ISLAMABAD: January 04 –
Murtaza Solangi, Caretaker Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting addressing an event organized by Pakistan Disabled Foundation for special persons at National Press Club.
ISLAMABAD: January 04 –
Citizens advised to be cautious during prevailing dense fog
ISLAMABAD, Jan 04 (APP): Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has advised the citizens to be cautious during the dense fog blankets covering the plain areas of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Upper Sindh and Islamabad during this week.
According to the daily forecast issued by the PMD here Thursday, a westerly system was affecting Balochistan and may affect parts of Balochistan and upper parts of the country till 05th January.
Mainly cold and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country, while very cold in northern parts.
Dense fog/smog is likely to persist in Islamabad, Punjab, upper Sindh and plain areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Cloudy weather with rain and snow over hills is expected in most parts of Balochistan and isolated places in Gilgit Baltistan.
During the last 24 hours, cold and dry weather prevailed over most parts of the country, while very cold in northern areas and northern Balochistan.
Dense fog/smog prevailed over plain areas of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, upper Sindh and Islamabad.
The rainfall recorded during the period was Pasni 03 mm, Gwadar 01mm.
The lowest minimum temperatures recorded were Leh -11 C, Skardu -10, Kalam, Gupis, Gilgit, Astore -05, Srinagar -04, Rawalakot and Hunza -03 C.
Moulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar still lives in hearts of Turkiye people: Ambassador
ISLAMABAD, Jan 4 (APP): Ambassador of Turkiye to Pakistan Mehmet Pacaci on Thursday said that Moulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar had led the Khilafat Movement for the protection of an integrated Ottoman Empire, which was a symbol of the unity of Muslim Ummah due to which he and other leaders of Khilafat Movement still lived in the hearts of the nation of Turkiye.
Addressing the Anniversary of Moulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar organized by Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry, he said Ali Brothers had put the founding stones for the long-lasting friendly relations between Turkiye and Pakistan.
He said the material and financial support by the Muslims of the Sub-Continent led by Moulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar had helped the Republic of Turkiye in the establishment of various institutions. He said that spirit of freedom, created by the Ali Brothers in the Muslims of the Sub-Continent, ultimately led to the creation of Pakistan.
Engineer Azhar ul Islam Zafar, Acting President ICCI highlighted the contributions of Moulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar to create the spirit of freedom in the Muslims of the Sub-Continent and his role in the Khilafat Movement.
He said today Pakistan needed sincere leaders like Moulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar, to steer the country out of current economic challenges.
Zafar Bakhtawari, former President ICCI and Secretary General UBG Pakistan said that Moulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar had laid the foundation of friendly relations between Turkiye and Pakistan, which were still growing stronger day by day.
He said that Moulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar had raised a strong voice for the protection of Ottoman Empire and the Muslims of the Sub-Continent and thus brought the people of Turkiye and Pakistan even closer.
He said that Pakistan and Turkiye should commemorate his anniversary officially to recognize his role for the people of the two countries.
Dr. Abdul Basit, Chancellor, Preston University shed light on the multi-dimensional personality of Moulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar as a civil servant, journalist, activist, scholar, poet, freedom fighter, and a leader of Muslims.
He also highlighted the short and long-term impact of the Khilafat Movement, which ultimately led to the development of the two-nation theory and the creation of Pakistan.
Mohammad Yousuf wants U19 cricketers play aggressive cricket of 1990s
LAHORE, Jan 04 (APP):Head Coach Pakistan U19 Men’s cricket team Mohammad Yousuf has said that he wanted the U19 cricketers to play aggressive cricket and fight till the end at the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup 2024 in South Africa.
Addressing a pre-departure press conference at the Gaddafi Stadium here on Thursday, he said the he wanted his young wards to inculcate in themselves the fighting spirit and aggressive style of cricket Pakistan Men’s cricket team was known for in the 90s, adding that he wanted these young U19 cricketers to be aggressive without being abusive in sledging.
Pakistan U19 Men’s cricket team is due to leave on Saturday to take part in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024 to be played in South Africa between January 19 and February 11, 2024.
“Aggression is missing in our teams at all levels”, adding that “cricketers must treat their opponents as adversaries on the field during the 100 overs of the match, irrespective of the opposition,” the former stylish Pakistan batsman said.
However, he said that the U19 World Cup squad was immensely talented and he expected these young cricketers to do well at the ICC Marquee event. About performance of the team in the recently concluded Asia Cup, he said he was very happy with the team’s showing in the tournament, adding that the team stumbled in the semi-final against UAE U19 due to over-confidence. The Head coach said he was working with the team and, expressed the hope, these young U19 cricketers will do well at the whorl’s largest stage.
Mohammad Yousuf said that U 19 and the junior cricket is the area where great players can work on the technique of the young budding cricketers, adding that it is difficult to re-model a player’s technique after he has matured and selected in the national team.
Coaches in the region have a greater responsibility in harnessing skills and fitness of young players, adding that the coaches from the regions will be invited to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for a workshop in order to remind them of their responsibilities.
“The U 19 coaching staff should also visit the region and watch the players in action, so that they have a first-hand knowledge of the skills of the cricketers and manage a larger pool of players,” the head Coach U 19 team said.
On selection, he said score-sheet should not be the only criterion of selection of a player, adding that lack of form should not kill a potential candidate. He said a player should not miss selection for being out-of-form or lack in technique.
On T 20 cricket, the former batting great said T 20 cricket earns money but produces mediocre cricketers, adding that the cricket clubs and regions should ban T 20 cricket at the U 19 level in order to promote longer version of cricket in the country.
He said the T 20 platform of Pakistan Super League (PSL) should be used to earn money but this revenue should be invested on the promotion and strengthening of U 19 cricket like our neighboring country did.
Mohammad Yousuf was of the view that the T20 cricket was not capable of producing cricketers, adding that the greats like Hanif Mohammad, Javed Miandad, Inzimam ul Haq, Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmed, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younus never played T 20 cricket in their careers.
Mohammad Yousuf said the three-day cricket should be promoted at the district level or the 55 over league of the English Cricket Board (ECB) may also be replicated at the junior level.
He said Saim Ayub was rightly picked over his performances in all formats of the game, adding that it was imperative to provide him ample opportunities once he has been pushed into the test cricket.
Mohammad Yousuf hailed the PCB for picking indigenous coaching staff including former cricketing greats at all levels, adding that this would help harness skills of the players in a better way. However, he believed that the former legends must fully immerse themselves in the coaching job.
Gram, lentil pulses to be grown over 874,000 hectares in Rabi 2023
ISLAMABAD, Jan 4 (APP): The government has established a target of cultivating pulses across 874,000 hectares during the current Rabi season as the initiative is driven by the dual objectives of meeting domestic demand and reducing reliance on imported commodities, thus safeguarding essential foreign exchange reserves of the country.
During the period under review, it has been planned to cultivate gram pulses on over 860,000 hectares and lentils on 14,000 hectares, respectively, said an official in the Ministry of National Food Security and Research.
In alignment with these objectives, the production targets for pulses, encompassing gram and lentil varieties, have been set at over 419,000 tons to meet the domestic demand for legumes, he added.
The Punjab Province aims to cultivate gram pulse on 786,000 hectares, yielding an estimated 322,000 tons, he said adding gram pulses are projected to cover 22,000 hectares in Sindh, yielding approximately 23,000 tons of this leguminous crop.
Simultaneously, gram pulses are slated for cultivation on 30,000 hectares in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 40,000 hectares in Balochistan provinces, with anticipated yields of 15,000 tons and 49,000 tons respectively, he added.
Meanwhile, it is anticipated that lentils will be cultivated on 14,000 hectares, resulting in an approximate production of 9,000 tons, he said adding that the major chunk of this pulse was being imported to comply with the local requirements.
To elaborate further, he said that Punjab’s mandate for lentil production is 3,000 tons, requiring cultivation on 4,000 hectares, while in Sindh, cultivation on 3,000 hectares is projected to yield 2,000 tons.
Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces are expected to cultivate lentils on 4,000 hectares and 2,000 hectares respectively, yielding approximately 2,000 tons and 1,000 tons of pulses during the season, he added.
LHC dismisses petition against revoking PTI election symbol ‘bat’
LAHORE, Jan 04 (APP): The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday dismissed a petition, challenging the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) order of declaring intra-party elections of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) unconstitutional and revoking the party’s election symbol ‘bat’.
The court held that the petition was not maintainable at this stage in the light of the Supreme Court judgements and pendency of identical matters before different benches of the Peshawar High Court.
Justice Jawad Hassan announced the reserved verdict on a petition, filed by Chaudhry Umar Aftab Dhillu, Sheikhupura District PTI president, and others. The court had reserved the verdict after hearing arguments of the parties a day earlier.
In his arguments, the petitioners’ counsel had argued that the PTI intra-party elections were held in accordance with the party constitution, and all required documents were submitted to the ECP as per the Elections Act.
However, the ECP declared the appointments of the PTI officials as void and also revoked the party’s election symbol ‘bat’, he added.
He submitted that there was no justification to declare the intra-party elections as void and revoking the party’s election symbol. He termed the ECP order discriminatory and pleaded with the court to set aside the order after declaring it illegal.
However, a federal law officer submitted that the petition was not maintainable as the petitioners did not have any locus standi in view of pendency of identical matter in the Peshawar High Court.
He further submitted that the ECP orders were in accordance with the Elections Act and rules framed under it. A provincial law officer also objected to maintainability of the petition.
Ashrafi urges parents to ensure polio vaccination
LAHORE, Jan 04 (APP):In a bid to eradicate polio from Pakistan, Prime Minister’s Special Representative and Pakistan Ulema Council Chairman Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi emphasised the importance of administering polio drops to children here at the Director General Health office on Thursday.
During the inaugural ceremony of the polio vaccination drive, he addressed concerns surrounding vaccine’s safety, referencing an international ‘Ulema and Muftian’ conference in Egypt, which declared polio drops as Halal and not harmful to children’s health. Dismissing unfounded claims linking vaccine to reproductive system issues, he reassured the public about its safety.
Expressing gratitude to the Punjab Health Department for successfully eliminating polio in the province, Ashrafi asserted the government’s commitment to eradicating the polio virus nationwide by 2024. He acknowledged the sacrifices made by individuals, including army, police, and health workers, who lost their lives in the mission of polio eradication.
Ashrafi appealed to the public to show respect to health workers administering vaccines and warned of accountability before Allah for parents if their child suffers disability due to the failure of vaccine administration. Open to a debate to address any reservations, he underscored the urgency of collective efforts in achieving a polio-free Pakistan.
In a show of solidarity, Ashrafi also condemned the recent terrorist attack in Iran, emphasising Pakistan’s shared struggle against terrorism and expressing empathy for the victims.
CM inaugurates new extended emergency of PIC
LAHORE, Jan 04 (APP): Caretaker Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Naqvi inaugurated on Thursday the new emergency of Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC).
In a record period of six weeks, the Punjab Institute of Cardiology’s emergency had been completely renovated with a 50 beds extension to the new emergency building. The CM inaugurated the state-of-the-art new emergency department of the PIC, through the latest computerised system.
The patients’ records have also been secured forever. The extension and renovation has been materialised due to the continuous monitoring and visits of CM Mohsin Naqvi. The work was completed in record time.
Naqvi made a detailed visit to the upgraded emergency room and reviewed the facilities provided for cardiac patients. The chief minister inspected the ICU, echo room and other facilities and checked the quality of new beds. He also directed authorities concerned to make special washrooms for special people.
The caretaker chief minister observed the newly designed system from arrival of patients to treatment at the reception and directed to keep more plants in the adjacent corridor.
On this occasion, Mohsin Naqvi said that provision of cardiac monitoring system should be ensured on every bed. He congratulated the hospital administration and their entire team for timely completion and good performance.
261 startups graduate under PITB programme in 2023
LAHORE, Jan 04 (APP): A total of 261 startups graduated under the National Expansion Plan (NEP) of National Incubation Centres (NICs) Programme, a collaborative effort of the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) and Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT), from January 2023 to December 2023.
This was stated during a progress review meeting, presided over by PITB Chairman Faisal Yousaf at Arfa Software Technology Park, here on Thursday.
The participants in the meeting were apprised that 87 startups of the NEP NICs initiative graduated from Punjab, 64 from Sindh, 20 from Azad Jammu and Kashmir, 39 from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 31 from Balochistan and 20 from Gilgit-Baltistan.
In his remarks, Chairman Faisal Yousaf said that the objective of the National Expansion Plan of NICs was to democratise entrepreneurship, boost business activity across the country, grow the IT industry and promote economic growth in Pakistan. “The incubation programme is tailored to the needs of early stage startups and runs on a zero-equity model,” he added.
In partnership with the public universities, 13 tech incubation centres have been set up across the country where startups are provided with free-of-cost workspace, mentorship, networking opportunities, monthly stipend, business support and legal guidance for a period of six months.
Punjab Information minister condemns terrorism in Kerman
LAHORE, Jan 04 (APP): Punjab Caretaker Information Minister Amir Mir strongly condemned the recent acts of terrorism in the city of Kerman, Iran.
In a statement issued here, he stated that terrorism was deplorable in all its forms, emphasizing the urgent need to expose those responsible for orchestrating such heinous acts.
Amir Mir asserted that the resilient people of Iran could not be cowed or suppressed by these acts of terror.
The minister expressed profound sorrow over loss of precious lives, resulting from the terrorist incidents in Kerman.
“In solidarity with our Iranian brethren, we share an equal burden of grief over this heart-wrenching situation,” he said.