ISLAMABAD: In its farewell meeting on Thursday, the cabinet increased natural gas tariff by about Rs5.50 per unit, provided a subsidy of Rs16 billion on tube-wells and extended provincial quotas in federal jobs for another 20 years.

Presided over by Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, the cabinet lifted a ban on import of prohibited and non-prohibited bore weapons and approved recommendations of a ministerial committee on anti-corruption law under which assets of civil servants, bureaucrats, army officers and judges and their dependents would be subject to scrutiny. Details of the law were not made public.

The meeting was briefed about 1,561 decisions it took in the past five years and commended recent initiatives taken by the ANP and JUI-F to restore peace.

Briefing newsmen after the meeting, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira ridiculed the PML-N’s nominations for caretaker prime minister as a “political joke”. One of the nominees, Rasul Bakhsh Palejo, had been the target of its criticism for years, recalled the minister. “This shows their non-seriousness.”

He said the cabinet decided to pass on 50 per cent of the amount of unaccounted for gas (UFG) to consumers. The matter had been a cause of dispute between the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) and gas companies. A four-member committee, headed by Law Minister Farooq H. Naek, had been constituted to hear the two sides and come up with recommendations, he added.

Mr Kaira said the pipeline network of the two gas utilities had expanded a lot and losses had increased owing to the law and order situation. On the recommendations of the committee, the cabinet decided on Thursday, as an interim arrangement, to pass on 50 per cent of the disputed amount to consumers and to resolve the matter in the long term through a third-party evaluation.

An official said Ogra had been resisting inclusion in the tariff of about Rs11bn gas theft and losses in areas affected by the law and order situation and it had created financial problems for the gas companies.

As a result of the cabinet decision, half of the amount would be passed on to consumers immediately. This will increase the average gas rate by Rs5.50 per unit.

Mr Kaira said Ogra would appoint an independent evaluator and its expenses would be borne by the government. Its terms of reference would be finalised jointly by Ogra and the government, he added.

The cabinet decided to provide Rs16bn subsidy on electricity rates for agricultural tube-wells. Subsidy being provided to farmers in Pakistan was lowest in the region and all nations across the globe supported their agriculture to ensure food security, Mr Kaira said.

He said the minister for finance had been directed to work out a mechanism to ensure that subsidy reached the farmers.

The minister said the cabinet lifted a ban on import of prohibited and non-prohibited bore weapons to discourage black-marketing of ammunition and decided that registered importers would be given quota on the basis of the number of weapons, and not their value, to discourage misuse of quota.

He said the cabinet was informed that a total of 1,561 decisions had been taken by it in its 130 meetings and 1,227 of them had been implemented while 334 were in the process of implementation.

He said 286 decisions were related to public policy, 534 to ratifications and approvals of memorandums of understanding and agreements, 351 to regular business, and 185 to legislative and 62 budgetary issues.

In reply to a question on doling out huge funds in the name of development schemes and jobs despite a ban imposed by the Election Commission of Pakistan, the minister said the government had followed the ECP’s directives despite serious reservations, but this did not mean that the government had stopped working. He said the Constitution allowed the government to take decisions for development and legislation till the last moment of its tenure.

APP adds: Addressing the cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf reiterated his government’s commitment to eradicating terrorism and militancy and said orders had been issued to carry out a stern action against all banned outfits without any discrimination.

He expressed condolences over the loss of lives in the blast in Abbas Town, Karachi. “I offer heartfelt condolences to the families which lost their dear ones in this incident,” he said.

The cabinet offered Fateha for martyrs of Abbas Town and prayed for an early recovery of the injured.

The prime minister said the Sindh government had been directed to ensure best medical treatment to the injured.