1 (42Nd Session) NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SECRETARIAT

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1 (42nd 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

Thursday, the 18th May, 2017

50. *Ms. Khalida Mansoor: (Deferred during 36th Session)

Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs be pleased to refer to the Starred Question No. 189 replied on 05-09-2016 and to state whether barbed wires have been installed and gate has been constructed on Pak-Iran borders?

Reply not received.

52. *Ms. Aisha Syed: (Deferred during 36th Session)

Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs be pleased to state whether there is any proposal under consideration of the Government to seal 2600 kilometers Pak-Afghan Road; if so, the date of implementation thereof?

Reply not received.

147. *Sheikh Salahuddin: (Deferred during 40th Session)

Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs be pleased to state the steps being taken by the present Government to resolve border issues with the neighboring countries?

Reply not received. 2 272. *Mr. Abdul Qahar Khan Wadan: (Deferred during 40th Session)

Will the Minister for States and Frontier Regions be pleased to state:

(a) the head-wise support funds received during the last six years with reference to terrorism;

(b) whether it is a fact that the FATA/Frontier Regions have suffered by terrorism;

(d) the life and financial losses occurred by Terrorism in said Areas/ Regions during the said period alongwith the steps taken in this regard?

Minister for States and Frontier Regions [Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Abdul Qadir Baloch]: (a) During the last six years, an amount of Rs. 3045.785 million was utilized on account of compensation (Shuhada Package) out of total released amount of Rs. 3566.124 million. Details are at Annex-I.

(b) Yes, it is an established fact that FATA/Frontier Regions have suffered tremendously due to terrorism.

(c) An amount to the tune of Rs. 3480.55 million has been spent for compensating the legal heirs of 12167 dead / injured persons including Levies, Khassadars and Civilians. Details are at Annex-II.

(d) A total of 5740 persons including Levies, Khasadars and Civilians lost their lives. Details are at Annex-II. For the financial losses, under the Citizen Losses Compensation Program (CLCP), the Government is providing Rs. 400000/- for fully damaged and Rs. 160000/- for partially damaged houses. FATA Secretariat has released Rs. 6.379 Billion to Political Administrations of five agencies, where TDPs are returning, while Rs. 5.277 Billion has been disbursed amongst 15139 beneficiaries. After conducting surveys, there are an estimated 80,000 damaged houses, out of which 22,471 have been validated for compensation. 3 4 @95. *Mr. Muhammad Jamal Ud Din: (Deferred during 41st Session)

Will the Minister for States and Frontier Regions be pleased to state:

(a) the head-wise detail of funds allocated, released and spent for the rehabilitation of the Interally Displaced Persons (IDPs) during the fiscal year 2016-17;

(b) the head-wise detail of funds which have not been released out of allocated amount by the Ministry for the said IDPs so far; and

Minister for States and Frontier Regions [Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Abdul Qadir Baloch]: (a) During the current financial year (2016-17) Rs. 1800 Million were allocated and Rs. 1731.675 Million have been released to Armed Forces for rehabilitation of TDPs. List of projects is attached.

(b) Funds to the tune of Rs. 68.325 Million is available, against which Rs. 50.000 Million has been approved for the rehabilitation of mosques in South Waziristan Agency. The same amount will be released shortly. List of approved projects is attached.

(Annexure has been placed in the National Assembly Library)

126. *Shaikh Rohale Asghar: (Deferred during 41st Session)

Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs be pleased to state the total number of Indian migrants living in Pakistan at present alongwith the reasons thereof?

Reply not received.

@ Transferred from Finance Division. 5 133. *Ms. Shakila Luqman: (Deferred during 41st Session)

Will the Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination be pleased to state:

(a) the location-wise Sports Academies established in the country during the years 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16; and

(b) the role played by those academies for promotion of sports during the said period?

Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination (Mr. Riaz Hussain Pirzada): (a) Pakistan Sports Board has affiliated 38 National Sports Federations out of which four Federations i.e. Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association, Pakistan Hockey, Squash and Tennis Federations have established academies for promotion / training of the budding from the grass root level as under:—

ACADEMIES i. Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association

Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association has established Snooker Academy at Faisalabad during 2013-14 in collaboration with the University of Agriculture-Faisalabad, equipped with International standard Billiard/ Snooker Tables / Accessories jointly provided by the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association and the Pakistan Sports Board Islamabad Snooker Academy has also been functioning in the premises of the Pakistan Sports Complex, since July 2007. ii. Pakistan Hockey Federation

Before the financial year 2013-14 Pakistan Hockey Federation had established academies at different potential centres of the country for training and grooming the young / school going players. The talented boys were inducted in the junior teams. After the fiscal years 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16, PHF closed the project. iii. Pakistan Squash Federation

Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) established Pakistan National Squash Academy (PNSA) at Islamabad which was inaugurated on 09th July, 2015. Salient features of which are elaborated below: 6 a. Vision: To regain and retain the lost glory in the game of squash. b. Mission: PNSA is to provide international level training to promising squash players to make them World leaders in the game of squash through personality development and confidence building.

c. Objectives: PNSA aims at the following ends:

i. Would be “Centre of Excellence” in the country and would act as a parent body of Provincial Squash Academies.

ii. Train talented young squash players and groom them into world class players.

iii. Educate, groom and update the trainers on international standards.

iv. Provide the best international level squash facilities to the players under one roof. d. Induction of Players: A mixed group of Junior and senior players have been inducted in the academy.

e. Technology: Use of technology has emerged as a mandatory requirement in the field of sports. The academy has been equipped with state of the art facilities including video cameras, video library of top players’ matches and other coaching techniques etc.

f. Hierarchy: The Secretary PSF and Game Development Officer would head PNSA along with supporting staff which include a Head Coach, 04 trainers and 02 physical fitness instructors from PAF.

g. Training Strategy: Over the period of times, it has been observed that beside the game skills, our players severely lack in physical fitness and mental strength. To help the players improve their physical fitness and mental strength, a training strategy has been devised.

A proper syllabus has been delivered to the players based on three main constituents according to their required percentage. The game/ skill work have 50% whereas 30% of the syllabus covers physical fitness 7 and the remaining 20% on character building. This program also includes spoken English improvement, etiquette, respect of other players and supporting staff, eating habits, civic sense, physical fitness etc.

International Participation: PSF also help these players for playing maximum international tournaments abroad throughout the year on the basis of their current standing and expected performance.

OTHER ACADEMIES

In addition to setting of PNSA in Islamabad, similar squash academies are being established in other major cities. Being hub of squash in KP, PAF has also established academy at Hashim Khan Squash Complex Peshawar. In addition, PSF-JK Squash Academy is being run at PSFJahangir Khan Squash Complex, Karachi through Sindh Squash Association Punjab Squash Association is operating similar academy at Punjab Squash Complex, Lahore. Hundreds of upcoming players are being trained in these regional academies.

Pakistan Tennis Federation

Pakistan Tennis Federation has established the following Tennis Academies during 2013-2016 in the country:—

a. Sirajul Haq Tennis Academy Westrige, Race Cours Road, Rawalpindi. b. Gujrat Gymkhana Tennis Academy, Gujrat. c. Super Kid Tennis Academy at DA Creek Club Zulfiqar Street DHA Phase 8, Karachi. d. Continental Tennis Academy Union Club, Karachi. e. Zeeshan Sports Academy, Borewala Punjab. f. Rashid Malik JTI Tennis Academy, Baghe Jinnah Mall Road, Lahore.

(b) Role of Academies i. Billiards & Snooker As the Snooker circuit of Pakistan is dominated by players of Punjab, the above mentioned Snooker Academies play a vital role to groom and nurture 8 the upcoming talented players, who regularly practice at the academies to improve their game. The players also acquire proper Snooker Coaching/ Training by International qualified snooker coaches, organized frequently by the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association to upgrade and enhance the potential of our National snooker players to achieve the desired results whilst competing in International competitions, which the snooker players have evidently proved by winning laurels for the country during the years, which are on record. Besides the above activities, national ranking snooker tournaments are also held by the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association at the Snooker Academies, which are participated by players from all the provinces of Pakistan, whereby promoting the game of Billiards & Snooker on a National level. ii. Hockey

Pakistan Hockey Federation has proposed the establishment of High Performance Hockey Academies to the esteemed Ministry of IPC through a Visionary Strategic Plan till the year 2020. iii. Squash

Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) with an appropriate Govt. support, have taken major projects of the game’s Development. This also includes provisioning of rigorous training at PNSA and regional academies throughout the year. During the last couple of years, PSF has very successfully organized 4-6 international tournaments ranging from 15,000-25,000 US dollars prize money. While playing at the home ground, our players have proved their worth and have also shown some outstanding performances at major international events abroad. At present we hold Gold Medal at Asian Senior Team Championship, Silver Medal at Asian Junior Team Championship and recently we have won Gold Medal during World Junior Team Championship, 2016 at Poland. Mr. Israr Ahmad from Lahore has won Gold Medal in Asian Junior Individual Championship, 2015. Earlier in May, 2014. we also brought Gold Medal in Asian Individual Championship after a gap of 14 years. We are sure that if the Govt. support to Pakistan Squash Federation is increased, we have all the abilities to bring the past glories back to the country and we would be able to see Pakistan’s flag fluttering high in the world of Squash again, in the near future. 9 iv. Tennis

Under Junior Tennis Program of International Tennis Federation, Pakistan Tennis Federation provided Tennis equipment to all of above mentioned academies which resulted in 2000 new players exposed to tennis only in 2016.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB):

PCB has established High Performance Centers at Karachi and Multan. These High Performance Centers are operational.

Meanwhile, PCB is conducting 4 Weeks extensive Academies Programs for U19 Players at all the 16 regions on annual basis (Karachi, Hyderabad, Quetta, Larkana, Dera Murad Jamali, Bahawalpur, Multan, Lahore, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Azad Jammu Kashmir, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Peshawar, Abbottabad & FATA) utilizing the available infrastructure and this program effectively helps the players to prepare for upcoming Domestic Season.

In addition, PCB has future plans to establish High Performance Cricket Centers in other regions also to facilitate the national/domestic and local players along with developing “Fitness Centers” at all the grounds/venues where First Class /Domestic matches are played to enhance the physical fitness of local players.

@142. *Sahibzada Muhammad Yaqub: (Deferred during 41st Session)

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

(a) the steps taken by the Government alongwith details of schemes launched to address the problems of Overseas Pakistanis since 1-1-2016; and

(b) the rate of success and failure of said schemes?

@ Transferred from Foreign Affairs Division. 10 Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (Pir Syed Saddaruddin Shah Rashidi): (a) OPF is committed to render better & improved services by providing relief to overseas Pakistanis and their dependents by initiating a number of schemes in health, financial assistance and personalized services. These existing schemes are continuously being revised to make them more efficient in service delivery for the benefit of the overseas Pakistanis. During the period no new scheme has been launched, however, new initiatives in the existing scheme are as below;

WELFARE SECTOR:

Schemes during the period since 01-01-2016 to address the problems of overseas Pakistanis are as below;

Financial Aid Scheme:

 Provision of Financial Assistance on enhance amount @ Rs. 400,000/- and Rs. 300,000/- in death and disability, respectively. 1865 destitute families of overseas Pakistanis granted financial assistance in death/disability of an OP amounting to Rs. 690.850 million.

Establishment of One Window Facilitation Desks at international airports in Pakistan:

 One Window Facilitation Desk represented by 12 governmental departments established at Sialkot International Airport, Sialkot on 09-02-2016.

Complaint Cell:

 Complains received 1573 and settled 634 rest are being pursued with concerned authorities.

Repatriation of Pakistani Workers from Saudi Arabia 201617:

So far 3349 number of Pakistani workers from Saudi Arabia have arrived at Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar and Lahore. Out of these workers 2965 have been provided assistance by OPF for travel to their destinations from Airport to their hometown and Rs. 10 (Million) approximately has been paid so far. 11

EDUCATION SECTOR:

50% concession in tuition fee to the children of overseas Pakistanis upto 02 children.

The amount of Merit Award/ Needy Scholarship for the children of overseas Pakistanis has been increased upto 50%.

(b) The rate of success of the aforementioned schemes/ initiatives are satisfactory and in some cases the target have been achieved more than 100%.

181. *Ms. Musarat Rafique Mahesar: (Deferred during 41st Session)

Will the Minister for Textile Industry be pleased to state whether it is a fact that a large number of industries especially Textile Units have been closed in the country during the last year; if so, the reasons thereof?

Minister for Textile Industry: It is not a fact that a large number of industries especially Textile Units have been closed in the country during the last year the detail of textile companies registered and closed/dissolved in the country during the last two years are as under;

—————————————————————————————— Period No. of Textile No. of Textile Companies Companies Registered closed/dissolved —————————————————————————————— July-December 145 37 2015-16

July till Date 85 31 2016-17 —————————————————————————————— Source: SECP 12 59. *Ms. Aisha Syed:

Will the Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination be pleased to state:

(a) the steps being taken by the Government to make simplified degree verification process from the Inter Board Committee of Chairmen as the students are facing difficulties in this regard; and

(b) whether there is any proposal under consideration of the Government to end the verification fee thereof; if so, the steps taken in this regard?

Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination (Mr. Riaz Hussain Pirzada): (a) Verification prior to IBCCs attestation of certificates forwarded by Educational Boards has been simplified, as the Boards handover verification in sealed envelope to applicants then and there. Such verification minimizes possibility of attesting fake or tempered certificates by IBCC.

(b) There is no proposal under consideration of the Federal Government or IBCC to end the verification fee thereof IBCC charges attestation fee Rs. 200/- per original and Rs. 100/- per photocopy of certificates to cover cost of stamps (pasted thereon) printed by Security Printing Corporation and free application forms etc. As far waiver of verification fee charges by Provincial/ Federal Board the IBCC has no direct control over them for fee waiver.

60. *Dr. Shazia Sobia:

Will the Minister for Commerce be pleased to state:

(a) the year-wise trade deficit of the country since 01-01-2012 in term of percentage to the GDP;

(b) the reasons of increase in the said deficit; and

Minister for Commerce (Engr. Khurram Dastgir Khan): (a) The year-wise trade deficit of the country since FY 2012 in terms of percentage of GDP is as under: 13 —————————————————————————————— Fiscal year Trade deficit in terms % of GDP —————————————————————————————— 2011-12 6.96% 2012-13 6.77% 2013-14 6.95% 2014-15 6.18% 2015-16 6.23% —————————————————————————————— Source: State Bank of Pakistan

(b) The trade deficit has increased due to the following reasons:

Imports

Pakistan’s imports have grown by nearly 6% in FY 2016 that has added to the trade deficit, mainly owing to the following reasons:

i. The demand of many imported items is inelastic e.g. petroleum products, food items and machinery.

ii. Due to the increase in development activity in the country, especially, CPEC related import of machinery and equipment has increased.

iii. Due to the shortfall in cotton production in the country, the raw cotton is to be imported from abroad to meet the demand of the textile industry.

Exports

The trade balance has also been affected due to decline in Pakistan’s exports for the following reasons:

i. Economic slowdown in the global market. ii. Global commodity crisis.

iii. Currency devaluation by competitors. 14 iv. Pakistan’s low position in global competitiveness index.

1. Prime Minister of Pakistan has announced the export package of PKR 180 billion for exporting business community, which is applicable for nearly 18 months for the period from 16th January, 2017 to 30th June, 2018. The incentive for 2017-18 would be available to those who would achieve an increase of 10% in annual exports. Out of the total annual allocation, an amount of PKR 107.5 billion has been allocated to textiles sector (PKR 87.5 billion for Draw Backs and PKR 20 billion for withdrawal of duties / taxes on import of cotton and machinery), whereas an amount of PKR 12.5 billion is annual allocation for Draw Backs on export of non-textiles (other value added sectors).

2. Under Strategic Trade Policy Framework (STPF), 2015-18, a total of Rs. 6 billion is allocated for current year spent on the development. The initiatives inter-alia include:

 Technology Up-gradation:- An incentive for technology up-gradation in the shape of investment support of 20% and mark-up support of 50% upto a maximum of Rs. 1 (one) Million per annum per company for import of new plant and machinery.

 Product Development:-Matching grant upto a maximum of Rs. 5 (five) Million for specified plant and machinery or specified items to improve product design and encourage innovation in SMEs and export sectors of leather, pharmaceutical and fisheries.

 Branding and Certification Development Support:- Matching grant to facilitate the branding and certification for faster growth of the SME and export sector in Pakistan’s economy through Intellectual Property Registration (including trade and service marks), Certification and Accreditation.

 Draw-back for local taxes and levies (DLTL):- DLTL is being given to exporters on free on board (FOB) values of 15 their enhanced exports if increased by 10% and beyond (over last year’s exports) at the rate of 4% on the increased exports.

 Short-term export enhancement measures:- Under short- term export enhancement measures, the four product categories i.e. Basmati rice, horticulture, meat and meat products, and jewellery, are being focused with the parallel focus on the following markets: (i) Iran, (ii) Afghanistan, (iii) China, and (iv) European Union.

3. Under Textile Policy 2014-2019, Rs. 6 billion has been allocated in the fiscal year to facilitate exporters.

4. The miscellaneous measures that the Government has under taken to enhance exports are as under:

i. The sales tax zero-rating regime for five export oriented sectors, i.e., textile, leather, carpets, surgical and sports goods has been introduced with effect from July 1, 2016.

ii. In order to counter the import surge through unfair trade and strengthen trade defence mechanisms, National Tariff Commission Act has been revamped and approved by the Parliament in 2015.

iii. In order to promote exports to new markets, Trade Development Authority of Pakistan is undertaking various export promotional activities through trade exhibitions and delegations.

iv. The State Bank of Pakistan has further reduced the discount rate to 5.75%. Similarly, the Export Finance Rate is currently at 3%, which is the lowest in a decade.

v. Exim Bank is being established to facilitate export credit and for reducing the cost of borrowing for exporting sectors on a long term basis. This will also reduce their risks through export credit guarantees and insurance facilities. The Board of Directors of the Bank has been appointed and it will be functional soon after completing the technical formalities. 16 vi. The Ministry is undertaking consistent efforts for getting additional market access for Pakistani products in the potential markets. In this regard, FTA negotiations with Turkey and Thailand are at an advanced stage, negotiations with Iran on FTA are being initiated, and joint research study to assess the potential for a preferential arrangement with Korea is underway.

61. *Ms. Tahira Aurangzeb:

Will the Minister for States and Frontier Regions be pleased to state whether it is a fact that the Police Stations and Courts are being established in the Tribal Areas under the administration of the Federal Government in accordance with the FATA reforms?

Minister for States and Frontier Regions [Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Abdul Qadir Baloch]: Rule of Law component of FATA Reforms envisages the merger of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Certain other actions initiated by the Government include the promulgation of Rewaj Regulation, extension of the higher judiciary and strengthening of the Law Enforcement Agencies, including Levies for effective policing. The detail judicial dispensation would materialize once the Rewaj Regulation is adopted, which is currently being reviewed.

62. *Ms. Tahira Aurangzeb:

Will the Minister for Commerce be pleased to refer to the Starred Question No.125 replied on 13-03-2017 and to state the name of countries to whom cement and iron being exported by Pakistan at present?

Minister for Commerce (Engr. Khurram Dastgir Khan): The names of the countries to whom Cement and Iron have been exported by Pakistan during the current financial year 2016-17 (July-November) are given below:

Export of Cement —————————————————————————————— 1 Afghanistan 6 Somalia 11 Tanzania 2 India 7 South Africa 12 Mayotte 3 Sri Lanka 8 Comoros 13 Oman 4 Madagascar 9 Kenya 14 Mauritius 5 Yemen 10 Seychelles 15 Mozambique 17 Export of Iron (Top 50 countries) —————————————————————————————— 1 Afghanistan 18 Thailand 35 Puerto Rico 2 Australia 19 Iraq 36 Austria 3 Sri Lanka 20 Mexico 37 Korea 4 Canada 21 Oman 38 France 5 South Sudan 22 Kuwait 39 South Africa 6 U.S.America 23 Japan 40 Tanzania 7 U.K 24 Ireland 41 Comoros 8 UAE 25 Mauritius 42 Switzerland 9 Saudi Arabia 26 India 43 Sweden 10 Yemen 27 Slovenia 44 Spain 11 Germany 28 Ghana 45 Guinea 12 Trinidad 29 Bahrain 46 Jamaica 13 Singapore 30 Cyprus 47 Nigeria 14 Belgium 31 Senegal 48 Turkey 15 China 32 Malaysia 49 Netherlands 16 Qatar 33 Italy 50 Portugal 17 Chile 34 Philippines —————————————————————————————— 63. *Ms. Khalida Mansoor:

Will the Minister for Commerce be pleased to state the steps being taken by the Government to promote trade relations with Bulgaria?

Minister for Commerce (Engr. Khurram Dastgir Khan): Trade Development Authority of Pakistan through Commercial Section, Czech Republic and Poland looks after the activities in the Bulgaria. Due to non-existence of the Commercial Section, TDAP did not arrange any delegation and exhibition in Bulgaria but provided a platform to our stakeholders by arranging the following exhibitions in Poland and Czech Republic with the aim to provide opportunity to Pakistani exporters to explore the non-traditional markets like Czech Republic, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, etc: 18 (a) Poznan International Fair, Poland (September, 2016).

(b) Styl-Kabo Fair, Czech Republic (February, 2016 & 2017).

Moreover, TDAP is organizing fourteen (14) exhibitions this year in Germany, which is the economic hub of Europe and large number of European buyers including Bulgarian companies participate in these fairs. For convenience, the trade figures are also placed below for ready reference.

(Value in million US$) —————————————————————————————— 2015-16 2014-15 2013-14 —————————————————————————————— Export Import Balance Export Import Balance Export Import Balance —————————————————————————————— 12.6 12.5 0.1 17.2 13.6 3.5 15.4 13.9 1.5 —————————————————————————————— Pakistan enjoys duty-free access in all EU Member states, including Bulgaria, as a result of the grant of GSP Plus facility since 1st January, 2014. Pakistan’s exports to Bulgaria have increased from 10.5 million Euros in 2013 to 14.2 million Euros in 2016. This represents an increase of 36%.

Ministry of Commerce is striving hard to retain GSP Plus facility in consultation with its Trade Officers posted abroad. EU Parliament is going to start a midterm review of its GSP Plus Scheme in January, 2018. Ministry of Commerce, in consultation with Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, will be chalking out an effective lobbying and communication plan so that Pakistan is not only able to retain GSP Plus facility beyond 2018 but is also able to maximize benefits that it can reap from this facility.

64. *Ms. Sajida Begum:

Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs be pleased to state the total number of Pakistanis imprisoned in Austria at present alongwith the steps being taken by the Government in this regard?

Minister for Foreign Affairs: The total number of Pakistanis imprisoned in Austria are 36. Whenever the imprisoned Pakistanis convey their willingness to meet a representative of the Embassy, a consular visit is undertaken to meet them, listen to them and assist them as permissible under the international conventions and local laws. 19 65. *Ms. Shamas Un Nisa:

Will the Minister for Commerce be pleased to state:

(a) the year-wise volume of trade with other countries since 01-01-2012;

(b) the import of luxury items decreased during the said period; and

Reply not received.

66. *Ms. Parveen Masood Bhatti:

Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs be pleased to state:

(a) the total number of Pakistanis detained in the jails of Tataristan at present; and

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

Minister for Foreign Affairs: As per record of our Embassy in Russia, no Pakistani national is detained in jails of Republic of Tataristan. However, the Embassy has again approached the relevant authorities of Tataristan to provide information about any Pakistani national detained in Tataristan.

67. *Ms. Seema Mohiuddin Jameeli:

Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs be pleased to state:

(a) the total number of Pakistanis imprisoned in the jails of Azerbaijan at present alongwith reasons thereof; and

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

Minister for Foreign Affairs: (a) There are only two Pakistani prisoners in the Jails of Azerbaijan on the charges of Murder and Sexual Assault. 20 (b) The Mission remains constantly in contact with the prisoners. On many occasions, the items of daily use are also provided to them by the Embassy. Moreover, many times Office of President is also approached by the Mission for “Presidential decree of Pardon”.

68. *Mrs. Shahida Rehmani:

Will the Minister for States and Frontier Regions be pleased to state the criteria adopted for present recruitments made for Levies Force Balochistan and FATA?

Minister for States and Frontier Regions [Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Abdul Qadir Baloch]: In order to ensure transparency and fair play, the Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has directed to carry out the process of recruitment of Levy personnel in Federal Levy Force (FATA) through Testing Services, under the direct supervision of duly notified Departmental Selection Committee by SAFRON.

Balochistan High Court, Quetta has cancelled 1954 instruction vide order 15th October, 2014. Keeping in view the order of Balochistan High Court the under detailed criteria has been adopted for recruitment in Federal Levy Force, Balochistan.

PROPOSED RECRUITMENT CRITERIA FOR FEDERAL LEVIES IN BALOCHISTAN —————————————————————————————— Age 18-30 Years No relaxation ———————————————————————————————— Height 5.4 Inches (minimum) 5 marks

Chest 32X32.5 Inch (minimum) 5 marks

Running 2 K.M in 12 minutes 15 marks

First in running will be awarded 10 extra marks.

Second will get extra in running 9 nine marks

Third will get in running extra 8 marks 21

———————————————————————————————— Interview 10 marks

Qualification Matric (minimum) 10 marks F.A/F.Sc 5 marks B.A/B.Sc 5 marks M.A/M.Sc 5 marks

Sports Professional Player 10 marks International distinction 10 marks

Distinction at national level 5 marks

Written Test Urdu/English/General 50 marks Knowledge ———————————————————————————————— Grand Total:- 100 ———————————————————————————————— 69. *Ms. Naseema Hafeez Panezai:

Will the Minister for States and Frontier Regions be pleased to state:

(a) the prescribed procedure for monitoring the development works in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and how does that system work; and

(b) the total number of times physical monitoring have been made by its teams during last four years?

Minister for States and Frontier Regions [Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Abdul Qadir Baloch]: (a) FATA secretariat has a robust monitoring mechanism in place since 2006 in the shape of Directorate of Monitoring & Evaluation FATA (DoM&E) with the following responsibilities duly approved by the Competent Authority:

1. External monitoring of both the development projects and the services being delivered by Service Delivery Units (SDUs) working under Education, Health and Livestock departments.

2. Impact Evaluation of the development projects. 22 3. Any other task assigned by the Governor KPK and FATA Secretariat.

The prescribed procedure adopted for monitoring the development works and to check performance of SDUs include:–

1. Desk reviews of the projects are carried out of the monthly progress report prepared by Works & Services department of FATA.

2. On the basis of the desk reviews it is decided which projects need to be visited or their progress needs to be inquired in detail. The project selection criteria for field monitoring is limited to the following:

 Unbiased / Random Selection  High cost

 Works having Substantial Physical & Financial Progress  Reported bottlenecks

 Delays due to thin allocations  Delays due to other reasons

 Disputes

 Schemes referred by FDWP (ongoing under revision).

Similarly selection of SDUs is based on simple random sampling and the SDUs are selected on the basis of numbers, accessibility and category wise e.g. primary, secondary or otherwise.

On the basis of findings of the field visits, a report is prepared and submitted to the concerned stakeholders and higher authorities of FATA Secretariat (FS).

As use of any report is paramount in terms of actions ensured or the report serves the very intended purpose of course correction, FS has a very effective and efficient course correction mechanism in place for ensuring timely actions on M&E field visit reports. It has a two tier mechanism, at the lower tier a P&D department review committee headed by Secretary P&D which take actions on M&E reports and at the higher tier a steering committee headed by the Additional Chief Secretary which quarterly reviews M&E reports and ensures actions on M&E reports. The decisions at both level are properly communicated to the quarter concerned for ensuring timely course corrections. 23 (b) Progress of M&E Directorate:—

There are 07 Agencies and 06 FR’s in FATA making a total of 13 units. One unit is visited in a month from July to April and 03 units in the months of May and June of each fiscal year.

Fiscal Year Schemes Visited

2012-13 908 2013-14 966 2014-15 1128 2015-16 1359 2016-17 In progress

Total (04 Years) 4361

70. *Ms. Belum Hasnain:

Will the Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination be pleased to state:

(a) the details of curriculum reforms envisaged by the Inter Board Committee of Chairmen during the last four years; and

(b) the status of implementation upon the same by Provincial Governments as well?

Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination (Mr. Riaz Hussain Pirzada): (a) This matter does not pertain to IBCC and should be taken up with the M/o Federal Education & Professional Training (FE&PT). Consequent upon promulgation of 18th Constitutional amendment and devolution of the erstwhile Ministry of Education in 2011 the responsibility of curriculum development and its execution rest with respective provincial Government. The IBCC being coordinating body of Education Boards, through consensus of the IBCC Forum(comprising all CEOs of Boards & allied organizations of Pakistan) ensured uniformity of curricular standards. Therefore, the Forum had resolved to continue implementation of the curriculum and scheme of studies duly approved by the Federal Government and notified by the erstwhile M/o Education in 2006. 24 (b) The National Curriculum Council has been transferred from Capital Administration and Development Division to the Federal Education and Professional Training Division (Annex-I). Therefore, it will be more appropriate, if the Question be referred to MoFE&PT.

Annex-I GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN CABINET SECRETARIAT (Cabinet Division) *** 25 71. *Ms. Shaza Fatima Khawaja:

Will the Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination be pleased to state the role of Pakistan Sports Board after the Constitution (Eighteenth Amendment) Act, 2010?

Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination (Mr. Riaz Hussain Pirzada): Pakistan Sports Board was established as a body corporate under the provisions of Sports (Development & Control) Ordinance-1962 for promoting and developing uniform standards of competitions in Sports in Pakistan, comparable to the standards prevailing internationally and regulating and controlling sports in Pakistan on a national basis. Pakistan Sports Board was not devolved as a result of the 18th Constitutional Amendment and the functions of the (defunct) Ministry of Sports were assigned to it on the recommendation of Implementation Commission vide Cabinet Division’s Notification No. 4-9/2011-Min.1: dated 29-06-2011.

2. While dealing with matters relating to sports at National level Pakistan Sports Board is responsible for:—

i. Training and Coaching of national teams in different sports disciplines for participation in mega International events like Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games & South Asian Games etc.

ii. Regulating the sports system at national level.

iii. Exchange of sportspersons, Coaches & Experts etc. with foreign countries.

iv. Agreements and MOUs with foreign Countries for collaboration in the field of sports.

v. Civil awards in the field of sports.

vi. Coordination with the federating units in the field of sports.

72. *Ms. Khalida Mansoor:

Will the Minister for Commerce be pleased to refer to the Starred Question No.264 replied on 22-3-2017 and to state: 26

(a) whether Pakistan is becoming a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations;

(b) if so, the time by which Pakistan will become its member?

Reply not received.

73. *Ms. Nighat Parveen Mir:

Will the Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination’s be pleased to state:

(a) the total number of Hockey, Cricket and Football Stadiums exist in the country at present alongwith locations thereof; and

(b) whether there is any proposal under consideration of the Government to construct more Stadiums in the country therefor; if so, the names of the cities in which it will be constructed?

Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination (Mr. Riaz Hussain Pirzada): (a) The details of total number of football, Hockey and Cricket stadiums located in the country are attached at Annex-I, II and III respectively.

(b) Yes, during current financial year 2016-17 following proposals are included for constructions of stadiums:

i. Laying of Synthetic Hockey Turf at Sports Complex Narowal.

ii. Laying of Synthetic Hockey Turf at Gilgit.

iii. Laying of Synthetic Hockey Turf at Swat.

iv. Football Stadium at Sports Complex, Narowal.

PCB is planning to develop Cricket Stadium of international standard at Islamabad from its own resources.

(Annexures have been placed in the National Assembly Library) 27 74. *Mr. Muhammad Muzammil Qureshi:

Will the Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination be pleased to state:

(a) the names of persons/individuals alongwith their posts, perks and privileges who have been appointed in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) since 01-06-2013;

(b) whether said posts were advertised; if so, the details; if not, the reasons thereof;

(d) the experience of persons appointed during the said period;

(e) whether the PCB appointed several ex-cricketers against various posts without inviting applications; if so, the justification thereof; and

(f) the steps being taken to appoint professionals in the PCB?

Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination (Mr. Riaz Hussain Pirzada): (a) The Pakistan Cricket Board (the “PCB”) is a body corporate, established as a Board under the Sports (Development and Control) Ordinance 1962 by the Federal Government. The objects and Functions of the Board are listed in detail in Paragraph 4 of the PCB Constitution issued vide SRO 43(KE)/ 2014. In accordance with the said Constitution, PCB operates and functions through its Board of Governors, who are fully empowered to formulate rules and regulations. PCB being an autonomous entity, through its Board of Governors, generates its own revenues and neither takes nor receives any grants or funds from the Government or the Public Exchequer.

The list of persons/individuals alongwith their posts, perks and privileges who have been appointed in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) since 01-06-2013 is attached.

(b) PCB is authorized through its Constitution to engage and hire professional coaches, physiotherapists, trainers, groundsmen, doctors, experts and such other persons deemed appropriate for the development of game of cricket in Pakistan. 28 Similarly, the Board is also authorized to make its own regulations and service rules for its employees and affiliated associations etc. Therefore, PCB operates through its own rules and regulations formulated and approved by the PCB Governing Board and all hiring etc. is done in accordance with the rules and in grades formed by the Board.

(c), (d) & (e) Human Resources Department prepares an external advertisement for the vacant position(s) in consultation with the requisitioning department to hire the candidate on gross salary above Rs.100,000/-.

The vacant position for gross salary below than Rs. 100,000/- can be outsourced to an employment agency or shortlisted from PCB HR data bank.

The ex-cricketers are mentioned in the attached list.

(f) All appointments made on merit.

(Annexure has been placed in the National Assembly Library)

75. *Sahibzada Tariq Ullah:

Will the Minister for States and Frontier Regions be pleased to state:

(a) the grade-wise total number of employees working in Afghan Commissionerate, Peshawar at present;

(b) the total number of posts in BPS 16 and 17 lying vacant in said Commissionerate at present; and

(c) whether it is a fact that the recruitments have been made during the current year without test, interview and advertisements; if so, the details thereof?

Minister for States and Frontier Regions [Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Abdul Qadir Baloch]: (a) A copy of Sanction strength of ARO KPK enclosed, showing the grade wise total number of posts (Annex-A).

(b) Presently no post of BS-16 & BS-17 is lying vacant. 29 (c) The ARO KPK was established on emergent basis in 1979 and having no prescribed recruitment rules till date. Therefore, appointments are made as per policy in vogue since the inception of ARO KPK.

Annex-A 30 76. *Ms. Shamas Un Nisa:

Will the Minister for Commerce be pleased to state:

(a) the name of countries with whom Pakistan is making negotiations for trade agreements; and

(b) the present status of those negotiations?

Minister for Commerce (Engr. Khurram Dastgir Khan): (a) Pakistan is currently negotiating a Free Trade Agreement with Thailand Turkey and Iran.

(b) Six Rounds of negotiations have been held so far with Thailand and Turkey respectively. The Seventh Round of negotiations with Thailand is scheduled for 15-19 May, 2017 in Bangkok while that with Turkey is under consideration. The main text of the Agreement on Trade in Goods has been finalized with both these countries and negotiations on the items to be given concessionary market access to each other are underway.

With Iran, negotiations are underway on trade in goods, services and investment. The first round of negotiations was held on 4-5 December. 2016 in Tehran while second meeting of the TNC is likely to be held in July, 2017.

77. *Sahibzada Tariq Ullah:

Will the Minister for States and Frontier Regions be pleased to state:

(a) the date on which the Afghan Commissionerate, Peshawar was established;

(b) whether it is a fact that the appointments are being made on contract basis therefor;

(d) whether there is any service structure for said employees? 31 Minister for States and Frontier Regions [Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Abdul Qadir Baloch]: (a) The Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees, Peshawar was established in 1979 after influx of Afghan Refugees as a result of Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

(b) Appointments are made on contract and temporary basis.

(c) Yes. GoP funded (temporary) employees are entitled to draw pension on completion of 10 years service as allowed by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

(d) No service structure or rules have been prepared However, the process has been initiated.

78. *Ms. Shakila Luqman:

Will the Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination be pleased to state the steps being taken by the Government to improve the performance of players of Squash?

Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination (Mr. Riaz Hussain Pirzada): Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has affiliated Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) which is responsible for promotion of Squash in the country. PSB sponsors the federation administratively and financially. The detail of funds released to PSF during the five years is given below:— —————————————————————————————— Year Annual Grant Special Grant Total (Rs.) (Rs.) (Rs.) —————————————————————————————— 2011-12 2,376,000 400,000 2,776,000 2012-13 2,571,040 2,150,000 4,721,040 2013-14 3,429,400 500,000 3,929,400 2014-15 3,500,000 1,400,000 4,900,000 2015-16 3,500,000 1,000,000 4,500,000 —————————————————————————————— Total: 15,376,440 5,450,000 20,826,440 —————————————————————————————— 32 STEPS TAKEN FOR PROMOTION OF SQUASH

Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) is the sole organization working for the promotion of Squash in the country. The main areas of concentration includes holding of in-country tournaments, sending of Pakistani players for participation in overseas events, participation of Pakistan teams in major events of Asian and World level, holding of regular training camps and development of squash at grass root level.

PERFORMANCE AT INTERNATIONAL EVENTS

PSF with an appropriate Govt. support has taken major projects of the game’s development which are focused on revival of international squash in Pakistan by organizing high prized international tournaments with foreign players participation. During the last couple of years, PSF has very successfully organized 4-6 international tournaments every year ranging from 15,000-25,000 US dollars prize money. While playing at the home ground, our players have got opportunities to test their skill and prove their worth. Similarly, Pakistani players have also shown some outstanding performances in major international events at abroad. At present PSF holds Gold Medal of Asian Senior Team Championship, Silver Medal in Asian Junior Team Championship and recently has won Gold Medal in World Junior Team Championship, 2016 at Poland.

REVIVAL OF INTERNATIONAL SQUASH

In the recent past, the international players were reluctant to come Pakistan because of the regional security situation. This was one of the main hindrance for our players to excel in the game at home grounds. However, to address the issue, efforts were accelerated through World Squash Federation and the Professional Squash Association (PSA) for bringing international squash back to the country. As a result, the PSA allocated 04 International tournaments for the year 2015 (02 each of US$ 15,000 and 25,000 prize money) along better performance in the world squash circuit. On the directive of President PSF Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman, PSF has established Pakistan National Squash Academy (PNSA) at Mushaf Squash Complex, Islamabad. A group of junior and senior players are being regularly trained through qualified coaches and trainers. Excellent accommodation, food, diet, sports gear and playing kits are provided by the PSF. Similar squash academies have also been established at Karachi, Peshawar and Lahore. This would greatly help in expanding the base and pool of players throughout the country in the days to come. 33 FUTURE EVENTS

In addition to sponsoring players for overseas individual tournaments, PSF would also be sending its teams for major events like British Junior Championship, 2017 and the Asian Junior Team Championship, 2017. The Federation has been putting its best efforts to retain the Medals in major squash events of the world. The Federation has to continue with comprehensive training for preparation of teams for major squash events.

79. *Mr. Iqbal Muhammad Ali Khan:

Will the Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that there is short fall of employees having Sindh domicile in Ministry and its all attached departments, autonomous bodies and semi autonomous bodies; if so, the reasons thereof; and

(b) the steps being taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to fill the said deficiency?

Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination (Mr. Riaz Hussain Pirzada): (a) The detail of M/o IPC and its attached functions / organizations is as under:—

(i) M/o IPC (Main)

Presently, this Ministry has 238 working employees from BS-01 to BS-22 out of which 18 employees are from Sindh region. Detail of these 238 working employees may be seen at Annexure-I.

Attached Functions / Organizations

(i) Pakistan Boy Scouts Association (PBSA)

04 employees out of 40 are working against the Domicile of Sindh Province. 34 (ii) Inter Board Committee of Chairman (IBCC)

07 employees out of 61 are working against the Domicile of Sindh Province.

(iii) National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA)

NAPA is a Public Company Limited by Guarantee formed under Section 42 of the Companies Ordinance 1984 and has the policy to hire the employees based on merit. However, as of April 30, 2017 around 20% of the NAPA’S strength belonging to Sindh Province.

(iv) Pakistan Veterinary Medical Council (PVMC)

As per NIS, the total strength of sanctioned posts of PVMC is 34 which includes 5 officers (17 & above). Presently 2 posts of officers and 3 posts of non-gazetted are vacant (total vacant posts 5). At the present strength, the PVMC has one employee from the Sindh Province.

(v) Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)

PCB, in accordance with its Constitution, is operated through its own rules and regulations formulated and approved by the PCB Governing Board and all hiring etc. is done in accordance with the rules and in grades formed by the Board. Currently there are 77 employees from Sindh Province in PCB.

(vi) Pakistan Girl Guides Association (PGGA)

It is submitted that PGGA observed Sindh quota through its Sindh Chapter and 11 employees are working in PGGA belonging from Sindh Province.

(vii) National Internship Program (NIP)

i. Yes, the details of the shortfall of posts meant for employees having Sindh domicile are as under: 35 —————————————————————————————— S. No. Nomenclature of post No. of vacant post having Sindh Domicile —————————————————————————————— 1. Telephone Operator (BS-5) Sindh (R) - 1 2. Driver (BS-4) Sindh (R) - 1 —————————————————————————————— ii. Recruitment could not be done in view of the fact that National Internship Program (NIP) remained under various Ministries/ Divisions during the last couple of years. Moreover, the ban on fresh recruitment also resulted into the delay. (viii) Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) Yes. There is a deficiency of 09-employees having Sindh domicile in different Cadres in the PSB. The shortfall has occurred due to retirement/promotion of some employees. (b) The steps being taken / proposed to fill the said deficiency in respect of M/o IPC and its attached functions/organizations is as under:— (i) M/o IPC (Main) The Ministry will fully observe the region-wise quota and will not deviate as and when requirements are made. Attached Functions/Organizations (i) Pakistan Veterinary Medical Council (PVMC) The service and financial rules of PVMC are still under process and soon after the approval in future employment allocation as per quota will be completed in line with the Federal Government recruitment policy. (ii) National Internship Program (NIP) NIP office is presently in the process of filling in the said posts on merit after completing all codal formalities. (iii) Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) NOC from Establishment Division has been obtained and the vacant posts reserved for Sindh quota shall be advertised in the press shortly. (Annexure has been placed in the National Assembly Library) 36 80. *Ms. Nighat Parveen Mir: Will the Minister for Commerce be pleased to state the steps being taken by the Government to promote trade relations with Egypt?

Minister for Commerce (Engr. Khurram Dastgir Khan): Trade relations between Pakistan and Egypt have been growing at a steady pace for the last five years. However, the bilateral trade profile is not commensurate with the potential between the two countries. Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) has taken initiatives to invite, reverse trade delegations to Pakistan by assessing the needs of the Egyptian market. This is done by inviting trade delegations from Egypt to EXPO Pakistan-2015 and 2016. TDAP again plan to invite them again for EXPO Pakistan-2017. TDAP participated in the following, two international exhibitions held in Egypt: (a) MEDICONEX-Cairo, Egypt (8-10 April, 2017) focusing on Health Care Products, Pharmaceutical, Surgical and Medical Instruments. (b) Food Africa, Cairo. Egypt (21-24 April, 2017) related to the food related sectors. A delegation of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) consisting of 17 members, paid a visit to Egypt from 26 March to 01 April 2017 to discuss areas of mutual interests with the Cairo Chamber of Commerce in the field of trade and commerce. The Cairo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) and Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) signed an MoU titled “Protocol of Cooperation between Cairo Chamber of Commerce and lslamabad Chamber of Commerce” on 27 March 2017 during the visit. 81. *Ms. Musarat Rafique Mahesar:

Will the Minister for Commerce be pleased to state:

(a) the total quantity of wheat exported during the last four years till date alongwith the foreign exchange earned therefrom; and

(b) the names of the countries to whom the said wheat was exported during the said period? 37 Minister for Commerce (Engr. Khurram Dastgir Khan): (a) The total quantity of wheat exported during the last four years along with the figures of current year are tabulated as under:

(b) List of countries to whom the said wheat was exported during the last four years is tabulated as under:

82. *Mr. Muhammad Muzammil Qureshi: Will the Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination be pleased to state: (a) whether audit of first two editions of the Pakistan Super League was conducted; if so, the details thereof; (b) the name of audit firm which conducted the said audit alongwith the criteria adopted to select said audit firm; (c) whether any irregularity was reported in the said audit; if so, the details thereof; and 38 (d) the measures being taken in order to rectify the same? Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination (Mr. Riaz Hussain Pirzada): (a) The audit for PSL 2016 along with PCB audit has been completed and the auditor submitted their report on 30th December 2016. It showed an income of PKR 974.21 Million and expenditure of PKR 909.43 Million, showing a surplus of PKR 64.78 Million from PSL 2016. The audit for PSL 2017 is likely to be commenced during May 2017 since Board of Governors of PCB has desired an early audit of this tournament. This year, this audit shall be conducted by M/S Deloitte Yousuf Adil, Chartered Accountants. (b) The audit was conducted by M/S EY Ford Rhodes Chartered Accountants. They were appointed by the Board of Governors of PCB on the criteria that they are one of the big four firms of Chartered Accountants. (c) No irregularity was reported by the auditors for PSL 2016. They have submitted a draft of their Management Letter (ML) on 29th March 2017 that shall be put before the PCB Audit Committee next week to finalize PCB replies after which; the auditors shall issue their final ML. (d) Not applicable as yet. 83. *Ms. Musarat Rafique Mahesar: Will the Minister for Commerce be pleased to state: (a) the name of the country from where maximum imports are being made at present; and (b) the volume of export to said country at present? Minister for Commerce (Engr. Khurram Dastgir Khan): (a) The maximum imports are currently being sourced from the People’s Republic of China. During the year 2015-16, the total imports were US$ 12 billion. (b) The volume of exports to the People’s Republic of China was US$ 1.67 billion during the financial year 2015-16.

84. *Ms. Mussarrat Ahmadzeb: Will the Minister for States and Frontier Regions be pleased to state: (a) the plan for educational reforms in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA); 39 (b) the steps being taken by the Government to restore closed and ghost schools; and (c) the total number of schools in FATA at present? Minister for States and Frontier Regions [Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Abdul Qadir Baloch]: (a) (1) Scholarships/ Stipends are regularly awarded to the talented and deserving students of FATA. 49173 students are benefitted annually costing Rs. 248 Million per Year. (2) In order to promote female education special stipends are also being provided to female students of class 6th to 10th in FATA. (3) Free Text Books are being provided to FATA students of KG to class-10th costing Rs. 211 Million, annually. (4) With a view to provide quality education to FATA children at the doorstep 03 x Cadet Colleges have been established in FATA so far. (5) FATA University has been established. (6) Under Public Private Partnership Army Public Schools, Peshawar Model Schools and Beacon House Schools will be opened in FATA shortly. (b) There is no ghost school in FATA. However there are 1036 Non- Functional Schools in FATA due to law and order and wrong placement. (c) The total number of Schools in FATA are 5994. 85. *Mr. Sher Akbar Khan: Will the Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development be pleased to state whether there is any proposal under consideration of the Government to establish OPF School and College in Buner; if so, when it will be implemented; if not, the reasons thereof? Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (Pir Syed Saddaruddin Shah Rashidi): There is no proposal under consideration for the establishment of OPF School and College in Buner. Due to financial constraints OPF has no plan to establish new school. Overall OPF has subsidized Rs. 23.77 million for the year 2015-16. 86. *Ms. Sajida Begum: Will the Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development be pleased to state: 40 (a) the steps being taken by the present Government to solve the issues/problems of the Pakistani labourers working in the companies in Qatar; and (b) whether there is any proposal under consideration of the Government to sign an agreement with the said companies/ Government of the said country for protection of rights of the said labourers? Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (Pir Syed Saddaruddin Shah Rashidi): (a) The following steps have been taken by the Government through Pakistan Mission Doha, Qatar, to resolve the issues/problems of Pakistani labourers working in the a State of Qatar: (i) The “Kafala System” has been abolished and replaced by “Contract Based Employment System” Where the workers can no more be exploited by their Kafeeles / Sponsors. The employment turns of the workers are now regulated by terms & conditions of the contract in its true letter and sprite (ii) The workers were earlier facing the problems of “Exit Permit System”. It was, up to the Kafeels/sponsors to grant permition for Exit but now the employers just needs to be informed, If there is nothing, subjudice in the court, the employer is duty bond to allow the worker the right of exit from the State of Qatar. (iii) The workers were earlier facing the problems of confiscation of travel documents by the employer, Now the workers have been more protected as they retain their travel document with themselves and can make the penalties against those employers who are more stringent. (iv) Moreover, the State of Qatar is now in the process of launching E-contract System in mutual collaboration of respective government for ensuring fool proof implementation of the contract clauses between the employees and the employers. (b) Regarding protection of rights of the labourers, there already exists an agreement between the State of Qatar and Islamic Republic of Pakistan titled “Organization of Pakistan Manpower in the State of Qatar”. First meeting of the joint committee formed on the instant agreement has already taken place in the State of Qatar and now, the second meeting is soon to take place in Pakistan. The preparation of the said meeting is almost at final stages.

ISLAMABAD: JAWAD RAFIQUE MALIK, The 17th May, 2017 Secretary.

PCPPI—3685(2017) NA—17-5-2017—650. Shoaib. M 3rd Rota Day (2017) NA (US) PC-9

1 (42nd Session)

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SECRETARIAT

————

“UNSTARRED QUESTIONS AND THEIR REPLIES”

For Thursday, the 18th May, 2017

12. Mr. Siraj Muhammad Khan:

Will the Minister for Commerce be pleased to state the progress made by Government regarding implementation of WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement alongwith the details thereof?

Minister for Commerce (Engr. Khurram Dastgir Khan): The progress made by the Government regarding implementation of WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement is as follows:—

 The negotiations on Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) were th concluded during the 9 World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference held in December, 2013. TFA is the first Multilateral Trade Agreement to be concluded since the WTO was established 20 years ago.

 Provisions of TFA aim at reforming bureaucratic processes and procedures, particularly of Customs, coupled with institutional reforms of the public sector dealing with trade. The Agreement is in line with the present Government’s vision on domestic reforms and facilitating businesses and international trade.

 Pakistan ratified the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) in October 2015. The TFA has now entered into force since 22nd February 2017, after two-third members (110) of the WTO ratified the Agreement. Commitments under TFA are categorized in three steps:—  Category-A: already in place/immediately enforceable. 2  Category-B to be notified immediately and implemented after a transition period, and;  Category-C: commitments requiring technical assistance by donors.

 Pakistan has already notified its Category “A” Commitments in October 2015.

 Extensive stakeholder meetings have been held in Ministry of Commerce to discuss and finalize Category B & C Commitments. Representatives from Federal Board of Revenue, Ministry of Science & Technology, Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority Department of Plant Protection. Animal Quarantine Department,; Ministry of Communications, National Logistic Cell and National Trade & Transport Facilitation Committee have attended these meetings. Views have also been sought from our Permanent Mission to the WTO in Geneva and the finalized Category B & C Commitments will be notified to the WTO soon.

 The initial Commitments are indicative dates which will be revised after one year. During this transition year. tasks will be assigned to concerned organizations for implementation and donors will be approached for Technical Assistance.

 Ministry of Commerce, in line with the TFA Commitments is already working with FBR to put in place a National Single Window to facilitate trade.

 Ministry of Commerce will also create a monitoring task force to oversee the implementation of TFA in letter and spirit. 13. Mr. Siraj Muhammad Khan:

Will the Minister for Foreign Affairs be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that visitors from South Africa eager to visit Pakistan for tourism;

(b) whether it is also a fact that said visitors have to wait for an unusually long duration in the High Commission in Pretoria for visas and asked to come again therefor; and 3

(c) whether it is further a fact that the visa process is difficult for said visitors and higher fee is being charged than neighboring countries?

Minister for Foreign Affairs: (a) South Africa has a population of 56 million out of which the following number visited Pakistan for tourism purposes during the last three years:

—————————————————————————————— Sr. No. year Number of Tourism Visits —————————————————————————————— 1. 2014 860 —————————————————————————————— 2. 2015 844 —————————————————————————————— 3. 2016 806 —————————————————————————————— (b) The normal visa processing time at the High Commission is 5-7 working days and the applicant are required to appear in person at least once.

(c) The visa policy for tourism visa to Pakistan falls within the domain of Ministry of Interior and the Pakistan Missions abroad implement the approved visa policy in letter and spirit. The visa fee for different countries of the world including South Africa and its neighboring countries has been fixed by the Ministry of Interior, and is charged accordingly.

ISLAMABAD: JAWAD RAFIQUE MALIK, The 17th May, 2017. Secretary.

PCPPI—3685 (2017)NA—17-5-2017—650.