PESHAWAR, Jul 29 (APP): Adviser to the Prime Minister and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President, Engr Amir Muqam on Saturday said that Imran Niazi’s politics of hooliganism and confrontation has been fully exposed before the nation after May 9 vandalism.

Addressing a gathering at Kabalgram Shangla, Engr Amir Muqam accused the horde of a party that came with a hallow slogan of change and ruled KP for nine years for ransacking and putting on fire the government and defence installations including Jinnah House, Lahore and Radio Pakistan Peshawar during May 9 vandalism.

He claimed that Imran Niazi wanted bloodshed on May 9 after his politics was finished due to his continued political stubbornness, confrontation and exposure of his corrupt practices in Tosha Khana and PTI Foreign Funding Cases.

He claimed that Imran Niazi has tried to destabilize the country through continued agitation, and provoking attitude and has tarnished the country’s image besides ruining the national economy.

Owing to Imran’s negative politicking, PTI was divided into different groups and even its founder members said goodbye to PTI Chief.

Engr Amir Muqam said that the coalition government has frustrated the negative designs of the PTI Chairman and put the economy and development process back on track.

He said Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and his financial team had saved the country from economic default after making a successful agreement with IMF.

During the 16th month of the coalition government, he said that the confidence of foreign investors and the country’s image was restored and the economy was brought back on track after the tireless efforts of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and his team.

He said Pakistan had made tremendous progress during the PML-N government as evidenced by the construction of a network of motorways, the eradication of load shedding and terrorism, the revival of the economy and the making of defence impregnable.

He said that PML-N has given priority to Pakistan rather than its politics and took all decisions in the country’s interest.

As a result of which the country’s economy was brought back on track and Pakistan was saved from economic default bilateral relations with friendly countries improved and challenge of the last year’s devastating floods was successfully addressed.

Engr Amir Muqam said that PTI had disappointed the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on all fronts and failed to deliver despite its 9 years of rule in the province.

He said Pakistan Muslim League N was the only hope of the people of Pakistan as it was the only party having a committed and experienced political leadership with a strong will to take the country out of all challenges.

Engr Amir Muqam said that if voted to power in elections, Pakistan Muslim League N would take the country out of all existing challenges and address people’s problems at their doorsteps.

The Adviser announced the construction of a link road between Kabalgram and Jandol and other development schemes for the areas’ people.

Upon arrival, the people raised full-throated slogans in favour of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Engr Amir Muqam.

MULTAN, Jul 29 (APP): Years long efforts of cotton economy stake holders, particularly Pakistan Cotton Brokers Association (PCBA) are set to bear fruit with the relaunch of Pakistan’s cotton grading and standardization system afresh with a touch of modernity after decades of disregard.

“We, along with other stake holders would try to finalize a date and venue for relaunch next month, possibly Aug 14, the independence day to double the delight,” PCBA president Major (Retired) Kashif Islam told APP by phone few days back, minutes after attending a meeting with cotton stake holders chaired by federal secretary ministry of national food security and research in Islamabad to discuss a way forward.

Pakistani cotton is going to make a mark on the world cotton stage once the system is reactivated as a pilot project though it’s full enforcement across the country would take around three to five years, he later said in a statement on Friday.

“It’s like a dream turning into reality,” he said and added that all this grading and standardization system would be enforced under the umbrella of Pakistan Cotton Standard Institute (PCSI).

Dr. Tasawur Hussain Malik, an eminent agriculture scientist and director of Pakistan Cotton Standards Institute (PCSI), told a gathering of over 30 cotton selectors at a training course Thursday last in Multan that federal government was committed to make funding available for upgrading PCSI laboratories and new machinery acquisition for enforcement of cotton grading and standardization system across the cotton belt to benefit all stake holders including farmers, ginners and textile millers and help them nurture a strong value chain system from farm to ginning factories and onward to textile mills.

Khalid Mahmood, a noted cotton expert, welcomed the initiative as a good beginning to reviving the culture of producing and processing cotton in a way attaching quality to the white gold.

He recalled, there was Cotton Export Corporation that had introduced types of cotton that were recognized internationally but it was disbanded and later replaced by PCSI.

Then six grades were introduced for seed cotton (Phutti) including the top quality tagged as “Super” and rest graded as 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 while eleven grades were introduced for lint.

PCBA president Kashif Islam congratulated PCSI on holding two-week course for cotton selectors’ training as beginning of reinfusing soul back into PCSI and a first step to translate PCBA’s struggle into fruition with the relaunch of cotton grading and standardization system, now in sight.

All this would not have been possible without active support of veteran experts like Abid Zaidi, and veteran PCSI stalwarts. He said, PCBA brought all stake holders on one page to achieve the goal and thanked federal secretary ministry of national food security and research (MNFS&R) Zafar Hassan, Vice president PCCC Ijaz Ahmad Bajwa, PCSI director Dr. Tasawur Hussain Malik, cotton commissioner Dr. Zahid Mahmood, Chairman APTMA Asif Inam, Chairman PCGA Waheed Arshad, and KCA for their active support. He specifically thanked PCGA chairman for professional and technical support.

Kashif Islam said, the grading system would be launched as a pilot project on the pattern of PCSI grading introduced earlier but added that it will coincide with efforts to evolve a grading and standardization system matching new trends and international standards. It, however, would take around three to five years to materialize as it would involve framing rules and regulations on the pattern of ICA and arbitration.

Cotton grading and standardization had taken roots in Pakistan in 80s that had ensured better returns to farmers and ginners and supply of good quality fibre to textile industry. However, later it faced disregard from mid 90s leaving the system ineffective.

The revival of this system would encourage farmers harvest good quality seed cotton to get premium price or face price discount in case of poor quality and the same is true for ginners too who transform seed cotton into bales of lint, said Khalid Mahmood.

It would enhance credibility of Pakistani cotton and strengthen trust of foreign buyers and textile millers, said PCBA president Maj. (R) Kashif Islam, adding It would be a game changer to bring about a turnaround in the national economy.

KARACHI, Jul 29 (APP):The main procession of Ashura-e-Muharram was taken out amid ample security arrangements following a Majlis held at Nishtar Park here Saturday.

Prominent scholar Allama Shehenshah Hussian Naqvi addressed to the participants of the main Majlis.

Scouts also assisted the police and rangers deployed for the security of the procession.

Earlier, the team of Bomb Disposal Squad has cleared the route of the procession.

The main mourning procession of Ashura-e-Muharram passed through its traditional route and scheduled to conclude at Hussainiya Iraniyan Imambargah.