pak india ties,Amendments in Export Policy Order with India approved by ECC

Islamabad: November 11, 2011 . The Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet pakistan has met here today with the Federal Minister for Finance and Economic Affairs in the chair. There were more than seventeen agenda items on board for the meeting which were at length deliberated and most of them approved.

The items which were approved are:

1. Proposed Regulatory Changes in the Import and Export Policy Order (STPF 2009-12).

2. Permission to import from India on one time basis.

3. Debt relief to Uganda under Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative.

4. Waiver of competitive bidding requirement under PPRA rules for Emergency Response and Social Administration Information System (ER&SAIS) Project of NTC under MOU with ZTE Corporation of China.

5. Rising Frequency of Incidents of Terror Strikes against persons Hailing from various walks of life.

6. Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline Project allocation of imported gas to SSGC and SNGPL.

7. Resumption of POL supplies ex-Faqirabad, Kotla Jam, Sahiwal and Shershah.

8.Load Management during Ramazan and Eid Holidays- Supply of Fuel to KESC

9. Report on ECC decision in respect of Import of Urea.

10. Renewal of GOP Guarantee of Rs.2000 million for Pakistan Steel Mills

11. Natural Gas load Management Programme (Winter 2011-12).

The Ministry of Commerce in its summary moved to the ECC has maintained that the Prime Minister was given a detailed briefing on the proposed amendments in the Import Policy Order (IPO) and Export :Policy Order (EPO). The summary requested for the approval of the expansion in the positive list of items importable from India. The amendment in the list contained twelve items which was approved .The ECC constituted a committee comprising the Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Dr. Asim Hussain, Secretary Cabinet, Secretary Finance, PSPM and Secretary Revenue to fine tune the proposals contained in the summary moved by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources for the finalization of the draft of the Turkeministan-Afghanistan-Pakistan India pipeline project. The Committee shall submit the report within shortest time before the commencement of the visit of the President of Turkamanistan.The other Committee constituted by the ECC has been accredited to fine tune the details of the proposals of the earlier Standing Committee of the ECC by which Sui Southern Gas Company and SNGPL will supply the gas imported from Iran to only efficient power plant and after entering into back to back gas sales purchase agreement (GSPA with Power Plants).The earlier, two proposals contained in the Summary that the gas volume of 750 MMCFD imported from Iran to be allocated to SNGPL and SSGC with 65pc and 35pc respectively were approved.