interestingly, at the time of the briefing US Ambassador Cameron Munter was holding a meeting with Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir.
Ms Janjua said a number of statements emanating from different sections of the US administration underscored the importance of a cooperative relationship with Pakistan.
She said the Foreign Office and the US State Department were trying to ensure that relations between the two countries reflected the positives outlined by their leadership.
Answering a question about US media reports that the Americans themselves were engaged in secret contacts with the Haqqani network while they were accusing Pakistan, she said the situation in Afghanistan was obviously quite complex and that needed to be taken into account.
She said Pakistan wanted the situation in Afghanistan to calm down and to ensure that there was peace and stability in that country.
About the strategic partnership agreement signed by India and Afghanistan during President Karzai’s visit to New Delhi, she stressed that regional stability should not be affected in anyway.
“To achieve this we need to remain in a cooperative mode. Also, we continue to look at the agreement that has been signed between the two countries.”
Replying to a question about training of Afghan troops by India, she reiterated that details of the strategic partnership dialogue were being looked into and a number of elements enshrining it were being examined.
Answering a question about the Afghan ambassador’s meetings with the foreign secretary and the army chief, she said she was not aware if a specific message about the Rabbani case had been given.
The spokesperson said US Special Representative on Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman would come to Islamabad during his visit to the region but she could not confirm the date.
Asked what message would be conveyed to the US envoy in the light of the resolution of the all party conference, she said the most important message that was always given at the leadership level was that Pakistan was committed to peace and stability in Afghanistan and also to Afghan reconciliation.
Replying to another question, she said Pakistan had reminded the US State Department of its assurance to undertake an inquiry against CIA operative Raymond Davis.
Rejecting the Indian army chief’s concerns over what he termed the presence of three to four thousand Chinese armed forces personnel in Azad Kashmir, she said whatever work was being undertaken was in the context of development projects. She thanked the Chinese government for consenting to assist Pakistan in development efforts.
LPG price drops by Rs12 after PDL suspension
ISLAMABAD: The price of liquefied petroleum gas has declined by Rs12 per kg across the country as the Petroleum Development Levy (PDL) imposed on LPG has been suspended by the Lahore High Court.
With the suspension of the levy, which was implemented on the local producers under the LPG Policy 2011, the JJVL, Parco, OGDCL etc., have reduced the price by around Rs11,500 per ton.
The decline means a drop of Rs140 per domestic cylinder, the rate of commercial cylinder has declined by Rs560 effective from Thursday across the country.
Since the LPG is deregulated sector its prices are determined by demand and supply mechanism, however, due to travelling distance the prices are different in various cities.
The Lahore High Court has suspended the three key clauses of the LPG Policy 2011 which made it mandatory on the LPG producers to import 20 per cent of their sales and the authorising the SSGC and the SNGPL rights to all the production and filling units in the country.
The LPG Association approached for the LHC to get these clauses suspended.
“The local LPG industry had no option but to approach the courts given the ministry’s open hostility,” said Belal Jabbar, spokesman for the LPG Association of Pakistan (LPGAP).
“The directives of Lahore High Court have impacted the market very positively, prices have come down,” he said, adding “even now, we request and urge the ministry and Ogra to exercise prudence and work with the LPG industry to promote and protect the public and national interest.”
He said that the LPG industry considered the suspended clauses as ‘controversial’ because they were aimed at providing monopoly rights to the public sector, raising local LPG prices through imposition of a special tax and force the LPG marketing companies to purchase imported LPG from brokers which possibly would be the subsidiaries of SNGPL and the SSGC.
Different LPG marketing companies have filed three cases so far against the LPG policy, which was formulated without stakeholders’ input.
Member of the LPG Association, Fasih Ahmed said that the companies had to take the legal course after petroleum ministry declined to discuss the issues with LPG producers and LPG marketing companies despite repeated requests.
After the massive reduction in prices by the producers the new LPG rates for Karachi is between Rs93 and Rs105 per kg where the domestic cylinder costs Rs1,070 to Rs1,210.
The new rates for Lahore, Sialkot, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Sargodah, Faisalabad, Jhang, Khanewal and Mirpur areas are Rs98 to Rs110 per kg, where the price of domestic cylinder has declined to Rs1,130-Rs1,270.
In Dera Ghazi Khan, Jhang, Multan, Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur and Dera Ismail Khan, the LPG price is Rs108-Rs120 per kg.
The decline has benefited the residents of Murree, Rawalpindi and Islamabad where the average price of LPG ranges between
Rs118 and Rs130 per kg.
Rs118 and Rs130 per kg.
For the Swat, Balakot and parts of Azad Kashmir the new LPG price is Rs123 to Rs135 per kg, in Gilgit-Baltistan and FATA region the LPG prices are between Rs128 and Rs140 per kg, the price of one domestic cylinder in these areas ranges between Rs1,490-Rs1,630.
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