ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Finance has expressed displeasure over non- participation of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) governor, presidents of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) in the meeting.
The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Qaisar Ahmed Shaikh on Tuesday.
The committee expressed its concerns over the rate of higher markup given to farmers in a bid of agriculture loans by the ZTBL and recommended to bring it down to a single digit.
The committee members also expressed their concerns over the blocks established for the census and stated that the process should be transparent.
The committee also summoned the NADRA chairman to discuss the census in detail in the next meeting. The statistics chief said the sixth national population census was initially to be held in March, April 2016, but the census was postponed due to unavailability of the Pakistan Army as it was busy in Operation Zarb-e-Azb. He added that all citizens present in the country would be included in the census without discrimination of local or foreign. The census would be conducted in two stages. The whole country is divided into some 168,120 blocks while one block would consist of 200 to 250 houses. MQM lawmaker Farooq Sattar said the reason of eight-year delay in census be told whether the cause of this delay was external factor or other interests. PTI lawmaker Asad Umar said that facts of census should be checked through NADRA. The more languages should be mentioned in the form and overseas Pakistanis should be included.
He alleged that SBP was involved in money laundering, adding, “I tried to get information from SBP about the Dubai-property, but it refused.”
PPP lawmaker Nafeesa Shah said that census should be transparent, adding that blocks should be determined through GIS system for rural population. Shiza Fatima said that separate box be kept for transgender and persons with disability in the census form. The statistics chief said the census would be transparent therefore the Pakistan Army is waited for this purpose. Unfortunately, there is no other state institution except the army in the country which is trustworthy. There would be no compromise on the question of transparency of census therefore the army would monitor this process with security. The committee also expressed its reservations over the identification process of Afghan refugees and also directed to include persons with disability in census. The committee also decided to call the NADRA chairman in next meeting in which census would be discussed in detail.
