ISLAMABAD: In a meeting held today, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet approved the settlement of payables to Government-Owned Power Plants (GPPs) on par with Independent Power Producers (IPPs).
An amount of Rs262.075 billion will be released to public sector power plants through a Technical Supplementary Grant (TSG). Additionally, the committee agreed to release Rs57 billion as an advance subsidy for K-Electric arrears.
The ECC also reviewed the Export Finance Scheme by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Standby Arrangement and approved the scheme.
Furthermore, the committee authorized the disbursement of additional funds amounting to Rs25 billion to the Intelligence Bureau during the current financial year 2023-2024.
The meeting also addressed the determination of the support price for wheat (2023-24) and the minimum indicative prices for the tobacco crop (2023).
However, it’s noteworthy that the approval of the TAPI project was delayed, as per the summary presented by the Petroleum Ministry.
FIA Reopens Investigation into Greece Shipwreck Tragedy
In another development, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) reopened an investigation into a shipwreck incident near Greece in June that resulted in the loss of over 100 lives, including approximately 350 Pakistanis.
The Italy-bound fishing trawler, carrying at least 800 people, capsized off Greece, prompting the Pakistani government to launch a crackdown against human traffickers involved in sending people to Europe through unauthorized means.
The FIA will specifically focus on the departure of 155 Pakistanis from Karachi Airport during this investigation. The Director General of FIA directed the Director of Cybercrime South to lead the inquiry.
The new investigating officer has sought old reports and records from 12 officers, and during the investigation, officers from different airports have been questioned about their role in clearing the names of the immigrants.
In the previous investigation report, officers were held responsible for not preventing the immigrants from traveling from Karachi to Libya. On June 2, 286 immigrants departed from various Pakistani airports.
The shipwreck involved at least 350 Pakistanis, 200 Egyptians, and 150 Syrians, including Syrian women and young children. In December, the FIA claimed a significant breakthrough in its crackdown against human smugglers by arresting Atiq Butt, the main suspect involved in the Greece shipwreck incident.
