CM inspects under-construction JIC building

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Wed, 10 Jan 2024, 7:43 PM

LAHORE, Jan 10 (APP):Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi inspected an under-construction building of Jinnah Institute of Cardiology (JIC), here on Wednesday.

He ordered to complete it within the time-frame as the 256-bed facility spanning over 54-kanal would ease the patient load on the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC). A new hospital for heart patients was needed for a long time in a big city like Lahore, he said. A parking plaza has also been planned alongside, he added.

Provincial ministers Dr. Javed Akram, Amir Mir, health secretary, commissioner Lahore and others were also present.

Cabinet approves reconstitution of committee on missing persons

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Ali Ali

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Wed, 10 Jan 2024, 7:35 PM

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ISLAMABAD, Jan 10 (APP):The Federal Cabinet on Wednesday approved the reconstitution of its committee on missing persons headed by the law minister.

The reconstitution is being done on the recommendation of the Ministry of Interior. The position became vacant after the resignation of the previous head of the committee, Sarfraz Bugti.

The cabinet meeting, chaired by Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, also approved reguralisation of 227 daily-wage teachers as proposed by the Federal Directorate of Education and recommended by the Federal Public Service Commission in line with the Islamabad High Court’s decision of 2018.

For the construction of the Supreme Court Karachi Registry building, the cabinet on the recommendation of Ministry of Law and Justice as endorsed by the Supreme Court Building Committee, approved the transfer of federal courts and tribunals across the city.

It approved the summary regarding the operationalization of the Livestock and Dairy Development Board so as to fulfill the legal requirements for the appointment of chief executive, in line with the decisions of the Islamabad and Balochistan high courts.

The cabinet gave in principle approval to the Cannabis Control and Regulatory Authority Ordinance 2024 and forwarded it to the Cabinet Committee for Legislative Cases.

Under the authority, necessary guidelines would be formulated for the cultivation, extraction, refining, and medicinal and industrial use.

PM Kakar vowed to continue the anti-polio mission of the government till the complete eradication of the crippling disease.

The meeting offered Fateha for the security officials protecting the polio eradication team who were martyred in a terrorist incident in Bajaur.

The prime minister paid tribute to the martyred personnel and said the State would not forget their invaluable sacrifice for the homeland.

He said the officials sacrificed their lives for the safety of future generations.

He said the terrorists could not deter the resolve of the nation to fight polio.

The cabinet approved the decisions of the Economic Coordination Committee taken during the meetings held on 13th, 15th and 20th December, 2023.

The cabinet gave approval to the decisions taken by the Cabinet Committee on State Owned Enterprises on 28th December, 2023.

It approved the decisions taken by the Cabinet Committee on Legislative Cases in a meeting held on 22nd December, 2023.

Croatian envoy invites Pakistani workers to explore opportunities in Croatia

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NNPS Desk

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Wed, 10 Jan 2024, 7:20 PM

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KARACHI, Jan 10 (APP): Ambassador of Republic of Croatia Dr Drago Stambuk, inviting Pakistani workers to explore employment opportunities in Croatia, said that his country was demographically falling down and it needed human resource especially skilled and young people.

The Croatian envoy, while speaking at a meeting during his visit to Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) here Wednesday, said that Pakistan holds very good human resource, well-educated English-speaking population along with devoted and intelligent businessmen. “I would like to see more Pakistanis coming to Croatia and working in various sectors of our country particularly the tourism industry, which receives millions of tourists every year and it sometimes becomes very difficult to cope so many visitors”, he added.

He informed that Croatia, which is a member of Euro zone, holds fantastic geo-political position with big ports and railways network, hence, work was underway to make Croatia the hub for Central and South-Eastern Europe.

Stressing on need of enhancing bilateral trade relation between Pakistan and Croatia, he said that Croatian Embassy was trying its best to improve trade exchange between the friendly countries and it was his duty to put the business people of both sides together. “I will be arranging political as well as economic consultations between the two countries so that bilateral trade could be improved,” he added.

While identifying delays in issuance of visas as a major bottleneck hindering trade, the envoy assured that efforts were being made to solve the issue.

Speaking on the occasion, Honorary Consul General of Croatia in Karachi Mirza Imran Baig said that business potential for Pakistanis was incredible in Croatia which was a gateway to Europe bordering Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia and Montenegro, besides sharing maritime border with Italy.

The trade between Croatia and Pakistan has been steadily growing as Pakistan’s exports to Croatia have been improving at a pace of 7.71 percent annually while Croatia exports to Pakistan have also been rising by 4 percent, he noted.
He also hinted towards taking a trade delegation to Croatia in collaboration with Karachi Chamber and also initiate a Business Council so that all types of trade related issues between Croatia and Pakistan could be dealt under one umbrella.

Earlier, President KCCI Iftikhar Ahmed Sheikh, stated that Pakistan was a big market of around $339 billion and has tremendous potential for strategic investment in sectors like energy, petroleum, textiles, SMEs, health, safety cyber security, artificial intelligence, startups and technology infrastructure including IT parks etc.

“Pakistan has abundant human resources with cheap labor costs, which offers a great opportunity for Croatian investors in the field of technical and skills development for its youth to boost productivity,” he added.

The KCCI chief indicated that absence of Croatian visa issuing office here was creating obstacles in enhancement of trade relations. Therefore the Croatian Honorary Counsel General in Karachi should be allowed to issue visas for Pakistani businesses on KCCI’s recommendation, he suggested.

Protest for missing persons, banned outfit issue just defaming country: Achakzai

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Ali Ali

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Wed, 10 Jan 2024, 7:12 PM

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QUETTA, Jan 10 (APP):Balochistan Caretaker Minister for Information Jan Achakzai on Wednesday said that protest for missing persons and banned outfits issues are just defaming the country.

Pakistan is being defamed in the name of missing persons and banned organizations, he said while addressing a press conference held at Quetta Press Club.

He said that the commission’s report presented before the Supreme Court has exposed the propaganda regarding the missing persons. According to the report, there are 10,000 missing persons and out of them 8000 cases have been resolved. He said that 1,400 people are missing either because of kidnapping for ransom or due to family issues.

Jan Achakzai said that 2200 to 2700 missing persons have been recovered in Balochistan.

He said that uproar about missing persons on social media has nothing to do with reality, adding that the issue of missing persons was used as a propaganda. He further stated that there were more than 200 attacks reported in Balochistan last year, some people are also involved in these attacks.

Jan said that innocent people cannot be involved in terrorist attacks. He said that people affiliated with banned outfits carry out attacks after getting training. Jan Achakzai said that allegations were levelled regarding the arrest of people in Tonsa and other areas. The caretaker minister said that the issue of Baloch missing persons has been used as an organised campaign and some people’s motivation can also be used in election campaigns and other interests.

Someone is involved in these attacks but innocent people can’t be involved in terror attacks,” Achakzai said.

He said Mahrang Baloch is trying to become Malala Yousafzai. He also asked the journalists to get the data from the government before publishing news regarding the missing persons.

KU, SBK Women University Balochistan ink MoU for academic collaboration

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NNPS Desk

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Wed, 10 Jan 2024, 7:08 PM

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KARACHI, Jan 10 (APP): The University of Karachi (KU) and Sardar Bahadur Khan (SBK) Women University of Balochistan signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for academic collaboration between the two varsities of both provinces.

Vice Chancellor KU Professor Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi and the VC SBK Women University Professor Dr Sajida Naureen inked the MoU at the VC Secretariat on Wednesday.

According to the MoU, the KU’s departments of Education and Food Science and Technology, and Dr A. Q. Khan Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering would facilitate the students and faculty of SBK Women University in the first phase and later other departments and centers of the University of Karachi will be included to share their knowledge and experiences with the students and faculty of SBK Women University.

The KU KIBGE and DFS&T would arrange lab training for the students of SBK Women University, and they would also be guided about the bio-safety, risk management, and on-hand training of various lab equipment.

The KU and SBK Women University have also agreed to arrange webinars, seminars, and joint research, besides student and faculty exchange.

On this occasion, KU Professor Dr. Khalid Mahmood Iraqi said that without increasing the literacy rate, we cannot achieve our goals. The only way for Pakistan to move forward is by investing in the education sector and without investing in it, we cannot join the ranks of developed countries.

He shared that all kinds of facilities should be provided to the students studying in the backward areas of the country, especially in Balochistan.

Chairpersons of the Department of Education, Professor Dr Rizwana Munir, Professor Dr Shahina Naz of the Department of Food Science and Technology, Professor Dr Samina Saeed of the Department of Political Science, Professor Dr Saima Saleem from KIBGE, the Student Adviser Dr Nosheen Raza, the KU Director of Professional Development Center Dr Syed Asim Ali were also present during the MoU signing ceremony.

Later, they visited the newly established MPhil and PhD Girls’ Hostel and the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences and met the Director of ICCBS Professor Dr Farzana Shaheen, and Professor Dr Raza Shah, and discussed initiating the joint research and scientific lectures for the students and faculty of SBK Women University of Balochistan.

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar chairs a meeting of the Caretaker Federal Cabinet

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Zia Ur Rehman

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Wed, 10 Jan 2024, 7:05 PM

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Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar chairs a meeting of the Caretaker Federal Cabinet

By

Zia Ur Rehman

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Wed, 10 Jan 2024, 7:04 PM

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Minister announces to establish Tourism Police Unit in Sindh

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NNPS Desk

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Wed, 10 Jan 2024, 7:03 PM

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KARACHI, Jan 10 (APP): Caretaker Minister for Tourism, Climate Change and Coastal Development Sindh, Arshad Wali Muhammad has announced to establish dedicated “Tourism Police Units” in the province. “This initiative aims to bolster confidence in Sindh as a premier tourist destination”, the minister said a in statement issued here on Wednesday.

Secretary Tourism and Culture, Government of Sindh, Khalid Chachar has formally requested the Home Department to allocate police personnel for deployment at key tourism sites in Sindh. This dedicated force will be trained in tourist-centric policing, focusing on cultural sensitivity, communication and emergency response, creating a welcoming and secure environment for visitors, he said.

The establishment of Tourism Police underscores the Government of Sindh’s commitment to promoting sustainable tourism while ensuring the well-being of tourists. This initiative paves the way for increased tourism flow, boosting economic growth and cultural exchange in the province.