ISLAMABAD, Dec 19 (APP): The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday filed a reference with the Accountability Court against founder chairman PTI and his wife Bushra Bibi pertaining to Toshakhana.
The Registrar Office of the accountability court would take further action after scrutiny of the case. The NAB Rawalpindi has named two accused in the graft reference.
NAB prosecutor Sohail Arif and Investigation Officer Mohsin Haroon submitted the reference to Registrar Office.
ISLAMABAD, Dec 19 (APP): The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday reserved its verdict in petitions pertaining to delimitations of multiple constituencies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh.
Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir, hearing the case, remarked that the court would pass an appropriate order which would be applicable in future as well.
Barrister Qasim Nawaz appeared in case pertaining to delimitations in District Sanghar. Similarly, the petitions were also moved against the delimitations in NA-93, NA-94 Chaniot, NA-106, NA-107, PP-121, PP-124 of Toba Taxing and NA-8 District Bajor.
The court reserved its verdict after hearing arguments from the respondents including the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
ISLAMABAD, Dec 19 (APP): Pakistan baseball team continues to excel as it has surged an impressive 11 spots in the WBSC/KONAMI Men’s Baseball World Rankings to capture the 38th position, according to the latest ranking update. “This achievement follows our fifth-place finish in the recently-held the XXX BFA Asian Championship, showcasing the extraordinary talent and dedication of our players,” President of Pakistan Federation Baseball (PFB) Syed, Fakhar Ali Shah said on Tuesday.
In a statement, he thanked the baseball fans and the nation for supporting and believing in the national outfit. “Your unwavering encouragement has been instrumental in this success. This achievement underscores the potential within Pakistan’s baseball community,” he said.
“With continued support and investment, including the vision for a dedicated baseball stadium, we aim to propel our team even further. I firmly believe that with the right resources, Pakistan Federation Baseball is destined for Olympic greatness in the future. Let’s celebrate this milestone together and continue to build a brighter future for baseball in Pakistan,” he added.
Meanwhile, Olympic champions Japan maintained its grip on the No.1 position.
Japan’s points tally has increased by 225 points to 5,797 following their win in the Asian Championship.
The ranking update also includes the results of the WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup Oceania Qualifier.
The top 26 men’s baseball programmes maintained their positions in the ranking with Mexico (4,764) in second place and the United States (4,492) No. 3.
ISLAMABAD, Dec 19 (APP): The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday suspended another decision of Balochistan High Court (BHC) pertaining to the delimitations and said all appeals, would be taken up again after the general elections.
The court reiterated that it wouldn’t spare any hindrance with regard to general polls in the country. There was no chance to delay the electoral process, it added.
A three-member bench of the top court, headed by Acting Chief Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and comprising Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Athar Minallah, heard the various appeals against the delimitations in Balochistan.
Secretary ECP Umar Hameed appeared before the court.
During the course of proceedings, the court said that the decision wouldn’t affect the cases of all petitioners. It said that the court couldn’t accept any delay in the conduct of the general elections.
Justice Sardar Tariq Masood remarked that there was a bit of stability in the country after the announcement of election date. Whether the petitioners didn’t want stability, he asked, adding that announcement of election schedule was not an ordinary issue.
Justice Athar Minallah remarked that it was not the duty of high court to see the maps, rather it was the job of ECP. He said that it could derail the process of polls if the court allowed the changes in the delimitations at this stage. There was no chance of delay in elections, he added.
Justice Mansoor Ali Shah said that the court wouldn’t intervene if there were no elections ahead. The court was protecting the right of petitioners, he said.
ISLAMABAD, Dec 19 (APP): Huawei Pakistan on Tuesday unveiled the white paper on Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter (AFCI) for Photovoltaic (PV) systems, marking a significant stride in realm of solar power technology.
The launch, a result of collaborative efforts with Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB) and the Center for Advanced Research in Engineering and Development (CERAD), is poised to redefine the landscape of PV power plant development in the country.
The event, adorned with a technical white paper launch ceremony, featured Chief Executive Officer of Huawei Pakistan, Ethan Sun, who in his welcome address, emphasized importance of the AFCI in advancing technological frontiers, providing a comprehensive reference for enterprises involved in PV power plant development.
He said the objective is to establish a foundation for technological development and promotions. He said this technical white paper will serve as a guiding document for enterprises, enabling them to continuously enhance their products in response to evolving situations and application requirements.
Ethan Sun said this document serves as a comprehensive guide for industry stakeholders, elucidating the development background, technical principles, challenges, features, and the tangible results of AFCI technology verification and evaluation.
On the occasion, Managing Director PPIB, Shah Jahan Mirza lauded Huawei’s commitment to technological advancement and expressed optimism that the introduction of this cutting-edge technology would play a pivotal role in addressing Pakistan’s power challenges. Shah Jahan Mirza, in his speech said that the Technical White Paper on Intelligent DC Arc Detection (AFCI) for PV Systems, jointly released by PPIB, CERAD and Huawei, serves as a comprehensive guide for the industry. This white paper explores into the development background, technical principles, challenges, verification results, and application prospects of AFCI technology.
It is a valuable resource that empowers stakeholders to navigate the details of this advanced technology with confidence. He further went on to add that the incorporation of Huawei’s insights and capabilities has undoubtedly added value to our endeavor, further solidifying the reliability of the evaluation results.
The event was also attended by the Commercial Counselor for the Embassy of Peoples republic of China, Yang Guangyuan who along with Managing Director PPIB and CEO Huawei, initiated the launch sequence for the White Paper document.
The White Paper on AFCI will serve as a catalyst for further innovation and set new benchmarks for the integration of cutting-edge technologies in our chase of sustainable, safe and energy-efficient energy for Pakistan.
ISLAMABAD, Dec 19 (APP): Pakistani Rupee on Tuesday witnessed the 6th consecutive recovery session as it gained 19 paisa against the US Dollar in the interbank trading and closed at Rs283.01 against the previous day’s closing of Rs283.20.
However, according to the Forex Association of Pakistan (FAP), the buying and selling rates of the Dollar in the open market stood at Rs283.5 and Rs286.2 respectively.
The price of the Euro decreased by 05 paisa to close at Rs309.30 against the last day’s closing of Rs309.35, according to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).
The Japanese Yen came down by 02 paisa and closed at Rs1.96; whereas a decrease of Rs1.04 was witnessed in the exchange rate of the British Pound, which traded at Rs358.49 compared to the last closing of Rs359.53.
The exchange rates of the Emirates Dirham and the Saudi Riyal decreased by 05 paisa each to close at Rs77.06 and Rs75.44 respectively.
ISLAMABAD, Dec 19 (APP): As the nation prepares to celebrate the 147th birth anniversary of the founding father, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the educational institutions in Islamabad have kicked off birthday celebrations with fervor.
According to the details, the commemoration includes various events, with an intercollegiate speech competition held at Islamabad College for Boys G-6/3 and Federal Government College of Home Economics and Management Sciences College (FGCHEMS), F-11/1 here Tuesday.
In the English speech competition at Islamabad College for Boys G-6/3, Muhammad Yasin from Islamabad Model Postgraduate College H-8 secured the first position, eloquently shedding light on different aspects of Quaid-i-Azam’s personality.
At FGCHEMS, Abeer Rizwan clinched the top position in the English category, while Syeda Fizza Batool of Islamabad Model College for Girls (Postgraduate) F-7/2, grabbed the first position in the Urdu speech competition.
Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s principles and commitment to the rule of law were emphasized during the competitions.
Unlike other prominent leaders of his time, he remained un-incarcerated during the British Raj, a testament to his unwavering dedication to his ideals.
Imran Shehzad, a lecturer at Islamabad Model Postgraduate College H-8, while talking to APP, highlighted Quaid-i-Azam’s post-independence advice to students, urging them to focus on modern scientific education and stay away from politics.
Quaid-i-Azam envisioned a Pakistan that excelled in science, banking, insurance, industry, and technical education, he added. He also underscored Quaid-i-Azam’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause.
History professor Khalid Mehmood Chaudhary provided insight into Quaid-i-Azam’s monumental achievements, describing him as a charismatic leader who, almost single-handedly, united the dispersed and divided Muslim community of India.
He said that in just seven years (1940-47), Quaid-i-Azam succeeded in establishing the largest Muslim country, Pakistan, against considerable odds.
“Despite failing health, he tirelessly worked towards the consolidation of the newly formed state after its birth”.
He emphasized the need to pass on the wisdom and messages of the great leader to the new generation, acknowledging their role as the builders of Pakistan.
QUETTA, Dec 19 (APP):Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Tuesday said that the government had taken multiple initiatives to bring about reforms in bureaucracy in order to improve overall governance structure of Balochistan province.
Addressing a press conference, he said the province had some chronic and complex issues which ought to be resolved by deputing a blend of upright and hard-working bureaucrats from civil service as well as from the provincial structure.
“Our issues are linked with the bad governance, that had been badly affecting the performance of the province for the last few decades,” he said. On the request of the Balochistan government, he deputed a competent bureaucrat Shakeel Qadir Khan along with a team, to ensure meritocracy and to streamline the overall structure of bureaucracy.
He said he specifically instructed the team to fully support the Chief Minister and the provincial government in this regard.
PM Kakar said there was an axis of some corrupt bureaucrats and other stakeholders who had crumpled the whole province, thus adversely affecting the national economy.
He hoped that the incoming elected government would also remain vigilant in this regard and would continue the process of reforms in future.
To a question regarding reservations of the nationalist parties to hold free and fair elections in the province, the prime minister said it was just a routine matter as these parties had something to say to their voters.
Reiterating the government’s resolve to hold free and fair elections across the country, he said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would perform its duty to conduct the elections in an appropriate way.
“It is our task that we run the day-to-day affairs of the government, implement the state affairs, and then conduct the election,” he said.
Responding to a question about the projects under China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the prime minister said the caretaker setup did not have the mandate to initiate new projects, however he was trying his best to allocate funds for the Quetta-Khuzdar dual carriageway section. He hoped to get the finances for project by the next month.
He said that the children should be given skilled training and the government was ready to provide thousands of skilled trainings.
To another question about complaints of some aspirants, he said the government would never allow some people to take bribes for giving government jobs adding recent posts announced in the province had been, cancelled.
As regards, the Internet service in Balochistan, the prime minister said this would be resolved in a month or two after completing the project of the firewall.
Asked if he would join any political party after his tenure, he said he had no intention to join any political entity.
PM Kakar informed the Pinjra Pull would be operational by the end of February or early March 2024.
To another question, he said the Balochistan province had been given the exemption from the government’s recent decision to curtail gas supply.
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