August 8, 2003	Friday	Jumadi-us-Sani 9, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Aug 7: The cabinet on Thursday announced that laws would be amended to award 25-year life imprisonment to those involved in the adulteration of medicines, food and beverages.

The cabinet directed the finance minister to defer loan recovery for one year from farmers in those parts of the country that have been affected by rains and floods. The decision also covers loans given by the Zarai Taraqiyati Bank.

Information Minister Shaikh Rashid Ahmad told newsmen after the meeting that the government, in coordination with provincial governments, would launch a campaign against those involved in adulteration.

He said the prime minister had directed the law ministry to review legislation against adulteration and come up with a revised draft law incorporating stringent penalties which might go up to 25-year rigorous imprisonment and confiscation of licence and property.

The cabinet approved the signing of bilateral arrangements on a reciprocal basis with the US, UK, Australia, Oman, Canada, Sweden, South Africa, Brunei, Denmark, Germany, Singapore, Poland and Holland for allowing spouses and the dependents of officials posted abroad to take up employment in the country of their posting.

The cabinet declared the Kohala-Muzaffarabad road section as a strategic road and brought it under the control of the National Highway Authority.

It approved an amendment to the Gwader Port Authority Ordinance 2002 to facilitate the inclusion of the representative of industries ministry in the Board of Gwadar Port Authority as member.

The cabinet approved, in principle, the holding of the 9th SAF Games at Islamabad in 2004. The ministry of sports was directed to make a formal request to the South Asian Sports Federation in this regard.

It decided to constitute a committee of ministers to suggest ways and means to resolve the problem facing the sugar industry. The committee would submit its report to the prime minister within 10 days.

The prime minister directed the commerce ministry to take steps to improve the working of the Trading Corporation of Pakistan.

The cabinet approved amendments to the Financial Institutions (Recovery of Finances) Ordinance 2001 to facilitate the recovery of outstanding loans of the financial institutions. The amendment to section 5(2) provides that where more than one banking courts have been established to exercise jurisdiction in the same territorial limits, the government shall designate any judge of such court as the administrative judge. The amendment to section 22(4) provides that appeals up to pecuniary limit of Rs2.5 million may be heard by a bench of single judge and beyond that amount by a division bench of not less than two judges of the high court.

The cabinet decided to donate its one month’s salary to the prime minister’s flood relief fund. It approved a proposal for signing the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

The cabinet also approved the ratification of an extradition treaty signed between Pakistan and Algeria on March 25, 2003.