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Rs3200 mln earmarked for Revenue Division projects in PSDP 2023-24

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Rs3200 mln earmarked for Revenue Division projects in PSDP 2023-24

ISLAMABAD, Jun 9 (APP): The federal government will spend around Rs3200 million on 16 projects of revenue under Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) during the upcoming financial year 2023-24.

According to a budget document issued on Friday, an amount of Rs 2519.476 million has been allocated for 12 ongoing development projects and Rs 680.524 million for 04 new development schemes of the Revenue Division.

Among ongoing schemes, Rs432.715 million earmarked for the establishment of customs check post/warehouse warehouses (Ziarat cross, Rakhni, Badini, Manikhawa and Qamar-din karez-northern Baloshistan).

The government has allocated Rs 415.623 million for the development of an integrated transit trade management system (IITTS) under ADB regional improving border services projects while Rs 300 million for the construction of a regional tax office at Sargodha.

About Rs282.483 million is allocated for the construction of an additional office block for RTO Sahiwal while Rs 250 million is for the construction of a custom complex at SOST involving sepoy barracks, an E-facilitation centre, transit accommodation and a customs forensic laboratory.

Among new schemes, the government has allocated Rs413.032 million for the purchase of land for the regional tax office Gujrat whereas Rs 140.270 million for the purchase of land for the regional tax office Peshawar.

Rs 50 million earmarked for the construction of a zonal office and transit accommodation at Gawadar while Rs 77.222 million was for construction of transit accommodation at Landi Kotal (KPK) for Torkham Customs Station.

Federal Govt allocates Rs 840 mln for establishment division in PSDP 2023-24

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Federal Govt allocates Rs 840 mln for establishment division in PSDP 2023-24

ISLAMABAD, Jun 9 (APP): The Federal Government has proposed to allocate Rs 840 million for the establishment division for its five ongoing and three new schemes in Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) 2023-24.

The five ongoing schemes of Establishment divisions were computer-based testing for various Tests/Exams conducted by the Federal Public Service Commission, Construction of the second floor of Bolan Hostel at Civil Services Academy Walton Lahore, Establishment of National Institute of Management NIM in SAARC Building Islamabad, Institutional Strengthening and Augmentation of Training and Research Functions of NSPP, Lahore and Strengthening of Training Activities of Pakistan administrative services officers at civil services academy Lahore, for which Rs 619.395 million were allocated.

The government has also introduced three new schemes including Up-gradation of Infrastructure (Solarization) of Academic Blocks, Boundary Wall and Strengthening of Security Measures of NIM, Lahore, (2) the Up-gradation of NCRD complex (Phase-III) at Chak Shahzad, Islamabad and (3) Construction of Auditorium at NIM, Peshawar for which the government has proposed to allocate Rs 220.605 million in the PSDP 2023-24.

Newly Commissioned PNS Shahjahan arrives in Karachi

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Newly Commissioned PNS Shahjahan arrives in Karachi

KARACHI, Jun 9 (APP): The newly commissioned Pakistan Navy Ship (PNS) Shahjahan has arrived in Karachi that was commissioned on May 10, 2023 in a graceful ceremony held in Shanghai, China and attended by Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi as chief guest.

During her maiden voyage to Pakistan, PNS Shahjahan visited Malaysia and participated in Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) along with other 30 participating countries, said a Pakistan Navy news release on Friday.

During the stay at Langkawai, the ship was visited by various dignitaries, delegates and locals. Later, PNS Shahjahan visited Colombo, Sri Lanka. The visit was aimed at strengthening bilateral ties, enhancing interoperability and exploring new vistas of cooperation between the two navies.

Upon arrival at Colombo, Pakistan Navy Ship was warmly welcomed by officials of the Sri Lankan Navy. At Colombo, Sri Lankan Minister of Environment, Chief of Sri Lankan Navy and notables from the local community visited PN Ship.

During meetings with Sir Lankan Navy officials, the commanding officer discussed matters of mutual interest and conveyed well wishes from the Chief of the Naval Staff for the people of Sri Lanka in general and the host navy in particular. The port visit concluded with a joint maritime exercise between PNS Shahjahan and SLNS Prakramabahu.

Upon reaching Pakistani waters, Commander Pakistan Fleet Rear Admiral Muhammad Faisal Abbasi boarded the ship to extend a welcome on completion of the maiden voyage.

He congratulated the crew for the successful trials and commissioning of the ship. On arrival at Karachi, a reception ceremony was held at PN Dockyard, Karachi which was attended by families of crew, officers and sailors.

Budget 2023-24 to restart journey of progress & development: Marriyum

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ISLAMABAD, Jun 9 (APP): Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Friday said the federal budget for fiscal year 2023-24 would restart the journey of progress and development in the country which had witnessed four years of economic destruction, joblessness, chaos and anarchy during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s tenure.

“Four years of PTI ushered in destruction, but now this budget will chart the country on a course of prosperity and development,” he said while talking to the media persons outside the Parliament House.

She said a “Fitna, anarchist and rioter” had tried to push the country into an economic quagmire, but he faced nothing but humiliation and disappointment.

Marriyum said the government had been pursuing the same vision for the economy which was implemented in 2013 to bring development and prosperity.

Now, the economic stability had returned due to prudent policies of the coalition government, she added.

A mega relief package was being given for agriculture, IT sector and youth in the budget, she said while reiterating that there was a “good news” for the government servants.

To a query, she said four years of pervasive incompetence, widespread corruption, and severe economic deterioration had deeply disappointed the nation.

US-based HR group draws parallel between Hindutva forces to Nazis

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Religious persecution of minorities in India - File photo

ISLAMABAD, Jun 9 (APP): A US-based human rights group “Justice for All” has drawn a parallel between the Hindutva ideology and the Niazis, citing the ongoing persecution of the minorities in India.

The organization’s report titled “The Nazification of India” compares 12 different mechanisms of hate and persecution from the Nazi playbook, and how they are being implemented in India today.

India, the largest democracy in the world has become the weakest at the hands of the fascist Hindutva ideology, said the report released by the Chicago-based human rights organization.

It said that Hindutva ideology is not only inspired by Nazis and Fascists of Europe, but their treatment of the Muslim minority closely follows developments that resulted in pushing Jews to the gas chambers.

The report was released in the recent past at a Congressional briefing “to mark the anniversary of the Gujarat pogroms of 2002 against Muslims which propelled the BJP-RSS regime to control India.”

“India today is ruled not just by a political party the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), but its mother organization the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS),” the report said.

The report said that what happening in India today was “clearly demonstrates that India is on a dangerous trajectory to becoming a Nazi-inspired, fascist, majoritarian state, where its minorities and particularly its more than 200 million Muslims, face an impending danger of genocide.”

At the briefing, Hena Zuberi of Justice for All explained the reasons behind some terms used in the report, like “The BJP-RSS regime,” and “The BJP-RSS machine.” These terms “reflect the intrinsic links and collaborative relationship between the gas chambers, hate, othering, and boycotts of Jews, ghettoization, and pogroms.”

“The fact that these parallels are seen is not a surprise since the early leaders of the RSS openly declared that the Nazi model was a good one for India to adopt. And recently, Hitler’s popularity has grown widely in the country.”

The report also explores how Narendra Modi not only got away with facilitating a pogrom but was also elected the Prime Minister of India — twice. It further notes that “while Modi’s fortunes continue to rise in India, India’s positioning around the world continues to fall.”

Authors of the report cite the Freedom House, which “downgraded” India in 2021 to “partially free,” as well as the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index that placed the world’s largest democracy in the category of “Flawed Democracy.”

It also mentions Reporters Without Borders, which, in 2022 placed India “among the worst countries in terms of media freedom, ranking it 150th out of 180 countries.”

Noting that the non-profit Genocide Watch has already warned that the situation in India “reached the stages of polarization, preparation, and persecution respectively, the 6th, 7th, and 8th stages of the Ten Stages of Genocide”, the report insists, “The world must heed these warning signs and act as a matter of urgency to prevent history from repeating itself.”

The report wants global leaders to “condemn the gross human rights violations occurring in India and pressure the government to hold true to India’s secular constitution.”

Sherry Rehman exhorts fishermen to avoid venturing in open sea amid Biparjoy cyclone

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Minister Rehman stresses urgency of Climate Action in meeting with Denmark's Minister

ISLAMABAD, Jun 9 (APP): Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Senator Sherry Rehman on Friday advised the fishermen in the coastal areas of the country to avoid venturing into the open sea due to prevailing tropical cyclone BIPARJOY formed over Southeast Arabian Sea.

In her message regarding the cyclone, the federal minister said as per the weather advisory issued by Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), Cyclone Biparjoy was moving towards north and northeast after changing its direction.
Senator Rehman said the cyclone might move further towards Pakistan’s Makran coast as it continued to change and it may intensify further.

She added that the fishermen were advised not to venture out into the open sea from Monday, June 12 until the system passes over the Arabian Sea.

“Coastal areas may be affected due to high tides. All concerned authorities especially PDMA Sindh and Balochistan are advised to review the preparations. Ensure public safety for people living in coastal areas and create awareness among people,” Sherry Rehman said.

She also underlined that there was a possibility of rain, thunder and strong winds from the night of June 13 to the morning of June 14 in the coastal area of Sindh and Makran. “We are vigilant and continuously monitoring the storm and also collecting information from 6 international sources,” Sherry Rehman added.

PM links economy with political stability as cabinet okays budget proposals

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ISLAMABAD, Jun 9 (APP):Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said a country’s sound economic growth was linked with its political stability.

“Without political stability, even billions of budget could not make a difference in improving the economic situation,” he said at the cabinet meeting, which approved the budgetary proposals of the fiscal year 2023-24.

The prime minister said the common man was bearing the brunt of inflation, however, the government was taking steps to provide them relief in the budget.

The government, he said, accepted all the requirements of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and hoped that a staff-level agreement would be reached in near future.

Since assumption of power 14 months ago, he added, it had to deal with the challenge of IMF, post-flood situation and global inflation, he added.

He expressed satisfaction that the current deficit in 10 months was reduced to $3.3 billion and hoped that the agriculture sector would boost.

The prime minister appointed Rohail Sheikh as his adviser and expressed the hope that he would fulfill his responsibilities with diligence.

The cabinet also accorded approval to the Finance Bill 2023.

Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar will present the budgetary proposals with an estimated outlay of Rs 14 trillion in the National Assembly in the evening.

This is the second budget in 14 months being presented by the coalition government under the banner of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

The government in its Economic Survey unveiled on Thursday highlighted its significant economic gains in terms of improved external and fiscal indicators.

Even with a significant increase in debt servicing, the fiscal deficit reduced to 4.6 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in July-April FY 2022-23 against 4.9 percent for the same period last year, while the primary balance reverted from deficit to surplus.

During the first 11 months of the outgoing fiscal year, the trade deficit was narrowed down by 40 percent and the current account deficit by 76 percent during July 2022-April 2023.

Indian Sikh pilgrims arrived in Hassanabdal to offer religious rituals

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Indian Sikh pilgrims arrived in Hassanabdal to offer religious rituals

WAH CANTT, Jun 09 (APP): Around 170 Sikh pilgrims arrived at Hassan Abdal to offer their religious rituals in connection to 174th death anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev also known as Jore Mela aimed strict security measures.

Upon their arrival officials of local administration, Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) and the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Perbandhak Committee (PSGPC), local administration well come them.

Speaking on the occasion, the Party leader of Sikh yatrees Sardar Gurbachan Singh said that Pakistan was their second home for Sikhs living in all around the world.

Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) deputy secretary Shrines Saif Ullah Khokar has said that the Sikh pilgrim would leave for Gurdwara Nanaka Sahib on June 10.

He assured that the Sikh pilgrims would be provided with the best facilities during their 10-day stay in the country.

He said that Pakistan remains committed to preserving sacred religious places as well as providing necessary facilitation to the visiting pilgrims.

Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) Pardhan Sardar Amir Singh said that the main event of Jore Mela and rituals in connection to 174th death anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev – 5th of 11 Sikh guru will be held on June 16 at Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore.

The pilgrims will also visit other holy sites including Gurdwara Nankana Sahib and Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib.

Federal Minister for Planning Development & Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal addressing Inauguration session of International EdTech Conference

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Ahsan Iqbal for excelling in digital technology for national development
ISLAMABAD: June 09 - Federal Minister for Planning Development & Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal addressing Inauguration session of International EdTech Conference. APP
Federal Minister for Planning Development & Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal addressing Inauguration session of International EdTech Conference
APP12-090623 ISLAMABAD

Traders selling seasonal fruit bananas to the vendors at the Fruit Market

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Traders selling seasonal fruit bananas to the vendors at the Fruit Market
APP11-090623 MULTAN: June 09 – Traders selling seasonal fruit bananas to the vendors at the Fruit Market. APP/TVE/MAF/ZID
Traders selling seasonal fruit bananas to the vendors at the Fruit Market
APP11-090623 MULTAN