Cabinet approves inclusion of Bhutan, Maldives, others in business visa list

• Federal cabinet also approves family visa extension period from one to two years.
• PM Shehbaz directs to constitute high-powered committee on energy efficiency.
• Premier says unnecessary delay in Thar Coal project in past was not less than “national tragedy”.

ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet Tuesday included Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Rwanda, Belarus, and Slovakia in the business visa list for the promotion of bilateral trade relations with these countries.

On the recommendation of the interior ministry, the federal cabinet — which met under the chair of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif — also approved the family visa extension period from one to two years.

It also accepted the ministry’s suggestion regarding the issuance of a 30-day non-extendable family visit category single entry visa on travel, asylum, and temporary documents verified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Meanwhile, the federal cabinet approved the addition of the following to Pakistan's online visa system:

• Fields showing the address and place of stay of applicants, intended entry port/border/airport, place of work, and contact details including sponsor details may be made mandatory. The same fields shall also be made mandatory for private individuals other than CPEC projects.
• In the case of a business visa, the contact details of the sponsor may be made mandatory.

Moreover, PM Shehbaz directed to constitute a high-powered committee to formulate long-, medium- and short-term strategies on the energy efficiency and conservation measures implementation roadmap proposed by the Power Division.

The committee, to be headed by Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, will consist of members including:

• Commerce Minister Syed Naveed Qamar
• Minister for Industries and Production Syed Murtaza Mehmood
• Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafiq
• Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal
• Minister for Law Azam Nazir Tarar
• Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb
• Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman
• Minister for Board of Investment Ch. Salik Hussain

The premier further directed the Power Division to give a detailed briefing next week regarding the power theft and line losses as well as the strategy to check it.

He also called for launching an appropriate public awareness campaign about energy conservation, a press release issued by the PM Media Wing said.

The prime minister while referring to his October 10 visit to Thar said that cheaper electricity can be produced through Thar Coal Project.

He said that unnecessary delay on the project in past was not less than a “national tragedy”, but now these projects were among those falling under the government’s priorities.

PM Shehbaz further said that the project will help reduce the country’s $24 billion energy import bill.

He also appreciated all the stakeholders involved in the project and said in that regard an important review meeting will be held next week.

The federal cabinet, on the recommendation of the Ministry of Housing and Works, approved the allotment of 23 canals at Nabha Road Lahore to the Supreme Court of Pakistan for the Lahore Registry of the apex court.

The cabinet also endorsed decisions taken by the Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet (ECC) during its meetings on September 30 and October 10.