ISLAMABAD, April 7: The federal cabinet on Wednesday constituted a committee comprising representatives from the Ministry of Law, Industries, Food and Agriculture and the National Reconstruction Bureau to propose a draft law to combat adulteration in pesticides.
An official announcement after the federal cabinet meeting on Wednesday, said Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali directed stern action against importers and dealers of pesticides involved in adulteration.
He expressed serious concern over the reports of adulteration in pesticides which were causing damage to the country's agriculture and directed action against all those involved in the criminal activity.
The Prime Minister's observation followed a presentation on the enforcement mechanism for curbing adulteration in pesticides by the National Reconstruction Bureau. The proposed law will provide for effective on the spot checking, establishment of laboratories and strong penalties against adulterators. The recommendations will be presented to the federal cabinet in its next meeting.
The Cabinet also approved the establishment of the Gwadar Port Authority for the development of Gwadar Port and other allied facilities. The proposed authority shall consist of; a Gwadar Port Authority Council headed by the prime minister, a board of directors headed by chairman of the proposed authority, and executive directors of the authority.
The prime minister directed that all issues relating to the establishment of Gwadar Port Authority be resolved through inter-ministerial consultations within a week.
The Cabinet also approved a proposal, for all jobs from BPS-1 to BPS-15 in the authority, be offered to the local residents of Gwadar, except in those cases where persons with the required expertise were not available locally.
The Cabinet approved the signing of the inter-governmental agreement on Asian Highway Network which stretches over 13,000 km of roads covering all countries of Asia, including Pakistan. The completion of the network entails substantial dividends for Pakistan because all the transit routes will pass through it due to its geographical location.
The Cabinet constituted a committee under the senior advisor, with cabinet secretary, information secretary and the law secretary to review the draft rules for carrying out the purposes of the Freedom of Information Ordinance and suggest improvements and amendments, if required, to bring about greater transparency in the functioning of the government.
The Cabinet also decided to place Pakistan Intellectual Property Rights Organization under the administrative control of the Cabinet Division to ensure its implementation as a part of the international regime on trade and commerce.
