ISLAMABAD
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ISLAMABAD
Commuters getting shelter under the bridge to avoid the rain that experienced in the city
ISLAMABAD
Mustard flowers blooming along the roadside green belt marks spring in the city
ISLAMABAD
Gala dinner hosted to celebrate Pak-China friendship, bilateral relations with Turkey
KARACHI, Feb 18 (APP):K H A Business and International Relations hosted a dinner in honor of the Consulate General of China, Yang Yundong, and the Consul General of Turkey, Cemal Sangu, to celebrate Pak-China friendship marking the completion of 73 years of diplomatic relations and also to celebrate the New Year of China.
A cake-cutting ceremony was held during the event.
Among the attendees were the President of K.H.A Business and International Relations, CEO Kafeel Hussain Group, renowned architect Kafeel Hussain, Consul General of Oman Engineer Sami Al Khanjari, Consul General of Indonesia Dr. June Kuncoro Hadiningrat, Consul General of Malaysia Herman Hardynata Ahmad, Consul General of Japan Hattori Masaru, Diplomats from Qatar, UAE and Indonesia, President Pakistan Tax Bar Association Anwar Kashif Mumtaz, President Karachi Business Forum and Think Tank Rashid Ahmed Siddiqui, along with other prominent business personalities and dignitaries of the city.
Addressing the gathering, the President of K.H.A Business and International Relations, CEO Kafeel Hussain Group, Kafeel Hussain stated that Pakistan is keen on enhancing relations with countries worldwide. He emphasized the strong fraternal ties between Pakistan, China, and Turkey, and highlighted ongoing efforts to strengthen them further.
He highlighted the vast opportunities for business and investment in Pakistan and expressed called for investment in the country while facilitating businessmen from both China and Turkey with information about incentives and other facilities available in Pakistan.
Kafeel Hussain further mentioned the potential benefits of collaboration among all Asian countries in boosting the economy, which could lead to more pleasant relations between Pakistan and other nations. Consul General Yang Yundong mentioned that the Pak-China friendship is exemplary, citing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a vital contributor to both countries’ economies. He also noted the increase in exports under the Belt and Road Initiative, which is highly promising.
Yang Yundong expressed confidence that Pak-China friendship will continue to set an example for all nations globally and both countries will continue to play their part in strengthening the economy through collaboration. Consul General Cemal Sangu stated that Turkey and Pakistan have deep-rooted and extensive trade, diplomatic, cultural, and economic relations, which can be further improved for mutual benefits.
Sangu emphasized Turkey’s ongoing collaboration with Pakistan in various sectors, benefiting both countries’ economies. He also highlighted the importance of robust economic policies to improve Pakistan’s economy, which can lead to increased exports.
Turkish CG reiterated Turkey’s commitment to enhancing relations with Pakistan and other Muslim countries for mutual prosperity.
CM chairs cabinet meeting, reviews PSL-9 security plan
LAHORE, Feb 18 (APP):Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi presided over the 41st provincial cabinet meeting at CM Office here on Sunday.
The Punjab cabinet granted an approval to amend the Punjab Highway Patrolling Police rules. The decisions of the 39th meeting of the caretaker Punjab cabinet were endorsed in the meeting. The cabinet also reviewed law & order in the province.
IG Police Doctor Usman Anwar gave a briefing about the law & order in the province.
The CM directed to undertake all essential measures for the protection of life and property of people across the province. Mohsin Naqvi asserted that no compromise would be made on upholding the rule of law. The PSL-9 security plan was also reviewed in the meeting. The CM directed to ensure 100 percent implementation of the security plan and SOPs for PSL-9.
Provincial Ministers, Advisers, Chief Secretary, Advocate General Punjab, IG Police, Chairman P&D Board, SMBR and Secretaries of departments concerned attended the meeting.
Empowered women – elevating nation, beaming with pride
Dr. Saeed Ahmad Ali
LAHORE, Feb 18 (APP):Experts on Sunday said that women’s multidimensional empowerment in society is central to realising their rights and enabling them to equally participate in businesses, scientific, social sports and entrepreneur, control over productive resources and economic decision-making.
From risky summits to space while representing Pakistan in global media, making themselves heard worldwide, these equipped women during last two years have been standing historic.
In recent outgoing years the empowered Pakistani women have displayed their best potential in every sphere of life, achieving for the country, by breaking barriers and achieving numerous ‘firsts’ in their respective fields, APP observed.
To a great surprise, Naila Kiani, renowned mountaineer and the first Pakistani woman, who climbed 10 peaks above 8,000 metres last year. She also became the only Pakistani to ascend seven peaks above 8,000m in six months.
Likewise, Samina Baig attained the feat of becoming the first Pakistani women to summit the world’s ninth-highest peak, the 8,125m-tall Nanga Parbat. Pakistan’s women cricketers also excelled during the year 2023, while making history by registering their maiden win over New Zealand not just in the first T20 International but also in the one-day format.
Earlier, in the same year wicketkeeper-batter Muneeba Ali became the first Pakistani woman to score a T20I century and only the sixth to score one in a T20 World Cup.
Pakistani women in the walk of social or performing arts, did not shy away from exhibiting their love for modern arts and media either as they set new records.
Arooj Aftab last year performed at ceremony of Grammy Awards 2023 in Los Angeles, US— and became the first Pakistani to win the prestigious Grammy Award, she also became the first artist from the country to perform at the Grammys. Oscar-winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy was announced as the director for the latest Star Wars film, making her the first woman and person of colour to direct a film in the franchise.
Shifting focus to a different category among the ‘firsts’, women and minorities in Pakistan made significant endeavors, toward achieving parity with men.
Justice Musarrat Hilali took oath as Peshawar High Court chief justice on April
In February 2023, and similarly the Lahore High Court Bar Association got its first woman secretary since its inception in 1893 following Sabahat Rizvi’s election.
In September last year, the Supreme Court of Pakistan got its first female registrar after sworn-in Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa appointed Additional District and Sessions Judge Okara, Jazeela Aslam, to the role.
The next month, girls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP), Swat, played the “first-ever” women’s cricket match in the Kabal tehsil despite facing restrictions and roadblocks.
Last year, a newly unveiled wax figure of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto became the first of a Pakistani personality at Madame Tussauds’ museum in Dubai.
Describing the Pakistani diaspora abroad got representation as British-Pakistani diplomat Fouzia Younis recently became the first British Muslim to be appointed the consul general to Toronto.
Likewise, in October, Namira Salim made history by becoming the first Pakistani to reach space.
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan activist Tahira Habib told APP that now, as the world changes from conventional to digital mode, imparting them training on the latest techniques can also have a trickle-down effect on our younger generation making it healthier, more sensible and more productive for a secure future.
The World Bank, in its report “Women, Business and the Law”
has acknowledged internationally this priority, that the heart of the policies of all important institutions including the active participation of women.
Presenting an index covering the potential of around 190 economies and structured around the life cycle of working women, the World Bank, in the overall count, has awarded Pakistan a 55.6 score out of 100. However, in terms of laws affecting women’s decisions to work, Pakistan secures a perfect score of 100.
In this connection the Punjab government has taken a number of initiatives for legal and economic empowerment of women,” said a spokesperson for the Punjab government.
“Punjab Women Development Department had embarked on initiatives like women employment, entrepreneurship, decision-making, property ownership, education and vocational training.” he added.
The Punjab Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW) has also acknowledged that the provincial government was ensuring women empowerment and protection of their rights through capacity building of all local government incumbents regarding new laws about women.
At a cost of Rs 87.937 million, PCSW had initiated training sessions for Nikah Registrars to train them on legal drafts, amendments, policies, registration, rights and proper filling of Nikah Nama.
These master trainers have imparted training to Nikah registrars and Local Government officials in respective districts also providing them copies of 28,000 manuals during training sessions.
The training session also covered topics about important amendments in laws related to Birth Registration, Muslim Family Laws, Inheritance and Marriage Restraint Act, Child Marriage Act and Women Protection Act.
“This activity would ensure protection of women rights and their safety against exploitation and discrimination at the time of Nikah and in case of divorce,” said Mufti Zubair Ahmad from Jamia Ashrafia.
The provincial administration has also envisioned a residency program across the province named ‘Transitional Housing’ (Second-Stage Housing) – for women who are victims of violence. This project would provide support services to victims or affected women and is designed as a bridge to self-sufficiency.
Despite all these initiatives, some human rights activists have also strongly advocated for the protection of the rights of female agriculture workers.
“Agricultural sector bears pivotal importance in our economy and employs millions of female workers. Therefore, it may be given the status of an industry to ensure better wages to female workers,” said Bushra Khaliq, Executive Director at an NGO ‘Women in Struggle for Empowerment (WISE).’
Although different projects are underway, experts still believe that educating women to a certain level can be the best service for protecting their rights.
It is worth mentioning that earlier, in the start of this year, in a move to empower women within the police force in Balochistan, a women police station was inaugurated in Sibi city.
This was the fifth women police station of its kind that inaugurated aiming at empowering women in the province. The initiative would help provide female complainants with the opportunity to get their issues addresses by women police officials.
Electricity thieves attack WAPDA team during removal of illegal connection in Mansehra
MANSEHRA, Feb 18 (APP):A team of Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) Mansehra was attacked by the residents of Mohallah Wazirabad an area of Lari Adda police station on Sunday while checking electricity theft.
According to details, Saifullah along with his sons and accomplices launched an assault on the WAPDA team after they attempted to remove illegal connections. The attack resulted in injuries to several WAPDA team members including XEN Rashid Ahmed Qureshi and Khaki Sub Division Officer (SDO) Danish Khalil.
In response to the incident, an FIR has been lodged, and Saifullah has been apprehended with warrants issued for the arrest of other suspects involved.
WAPDA employees have called for swift justice in light of the attack.
Pneumonia kills 13 more children in Punjab
LAHORE, Feb 18 (APP):Thirteen more children succumbed to pneumonia in the last 24 hours on Sunday, bringing the total toll from the disease to 392.
The Punjab Health Department highlighted a concerning surge in pneumonia cases, particularly during the dry cold spell. Within a single day, 622 new patients were reported across Punjab, with Lahore bearing a significant brunt, recording 131 new cases, including one fatality.
Lahore, the provincial capital, has witnessed a staggering 6,190 pneumonia cases, adding to the overall tally of over 28,809 cases reported throughout Punjab. Medical experts underscored the vulnerability of children under 2 years of age to pneumonia, emphasizing the critical need for precautionary measures, especially in urban areas, to safeguard against this infectious disease during dry cold spells. Health authorities urged heightened awareness and proactive measures to mitigate the spread of pneumonia, particularly among vulnerable populations.
PU IES organises poster competition
LAHORE, Feb 16 (APP):Punjab University Institute of English Studies (IES) in collaboration with Department of English, Forman Christian College University, organised a “Digital Humanities Graduate Poster Exhibition”.
On this occasion, Dean Faculty of Arts and Humanities and Director IES Prof Dr Amra Raza, academics from various universities, students from various disciplines flocked in to engage with this new digital dimension to English studies.
IES students exhibited 18 posters, under the supervision of Dr Amna Umer Cheema, PhD students exhibited their Digital Humanities project on Medical Humanities; Mphil students showcased their podcast titled “Shakespeare meets Scholars of color”; other research areas explored fourth wave feminism, code poetry, digital storytelling, Game studies, digital humanities, etc.
Dutch hockey club reaches Lahore to promote sports tourism
LAHORE, Feb 18 (APP):The OHC Bully Hockey Club, Netherlands, arrived in Lahore on Saturday night to play three friendly games in Lahore and Islamabad during a week-long visit.
Hockey Olympian Khawaja Junaid, Junaid Chattha and Higher Education Commission officials received the visiting Dutch club at the Allama Iqbal International airport.
The Oldenzaal Hockey Club “Bully”, commonly known as OHC Bully, is visiting Pakistan on the invitation of Khawaja Junaid Hockey Academy (KJHA) and will play three games in all with two at the historic National Hockey Stadium, Lahore, and one at the Naseer Bunda Stadium, Islamabad. The Bully hockey club will play games against the Higher Education Commission (HEC) hockey team picked from the Prime Minister’s Youth Talent Hunt Program.
The OHC Bully’s visit is historic in the sense that it is after a long interval of 22 years that a European hockey club is visiting Pakistan and the Bully’s visit is one of the small steps towards the goal of revival of hockey in the country. The visit may also encourage other European hockey clubs to visit Pakistan every year during the winters.
Former Olympian Khawaja Junaid, talking to APP here on Saturday, said that he was thankful to the OHC Bully for accepting the invitation to visit Pakistan for friendlies, adding that Khawaja Junaid Hockey club was committed to revival of hockey by nurturing talent at the grassroots level. He said the OHC Bully’s visit is part of the efforts to restore prestige of the national sport.
Khawaja Junaid further said that he was grooming raw hockey talent through coaching from the tender age of seven years, adding that the HEC team was selected by him after trials of 25,000 budding players under the Youth Talent Hunt Program.
Acknowledging role of former hockey Olympian Fareed Ahmed, who happens to be the coach of OHC Bully, in arranging the visit to Pakistan, he said, “I am also connecting with the outside world to provide the right exposure to these young lads at an early age.” He said this will be a discovery visit for the youth being foreign to Pakistan’s rich hockey traditions and hospitality, expressing the hope that Pakistan will soon become annual rendezvous for the European clubs and teams.
Former World Champion Khawaja Junaid further said field hockey comes to a standstill during harsh winters in Europe and European clubs visit the nearby countries like Spain to play hockey, adding that it is the time when European teams may be invited to make Pakistan their destination as the country boasts of a mild weather during this period.
Responding to a query, he said visit of a European hockey club will also help promote the country’s tourism through sports, adding that this is also a good opportunity for showcase cultural heritage and historical ancestry to the world. Khawaja Junaid also shared that OHC Bully is almost a century-old club which was founded in 1935.
Khawaja Junaid thanked Inspector General of Police (IGP) Punjab Dr. Usman Anwar and Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC) Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed for their support in making this visit of a European hockey club possible.
Captain OHC Bully Ruben Kattier, upon arrival in Lahore, said that it is a pride to visit and play at Pakistani soil rich in hockey tradition. He said he was immensely pleased to lead a team to the iconic National Hockey Stadium in Lahore, adding that Pakistan has played a distinctive role in promotion of hockey across the globe.
‘Tum Jeeo Hazaro Saal’ programme held
KARACHI, Feb 18 (APP):Under the auspices of the Arts Council of Pakistan (ACP) Karachi, a splendid event titled “Tum Jeeo Hazaro Saal… Poetry Dialogue” was held to commemorate the birthdays of shining stars in literature, Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui and Mahmood Sham.
The event took place at the Haseena Moin Hall of ACP.
Provincial Caretaker Minister for Information, Minority Affairs, Social Protection, and President of Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi, Muhammad Ahmed Shah, along with Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui, Mahmood Sham, Khalid Moeen, and Shama Afroz expressed their thoughts.
The Minister cut the birthday cake for Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui and Mahmood Sham.
A large number of people with connections to literature and arts participated in the event, while the duties of the moderator were fulfilled by Hina Ambreen.
During the event, the minister remarked that Pirzada Qasim and Mahmood Sham played vital roles in the welfare and enhancing ethical values of the society.
He emphasized that the ACP is an institution for writers and poets.